Jericho

I have a 5.1 set-up that I'm looking to upgrade to 7.1. Part of the problem is space, as I don't have much room to place anything, plus one side of the home theater square is open (and I don't want a speaker sitting in the middle of the room). I guess the best idea is to hang speakers or such, but we'll see. Can anyone recommend some decent speakers that aren't too large to upgrade to a 7.1 set-up?

DVD Josh

I'm just curious why you'd want a 7.1 setup, since there are zero movies that are encoded in 7.1. I really don't consider matrixing rear channels an "upgrade".

cultshock

There are a couple 7.1 discs out there, the import Blu-ray disc of GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (which is supposed to sound amazing) and I think the BD of that Avengers cartoon is also 7.1. There probably will be more in the future, so maybe he just wants to get ready.

hdtv00

Its really 6.1 but 7th is a bonus if you need it for a big room.

Jericho

basically just looking to upgrade for the future. I'm upgrading a few things in the home theater, so I think it would be easier to get everything done at about the same time, set-up wise.

Brian Shannon

Well recommending speakers is not the issue.

As seen in this diagram on Dolby's website, if you cannot place the speakers on the side then it may not be possible to do a 7.1 setup in that room

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/techno...logic_IIx.html

DVD Josh

That makes sense, but I'm not sold that 7.1 will become a standard codec prior to when you'll be ready to upgrade again.

Jericho

The left side is no problem, its the right side. Either I can hang a sepaker from the ceiling (not hard, low ceiling), or move it a few feet outside the listening "rectangle" to work. I guess I'm at least exploring the options to see if it can work and what might be viable placement/cost wise.

Brian Shannon

The important thing to remember here is symmetry.

My best advice would be to echo what DVD Josh has already said. Run the wires and wait to see if you ever need them.

Spiky

BTW, hanging the side speakers is the best way to do it, anyway. The surround material really works from up above. You just don't want to hit your head on them.

cultshock

Yeah, I would go with mounting it on the ceiling (the other side too, so they match). Shouldn't be too difficult.