Talking about Home Cinema implies talking about different sound systems. Today there are many Home Cinema systems: 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 7.1 ... However, the most common in movies and series are 5.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound systems. As the name itself indicates, Surround Sound refers to the surround sound that is obtained in this type of structure by integrating different speakers whose frequencies differ from each other. But what are the real differences between a 5.1 vs 7.1 sound? Is a 7.1 system better than a 5.1 system? We see it below.
Surround Sound 5.1: the standard that best suits you for your Home Cinema
It is no secret to anyone that 5.1 sound systems are the standard in today's audiovisual production. It is so, in part, due to the extent of its use in movie theaters and its trajectory over the years , since it dates from nothing less than 1976. This is the reason why most productions are encoded in six channels , of which we will talk next. The 5.1 standard also supports many of the lossless audio systems used in current production: Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, DTS, and SDDS.
In this article you can see how to correctly place a Home Cinema system.
On this basis, 5.1 sound is made up of six different channels, where one of the channels is for low frequencies and the other for wider frequencies . The speaker scheme followed by this system is as follows:
- Two channels located on the front right and left
- Two channels of surround sound
- A central channel
- A subwoofer for low frequencies
The combination of these six channels gives rise to what we know as 3D sound, where the main characteristic resides in the flexibility of the whole in terms of distances . And is that unlike 7.1 systems, 5.1 systems allow installation in small rooms and with furniture in between thanks to the distribution of their frequencies.
Surround Sound 7.1: only for some productions
7.1 sound systems are the natural evolution of 5.1 systems. Launched in 2010 with Toy Story 3, the sound distribution now has eight different channels that adds two channels to the usual sound configuration through two speakers located just behind the listener.
The speaker configuration in a 7.1 system leaves us with the following map:
- Two channels located on the front right and left
- Two channels of surround sound
- A central channel
- Two additional surround sound channels located at the rear
- A subwoofer for low frequencies
In addition to being compatible with all standard lossless sound, Surround Sound 7.1 adds Dolby Pro Logic IIz and DTS Neo: X . Added to this is its compatibility with the BlueRay disc format.
And what about its use in the cinema? The truth is that today the number of titles encoded to 7.1 systems is very low . Most movies and series compatible with Surround 7.1 are in their original language, and many others use what is known as simulated 7.1 sound, that is, simulated frequencies that are reproduced in the two additional channels that this system adds.
Where this scheme is used is in computer and console games , where headphones are generally used with 7.1 systems (simulated, yes). Unfortunately, adapting a complete eight-channel system to a room requires a large room for the two additional channels to avoid crossover frequencies. Rooms with a minimum of 25 or 30 square meters without furniture or objects in between where the sound is projected without any rebound.