Is Surround Sound Worth It
Is surround sound worth it?
Is 5.1 surround worth it for $70? I mean is there THAT much of a difference? Does it draw you into movies and video games more?????
Many levels to this question.
(1) Quality of your 2.0/1 sound—Many people have an adequate/above par stereo setup yet elect to trade in for an inferior 5.1 surround system. DO NOT DO THIS—Surrounding yourself with crap does not make it better.
(2) Know your source—Make very sure the sound you will be transmitting to your new 5.1 system is encoded in Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1. This point has three basic levels: (a) The component devices in the line of duty must support 5.1 (b) all connections must be made using the appropriate cabling (c) the source material must be encoded in 5.1
(3) Do not expect magic—many 5.1 systems claim to do wonders to stereo sound. They do not. They manipulate the sound into all speakers to convince you their product makes something nice out of not-so-much. An equivalent stereo system matches this always and usually exceeds it.
(4) Use it how it says—it sickens me to see so many people with all five of their speakers (and sub) sitting in front of their viewing area, or skewed off in some random (but possibly aesthetically pleasing) alignment. These folks have sold themselves out. A good stereo system would suit their needs 99.9% better. If you aren’t going to put the rear speakers behind you, there is absolutely no point. Period.
Bottom line=
If you know how to set it up & connect it correctly, your source supports it, and the new speakers are better the old—then it’s an upgrade. If this is not the case and you want better sound—spend just as much—buy two good full range speakers and a subwoofer and I’ll promise you that you’ll be more than satisfied.
Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Review
