Rear Center Speaker (6.1) - Is it noticeable? (1 Viewer)

[MarkHastings]

To those who use DTS-ES or DD-EX, how much does the added center rear speaker improve? Will it add to an average system or do you need a Super-Duper set up (i.e. $10,000+) to notice a difference?

I understand that the more speakers you have, the more of a surround you'll get and I wouldn't NOT get it if I had a choice, but is it worth it enough to go and replace my receiver right away, or is it more of a 'luxury' item and I need not worry until I'm ready to replace my components?

Also, is there a specific scene in a DVD that uses this technology to the point that there's a big difference between the 5.1 and 6.1?

 

[JeremyFr]

you know I've got a 6.1 reciever but only 5.1 speakers so I honestly couldnt tell, I really didnt feel like running another run of wire around my living room being that I live in an apartment or purchasing a 7th speaker at the time I purchased my system so I haven't heard the difference yet though been tempted to run a temp run with one of my old speakers and see how it sounds with LOTR Directors Edition or Star Wars EP2. I dont for see it as being a huge issue though as your hearing will have a very hard time discerning sound directly behind you as easily as to the left behind you or vice versa. The rear center channel was more intended for theaters since the have speakers on the sides and the rear wall the ones on the sides were typically what would be your Rear left Rear right signal on your reciever where the speakers directly behind you are what became the 6th channel in ES/EX. But its just my opinion I'll try it out one of these days and probably never want to go back knowing me though.

 

[MarkHastings]

So it sounds like the center rear is meant to allow the right and left rears to be placed on the sides of you instead of behind? That would seem to make more sense (like in the theater explanation).

 

[Tom Wyatt]

So it sounds like the center rear is meant to allow the right and left rears to be placed on the sides of you instead of behind? That would seem to make more sense

... that's how mine's set up. I noticed a big difference, but that is probably because I have my surrounds to the left and right of listeners instead of behind and to the sides (that's just how it worked in my room). I can tell a difference in Star Wars EP II, Blade II, etc (even Pearl Harbor DTS and Saving Private Ryan DTS). Also, I use the receiver's "matrixing" in of the rear speaker for 5.1 sources on almost all DVDs that I have, and it seems to work pretty well.

 

[AaronJB]

I have a Panasonic SAHE-100 (6.1) reciever - in other words, an average set-up - and find that the rear surround adds a lot to some movies and not much or nothing to others. There are some great official EX/ES soundtracks ("Blade II", "Lord of the Rings:EE" - "The Haunting" in DTS 6.1 is astonishingly good, too) and I've found some unofficial EX soundtracks that occasionally make good use of the back surround ("Bourne Identity", "Godzilla"). Essentially, what I'm trying to say is, I certainly don't have the world's finest set-up and I've been very pleased with addition of the rear surround channel. The ability to process a rear surround for any 5.1 soundtrack or simply stay in 5.1 is a wonderful option. I've recommended a reciever to many friends recently and I only recommend recievers capable of 6.1.

If you're looking for a specific scene to demonstrate, the staircase scene in "The Haunting" in DTS-ES 6.1 makes incredible use of the back surround (I believe it's chapter 17 or 18). While the movie is rather terrible, that scene is one of the most incredible examples of 360 degree surround I've ever heard.