# Low budget HT: 5.1 surround vs 2.1 virtual surround



## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

We all have heard about 5.1 surround sound formats and hardware. Some people may also know that there exist virtual surround processors such as Dolby Headphone and Dolby Speaker. What these technologies do is fool you into believing there is a surround sound even though you're using a stereo output device. I am using Dolby Headphone plugin with foobar2000 and I am really impressed with it. I have also achieved very good results with playing mp3 files converted with Dolby Headphone filter and then played in a car. I started with a crap car audio setup from the point of view of sound staging (just your avg Infinity coaxial speakers in the least convenient location in the door) and the results were very good. The sound stage for example moved way in front of me, way out there. I stopped doing this in the car, because a component setup, with a careful subwoofer and real fill configuration, can in theory take care of sound staging in the car. 

My understanding is that the Dolby Virtual Speaker processing is harder to configure relative to Dolby Headphone because the quality of the surround effects will depend on careful placement of your stereo speakers. However, my success with virtual surround processing on headphones and in the car made me wonder whether it's possible to achieve very good results in HT setting as well. Incidentally, I was window shopping internet sites for a cheap but versatile 2.1 receiver and stumbled upon Sherwood RX-4503, a virtual Dolby Virtual Surround 2.1 receiver. This got me thinking of setting up an HT around this or a similar receiver. 

Let's say your budget is $500 for speakers, sub, and the receiver (before tax and shipping). You're allowed to either build or buy speakers. Would a 2.1 virtual surround setup end up being better or worse than a true 5.1 surround speaker setup for the same price?


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## MileHigh350 (Jan 15, 2011)

I've never been impressed with "virtual" surround sound for HT. Unless you have a listening area which is very optimal (rectangular, medium sized, etc.), I don't hear the benefit over a decent stereo setup.

I'm guessing that the advantage of virtual surround in headphones and in the car is that the environment is more controlled and predictable. I know that saying acoustics in a car are predictable may cause several peoples' heads to explode around here, I'm only saying that in reference to how diverse a HT setup can be. Wall placement, size, flooring, ceiling height, room size, etc. can all vary VASTLY. This makes it really hard to design a virtual surround sound system that will sound very good outside of its comfort zone.

HTIB setups have come a long way, and some of them can actually sound pretty good. For under the $500 budget, look into the Onkyo HTIB, among other reputable brands. My main complaint with most HTIBs is that they use a stupidly proprietary receiver with very limited connectivity / flexibility. The Onkyo system comes with a completely independent receiver much like one you would purchase on its own. It will also come with all the newage lossless codecs (DolbyTrueHD, DTSMA).

Maybe you've heard some HT virtual surround systems that sound pretty good, but I'd like to hear them in MY living room, as opposed to the optimally configured setup in the store. I know that some people have great things to say about some of these virtual systems, but for the $500 budget, I would stick to a more traditional 5.1 system.


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## Fast1one (Apr 6, 2007)

I would start with a high quality receiver and build from there. Denon and Harmon both make excellent receivers with rather potent power supplies, which is needed for the high dynamic range of most movies. I own the Denon AVR-391 which I am more than happy with. It has the usual necessities ( crossovers, level adjustment, time alignment) and some other goodies you wouldn't expect for the price range. I got mine from crutchfield for $200 shipped but they no longer carry it. 

Once you have a solid foundation, do some research on quality DIY or store bought speakers. You can start with two and a subwoofer, then build from there if you run out of funds. There are a lot of budget friendly DIY projects in the parts express forum that you should look into.


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## ZAKOH (Nov 26, 2010)

Thanks for replies. Part of the reason I was thinking about virtual surround sound is because in some rooms proper 5.1 speaker placement is not practical. For example, in our living room things are very crammed and very suboptimal for a 5.1 speaker setup. Couch placement is wrong. No good space for center channel or surrounds. The TV, couches, EVERYTHING will have to be rearranged before the setup resembles something workable for 5.1 sound. This is why I am thinking right now of getting a 5.1 receiver with virtual surround support, and two floor standing speakers. Once we move to a new house, perhaps more speakers will be added. Until now, they could run in virtual surround mode. Another setting I am thinking about is my bedroom, which is too small and crammed for 5.1 speaker setup. However I can afford to put a couple of quality bookshelf speakers there. It seems like virtual surround would be better than no surround for watching an occasional movie. I am a fan of DSPs so I think I will eventually try a setup like that.


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## 000zero (Mar 12, 2011)

The only time I would prefer 2.1 over 5.1 is when I'm listening to music, other then that 5.1 sounds so much better IMO.

For a small space where you can't get the speakers in the correct spot you may want to check out in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. I am in the process of buying a house that will have a man cave for my own setup, but for the family room I'm think of getting some Speakercraft in-ceiling speakers. The AIM model is pretty nice and they can pivot to produce some pretty directional sound. You can find some pretty good deals on B-Stock from www.soundseller.com. Just giving you another possible solution.


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