Test 5.1 Surround Sound

• Test Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

When you upgraded your television to a new 4K unit, you likely realized that the content available to show off those 6 million additional pixels was scant. Even today, 4K content is seriously lagging behind demand.

Fortunately, the same isn't true of audio. If you've recently upgraded your home theater with a surround sound system, there is a vast library of movies with incredible sound, many with scores or soundtracks to match.

Below are 10 movies that will let you experience the full range of your home theater sound system.

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• 'Mad Max: Fury Road' is two hours of straight high intensity action. But the nonstop visuals are backed up by some of the best sound design in the business. It brought home the 2016 Academy Award for Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
• 'TRON: Legacy' is as visually stimulating as it is candy for your ears. The soundtrack alone is enough to land the movie on this list, but the attention to detail by Skywalker Sound was enough to get TRON: Legacy an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in 2010.
• 'Inception', which kick-started the overused, dramatic, foghorn-like BRAAAM sound, actually edged out TRON: Legacy for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing in 2010, and rightfully so. With audio queues throughout, sound plays a major role in the plot of the movie. You'll definitely want to turn up the volume for this one, and pay close attention.
• 'WALL-E', like most Pixar creations, is an impressive work of art, both visually and audibly. Sound designer Ben Burtt, famous for his sound work in Star Wars, Indiana Jones and 'E.T.', explained he had to create more sound files for 'WALL-E' than any other feature film he's worked on. He had to create 'a whole world of sounds,' since every movement for WALL-E and the accompanying robots makes a sound.
• 'American Sniper' is another Academy Award winner for Best Sound Editing. Unlike many war flicks that bombard you with explosions and over the top gunfire, 'American Sniper' relies on subtleties and realism in its sound, which will whip you back and forth from the battlefield to a tense silence back home.
• 'Saving Private Ryan' took home the Academy Award for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, C.A.S. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film and Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in 1999. Using realism similar (albeit a bit more action-packed) to what you'll find in 'American Sniper', 'Saving Private Ryan' does a fantastic job of making you feel as if you're on the battlefield. This is due, in part, to the utter lack of music during battle scenes.
• 'The Hurt Locker' has a similar lack of music and visceral audio realism. Much of the audio was recorded on location in Jordan, says Paul Ottosson, sound designer, supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer of the film.
• 'The Dark Knight' is another winner of an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. The roar of the Batmobile (literally, the sound of animals roaring and growling was paired with race boat engines to create the Batmobile sound) and the intensely dramatic score makes 'The Dark Knight' a must-listen on a new sound system.
• 'Interstellar' is a controversial pick -- space movies often are. It was (intentionally) mixed to emphasize the music and sound effects, often drowning out important dialogue. Turn on subtitles and enjoy the incredible scores.
• 'Gravity'changed the game for movies that take place in outer space. The music was specifically composed for surround sound in Dolby Atmos. As Sandra Bullock spins around in space, the music follows her (or you, the viewer). Space films also feature a lot of silence or music to mask the silence, since sound isn't transmitted in a vacuum. However, sounds can be transferred through objects in the form of vibrations, which the sound designers of 'Gravity' took full advantage of.

Just know that while movies are often tailored to surround sound, music is typically best enjoyed through stereo speakers. Here are some tracks that will show off your hi-fi speakers.

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[>GUIDE<] - Surround Sound (5.1+)

In order to put together a 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 surround sound system you need only three things.

• Surround Receiver

• Some Speakers

• A Subwoofer

Pick a budget (usually above $500) and assemble your system. If you don't think you can afford a good system right away consider starting with a 5.1 receiver and only two decent speakers. That basic 2.0 can have a sub added down the line making it a 2.1 and as funds become available you can add rear speakers or move the initial budget speakers to the rear, get better fronts and then add a center.

There is no harm in building a system up over time.

-- This is the most important thing you can learn!

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{5.1 vs 7.1 Note:} Your room makes this determination. If the room you are in does not have at least 6 feet of open space behind your seating positions you are likely not going to fit a 7.1 properly and should stick to 5.1

{.1 and .2} This simply means a subwoofer(s). Since it isn't a full range channel they just indicate it as an addon. Don't worry about having a .1 and wanting two subs. A simple RCA SPLITTER can give that to you. It is more a marketing ploy to sound cooler.

{MultiEQ, Audyssey, Room Correction} These are features/programs that receivers come with to automatically 'fix' room acoustics. It uses a supplied microphone to try and detect speaker response range, distance, reverb delay, etc etc etc. It can help oddly shaped or echoy rooms OR with mis-matched/bad speakers. You aren't required to run it but I recommend it if you hear any issues you don't like. (results vary and you can always UNDO it)

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Test Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

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Look for the cheapest unit from a reputable brand that fits ALL/most of your needs (# of HDMI inputs, 5.1 or 7.1, Legacy inputs (S-Video, RCA-Video for old game consoles), Airplay, etc) Remember to mostly Ignore wattage (more than 90wpc is enough for 99% of speakers) and stick to the brands listed below or drop a comment if you find a good deal. Don't be afraid to look at last years models either, most times very few changes occur and only a few 'smart' features or HDMI ports are added with a facelift. You can also look for Refurbished Receivers to save some cash.

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I am making a personal guarantee that all the speakers below will be good. They each have their strong suits but in the end it comes down to personal preference and what you can fit in the space and the budget. Most of these are sold in pairs but not all, most have a matching center but not all. If a matching center is not available you can use an additional single bookshelf or roll the dice and just get a very good center, MTM or LCR from another manufacturer. Rule of thumb is get a better center then your left and right if you can. Matching is also good. Bigger rooms usually need bigger speakers.

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All the speakers above can be used as rears. BUT if you want specialty speakers or to get a bit cheaper then this is a list for that. Some of these speakers are (Di/Bi-pole) and throw sound in multiple directions, these types of speakers can only be used as rear channels in 5, 6 and 7.1 setups. These Bi/Di-pole are a worthwhile upgrade in most cases and don't worry about 'matching' your rear speakers to the fronts by brand or model as timbre has very little to do with off phase rears. So get the pair that works best for you and your room.

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You will also be needing some speaker wire, Either 16 or 14 may be used in most scenarios where longer runs or larger speakers are used. Make sure you search for 100% copper or Oxygen free speaker wire!

This wire is used for all channels so buy enough to run everywhere and hide the wires along moulding and around door frames. You may also need a Wire Stripper if you don't already have one and I recommend you pick up some Banana Clips to make your life so much easier when connecting everything. A single RCA wire for your subwoofer is also needed and finally try not to overpay for HDMI cables.

Questions, Comments please leave them below. I do read all of them.