Just double checking... The 6 and 7 in my 950's "7.1" are actually mono, correct?

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Philip Hamm

Yes, unless you are in the 950's '7 stereo' mode, both rear channels will be receiving identical signals. In '7 stereo,' all three of the 'left' channels have the same signal. Same situation on the right, leaving the rear channels with independent left and right signals. It's possible that a next generation pre/pro will incorporate a 7.1 mode that does have distinct signals for the left and right rear channels. These are some of the reasons I chose a 7-channel amplifier.

Thanks,

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Philip Hamm

bestbang4thebuck:

I have 950 with 7100 and currently have 5.1 set up. My question is, for a relatively small room, it wouldn’t make much of a difference between having one (6 ch.) rear channel versus two (7 ch.) mono rear, would it? I’m just trying to prioritize my X-Mass spending list…

Spiker, a lot of people seem to prefer two rear surrounds to just one. The two speakers reportedly provide better imaging, plus they offer a little future-proofing -- when the next generation of processing includes stereo rear surrounds, the separate speakers will already be in place. When a single speaker is used, it's possible that a lone dipole speaker would blend better than a single direct radiating speaker. In my current setup (a 19x11 room), I have a single Paradigm Studio/ADP dipole surround on the back (11' wide) wall as rear surround and have been pretty happy with it, but in our next house (which hopefully will be a reality in a month or so, and which includes a much larger den which will house the home theater) I plan to replace it with two direct radiating speakers. Most likely I'll go with a pair of Axiom M3's.

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