I have just finished wiring my new basement home theatre for 7.1 sound and am looking for a new AV receiver and speakers. I have read a few articles on the subject and believe that there are limited sources for 6.1 or 7.1 material. Most (if not all) are still produced with 5.1 sound.
Questions for everyone:
1) Given that the wiring is already in, would you spend the extra bucks for a 7.1 receiver and 2 extra speakers? 2) If you do go with a 7.1 package, what is the best receiver/speakers for the buck? It will be used 100% for movies or XBOX (I have a separate system in a different room for music) and I would like to spend less than $1,500 Canadian for both receiver and speakers. Because I have really young children, I prefer wall or ceiling mounted speakers but not essential.
Based on my research, I am leaning towards the Yamaha RXV750 or RXV1500 receivers. I am still doing my research on speakers, there are very few 7.1 speaker packages around, most of them are 5.1 or 6.1.
Any suggestions you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
The RXV1500 is a very good reciever and I would keep that in the equation. 5.1 vs. 7.1, expansion is good, as long as you have the wiring just keep it in the loop. Just because you have a 7.1 capable receiver, you don't necessarily have to use it or buy the extra speakers. You can do that later. Just keep the receiver in 5.1 mode and you are golden. Just get a decent 5.1 speaker system for now with the budget that you have. I've heard decent things about Orb audio but I haven't personal experience on them, but they should fit your requirements quite nicely. There's also the Athena Micra 6 which will combine well with the Yamaha.