TV's Frink said:

negative1 said:

bilditup1 said:

We won a 51" Samsung plasma at an auction last year. Completed the low-end Pioneer 7.1 (towers in the front) via several deals at newegg, and then got a cheapish Onkyo receiver with some nice networking support. I'm pretty pleased with the setup all in all.

is there a noticeable difference

between 5.1 and 7.1 sound?

It's two more.

LOL frink :)
So I thought that my receiver would matrix out another two channels from 5.1 sources for me, but that's not the case. Practically, 5.1 tracks then will sound the same. Modern 7.1 soundtracks sound really, really awesome, as does All-Ch Stereo (or equivalent) and Dolby PLIIx, but I think, depending on the space you're dealing with, 5.1 might be enough.
I would definitely recommend my speakers to anybody looking for a bargain but want a step up over HTiB and have the space for big (in the case of the center, really big) speakers. Pioneer SP-BS21-LR (bookshelves, 4" woofer) SP-C21 (center, twin 5.25" woofers), SP-BS51-LR (floorstanding, triple 5.25" woofers). The new models just came out (22, 52) and supposedly outclass these and look nicer to boot, but likely won't be as cheap as these for a bit longer; on the plus side the 22 center uses 4" woofers and is thus a bit less unwieldy.