badchad said:

Many people would disagree, but in my experience, a very large room is the most beneficial for 7.1.  If you have a bedroom, or dorm room, its just too small to appreciate the separation that comes from 7.1.  I'd suggest 20 ft. X 20 ft. but that is just from my experience, and it's rather difficult to find rooms that size.

Other than that the process is relatively straightforward:

1.  Buy a 7.1 receiver with HDMI input.
2.  Hook up the speakers.

Even if you don't get media with discrete 7.1. encoding, the receiver will more than likely have some fancy mode where even stereo sound is matrixed into 7.1.  Since buying a replacement Yamaha, they are my brand of choice.

Bestbuy has a 7.2 samsung for like $350 new.  Go craigslist or ebay if you need cheaper.

IMO if price is a concern, just go 5.1.  Most audiophiles view 7.1+ as a big, large, hometheatre medium.

---

Thanks for the info

I may not stay in this room forever though, a concern i did have is whether it might be noticeable.

is 7.2 like two subwoofers? That sounds beneficial. I know sometimes that sounds better regardless, having two subwoofers.

I also have to consider that the technology will get better if I wait.

abltsandwich said:

Stick with 5.1.  There's such limited content available in 7.1 right now that it's almost pointless.  I'd say get a 7.1 or 7.2 receiver and run it as a 5.1.  You can always add the additional speakers later.  It also lets you set up a 5.1 and see if you think you'd really want or need the additional rear surround speakers.

<-- Been selling home theater gear for several years.

---