9.1 Channels and Beyond
As more sophisticated surround sound processing options become available, such as DTS Neo:X, that can expand the number of channels that can be reproduced or extracted from source content, manufacturers are upping the ante on the number of channels they can cram into a home theatre receiver chassis. When moving into the high-end home theatre receiver arena, there are an increasing number of receivers that now offer 9.1/9.2 and a small number that even offer 11.1/11/2 channel configuration options.
However, just as with 7.1 channel receivers, it depends on what you want to accomplish in your home theatre set-up. Both 9 and 11 channel receivers can be used to set up 9 or 11 speakers (plus one or two sub-woofers) in your home theatre room. This allows you to take advantage of surround sound processing systems, a 9 or 11 channel receiver can also provide flexibility in terms of assigning two of the channels to Bi-Amp the front speakers, or using 2 or 4 channels to create 2nd and/or 3rd Zone two channel systems that can still be powered and controlled by the main receiver.
Majority of DVD, Blu-ray, and any surround sound audio that you will receive from source content is mixed for 5.1 channel playback, with a smaller number of source content mixed for 7.1 channel playback. When moving up to a 9.1 or 11.1 channel receiver, the receiver is actually post-processing the original 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 channel encoded soundtracks and placing them in a 9 or 11 channel environment. The results can be quite impressive, depending on the quality of the source material.
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