You have probably come across some numbers like ‘2.0’, ‘3.1’ or ‘5.1.4’. Typically, these numbers represent the number of discrete channels in a sound system. Each discrete channel is independent, meaning that it outputs an entirely separate and different sound signal from the rest.
WHY IS THE NUMBER OF CHANNELS IMPORTANT ON A SOUNDBAR?
This is important especially when listening to multi-channel surround sound that mainstream movies are usually encoded with, where the surround sound effects are mapped by the sound engineers to be outputted to various channels depending on where they should be coming from based on what is happening in the movie scenes.
Surround sound on soundbars
Most soundbars simulate the surround sound effects using a technique called virtualization, which involves the cross-mixing/matrixing of the multi-channel sound information to give listeners the impression that they are listening to surround sound, even though all the sound is coming from the front of the room.
However, soundbars with dedicated surround speakers have significant advantages in terms of delivering more immersive and precise surround sound that is closer to what the movie sound engineers intended.
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| TYPE | VIRTUAL SIMULATED SURROUND | TRUE DISCRETE SURROUND |
|---|---|---|
| 2.X | Stereo audio with wider soundstage | Stereo audio with wider soundstage |
| 3.X | Addition of center channel for clearer dialog | Addition of center channel for clearer dialog |
| 5.X | Addition of side-firing channels on the soundbar to create simulated surround by reflecting the sound off the wall | Separate left, right and center channels on soundbar. Addition of two surround speakers to provide more accurate directional sound effects from left to right and front to back for more realism |
| 7.X | Addition of surround channels on the soundbar for more detailed simulated surround. Sound is also reflected off the walls to mimic true discrete surround sound | Addition of 2 more surround speakers to complete a 360-degree surround sound coverage |
| 9.X | N.A | Additional effects channels for wider soundstage, completing the 360 degree surround sound capsule |