Surround speaker matching?

I am currently running 5.1 with as follows
Bose 701 Series 2 (Front)
Bose VCS 10 (Center)
Bose 301 (Surrounds
AVR 525
Velodyne CHT12

My question is concerning the 7.1 setup. Is 7.1 an option on the DVD itself, like Dolby Digital EX, THX, etc..? Or does my receiver take what comes as 5.1 and convert to 7.1. I want to add two more speakers and I am looking at the Bose 161 since I am using all Bose now, or buying 301's and moving my 201's to the back. I would like a speaker that mounts flush with the wall, but bose makes no such animal. Should I just stick to Bose and keep the matched sound or am I safe to try a different brand. And if keeping the bose are the 161's enough or should I go with the 301 201 setup?

Yes, the DVD will have to be encoded as 7.1 to enjoy the true digital effects. There are not a lot of movies out there that are encoded in 7.1. Because of this, I personally will not upgrade to 7.1 and besides it will not make that much difference sound wise to upgrade to 7.1. If you must (because of the upgrade bug) then I would get a pair of 201s for the rear surround. Those 161 just seem cheap to me. I would also invest in a decent center. I was not impressed by the vcs bose center. Also, Bose sells a wall mount bracket for mounting the 201/301 to your rear wall. Its about 20 bucks and includes a pair of brackets and screws and believe it or not a drill bit (no drill though) and two little rubber feet to keep the speaker away from the wall about a 1/2" and instructions that tell you where to drill the holes and how to mount the brackets. Just make sure you attach the bracket to a 2x4 in your wall so they will not fall. This bracket can be ordered direct for bose's web site.

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Originally Posted by poneal

Yes, the DVD will have to be encoded as 7.1 to enjoy the true digital effects. There are not a lot of movies out there that are encoded in 7.1. Because of this, I personally will not upgrade to 7.1 and besides it will not make that much difference sound wise to upgrade to 7.1. If you must (because of the upgrade bug) then I would get a pair of 201s for the rear surround. Those 161 just seem cheap to me. I would also invest in a decent center. I was not impressed by the vcs bose center. Also, Bose sells a wall mount bracket for mounting the 201/301 to your rear wall. Its about 20 bucks and includes a pair of brackets and screws and believe it or not a drill bit (no drill though) and two little rubber feet to keep the speaker away from the wall about a 1/2" and instructions that tell you where to drill the holes and how to mount the brackets. Just make sure you attach the bracket to a 2x4 in your wall so they will not fall. This bracket can be ordered direct for bose's web site.

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I already have the 201's wall mounted with the Bose brackets. They are finitly adjustable. I placed my laser level on each one and aimed it at my listening position, Very easy to aim. What other Bose would you reccomend as a Center? As far as I know they only make one specifically as a center.