# if i only have front speakers what happens to the rear sounds?



## panaman (Dec 16, 2008)

I've been wondering this for a while..
I have a 5.1 dolby digital RCA receiver but I don't have any rear speakers hooked up because of wife aggro with the wires. (I suppose I got 3.1)

So basically I have everything up front... powered sony subwoofer, JBL Venue monitors and an older JBL center channel.

I have nothing plugged into the right and left rears.

If I play a movie and its outputting dolby digital 5.1 will it try to send sound out of the rear channels that are not plugged in?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Most likely, if your receiver is set for no rear channels, it will send those channels through your front speakers.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Hi Panaman, If you only have a 3.1 system set up then you will want to choose stereo in the menu of your reciver of the disc you are watching /listening too. If you choose 5.1 DD you will only hear part of the sound. Your reciever will send the signal to the other speakers even if you don't have them hooked up and it will not sound at all correct. So just choose stereo until you get more speakers to complete the system. Happy new year.


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## panaman (Dec 16, 2008)

so some receivers will push the rear sounds out to the front speakers if nothing is plugged in?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

panaman said:


> so some receivers will push the rear sounds out to the front speakers if nothing is plugged in?


I believe so, but only if you change the settings of the receiver to denote no rears connected. You can't simply not connect them, the AVR won't auto-detect their absence.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

I agree with TC and Marshall ...:yes:

You can use stereo, everything will be send to front speakers, you have to check your manual to see what it says about 5.1 input when no surrounds are connected (like Marshall said, the sound will be re-directed to front speakers) ...Does you RCA 2300 has the option to choose 3.1???, if it does, I suggest you to use that until you get a pair of surrounds :T.


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