5.1 Surround Sound

[Whyte Ice]

Hey,

I'm looking to get a surround sound rig up for personal uses but I'm not sure where to start, I'm pretty lost when it comes to this. Where would I start?

I'm basically looking for these questions to be answered:
What components would I need?
Would any surround sound receiver do?
Wattage?
Would any speakers be suitable or do I need special surround sound speakers?
What kind of cables do I need, I've seen some with RCA and some with others.

[TexRoadkill]

Do you just want a system for listening or for mixing your own music in surround? If you want to put together a mixing system do a search and there were a few threads going into detail on the systems.

[Whyte Ice]

Just for listening, maybe mixing at some point but not anytime soon

[Whyte Ice]

Another question, what are decoders and how do they work in a surround sound setup?

[TexRoadkill]

There's some good info here http://www.surroundpro.com./