Does virtual surround sound penetrate walls?

Question

I wanna get a virtual surround sound system it's supposed to work by bouncing sound off the walls. I don't wanna disturb my family when I'm watching movies at nite and was wondering would they hear a lot of noise?

Answer 1

I have the Yamaha YSP-1100 and it is brilliant.

They specifically DO NOT penetrate walls. The sound is designed to bounce off the walls and stay within the room.

My apartment is really small with the lounge directly next to the bedroom and I watch TV and play PS3 till late most nights and my wife doesn't hear a thing.

I would however recommend you buy the external sub-woofer for a fuller sound with real base. This is the only thing that can penetrate walls but as it has it's own built-in amplifier, you can just turn the sub down when you don't want to disturb others at night,

The quality is quite incredible and some audio stores may have a demo setup.

Answer 2

While the concept of virtual surround sound may be using wave reflection and delays to simulate surround sound, this doesn't change a wave's natural propagation.

A virtual surround sound system is no different than any other sound system if you just look at the sound waves it produces. Low frequency waves will still tend to propagate through walls and into other rooms. If loud enough, higher frequency waves will also pass through walls.

If your family is in the room next door and you like to listen to movies even at a fairly loud volume...they'll likely hear it.