Solved! Is it feasible to have a home theater system with the soundbar as the only front speaker?

Nov 6, 2019
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I just moved into a house that has built-in surround sound speakers. By that I mean there are speakers on the right and left (as in immediately left/front from the couch...not at the front near the TV), two speakers behind, and four speakers overhead. I have a soundbar / subwoofer, but the whole home theater system setup is kind of new to me.

I'd really just like to use the sound from my sound bar (center/front), side speakers (right and left for surround sound) and the two speakers behind. In other words, I'm hoping to avoid having two additional speakers on either side of my sound bar, due to aesthetics and cost. I'm probably not going to worry about the four ceiling speakers at this point either.

So I already have everything I need for that setup, except I need to buy an AV receiver. Just trying to figure out if my desired setup will even work and if I'm okay with a 5.1 AV receiver or if I should get a 7.1.

Really trying to keep costs low at this point, but still be able to take advantage of the speakers that are already built into the home.

Thoughts? Will I be able to get away with not using the two front speakers?

(and I apologize for being such a novice at this. I've done quite a bit of research to even understand what an AV receiver is, different types, etc)