Hi Jess, I also live in an apartment and can’t play my sub as loud as I like most of the time so I got a Buttkicker and attached it to my futon. It’s not a replacement for a sub but it does a good job of giving the feel of the LFE without having to play the sub so loud that it rattles the windows.
Just wanted to throw that out to you in case you end up in the apartment for a while and can’t get satisfaction without the LFE. There are many brands of tactile transducers I got that one because a local store gave me a deal on it but you might want to think about one if you can‘t get the most out of your system because of the neighbors and baby.
As for the 5.1 vs 7.1 give the QS8s a chance. I have a friend with a 7.1 system who thinks my 5.1 with the QS8s sounds better. Plus I don’t think there’s that much out there for 7.1 compared to 5.1. So if you have the extra money to spend right now I think you may notice a bigger difference with a tactile transducer that 7.1.
Where in Madison do you live? I was there for 10 years, some of it in school, and lived in many places on the near West side of campus on out into Fitchburg.
