A:Answer The soundbar alone is probably three channels: Left, Center & Right. The bass module makes it 3.1. The surround speakers would make it 5.1. Bose technology, however, does a lot with sound, so I don't know if there is a direct comparison with separate-speaker systems. We replaced a 7.2 system with this Bose system and it sounds great--maybe even better. The wireless setup sure is nice!