its not bad... the main difference though is you wont get the 5.1+ discrete surround channels... which consists of the 2 front left and right channels like you would have otherwise (full range front speakers are ideal, because they provide sufficient bass then by themselves, without needing a seperate sub for that), a center channel for vocals which is usually positioned right above or below the TV, two rear left and right channels for ambience and effects and such, and a seperate .1 LFE channel for additional seperate bass effects (explosions, etc) provided by the powered sub... and if you have more than 5.1 (6.1, 7.1, etc), you can have left and right side channels in addition too, primarily for more ambiance.