Surround Sound Specs Question

[gamerdude]

I'm going to buy a new sound card and new speakers, but I ran into a problem. The sound card I was going to buy was a 7.1 sound card. The speakers were only 5.1. My question is, would they be compatible, or do the speakers and card need to be either 7.1 or 5.1?

Thanks in advance.

[imbest123]

A 7.1 sound card will work with 5.1 speakers

[gamerdude]

Alright, thanks a lot.