An investment in sound system can transform your living room into a home theater. From upgrading TV speakers to full surround sound options, there is plenty of choice available to you.
Ideal speaker packages should feature matching surrounds to provide accurate timbre matching. A full Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 system will bring rib-rattling bass and height sound effects for the most immersive experience possible.
Left and Right Speakers
Left and right main speakers are an essential component in any home cinema system, playing back the majority of soundtrack and dialogue for optimal viewing experience. No matter whether your system includes basic surround sound or full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos sound, these two main speakers play a critical role in providing maximum value from home cinematic viewing experience.
Front left and right speakers should be evenly spaced from the center channel speaker or at least within an equal area, to achieve seamless audio tracking and excellent sound quality. Ideally, this center speaker would also sit directly beneath or above the TV screen so it is at ear level for viewers seated around it; bookshelf or on-wall versions may also work as effective options for this placement.
If you choose a center channel speaker, it’s advisable to purchase it from the same brand as your left and right speakers (preferably within their respective series) so as to ensure an even acoustic image across your room and allow voices or soundtracks to “pan” across it more seamlessly for a more engaging viewing experience.
Consider investing in either two surround speakers for each side of your room or a single set if attempting a Dolby Atmos sound system. As with your main left and right speakers, these surrounds could include floorstanding towers, bookshelf speakers, on-wall speakers or in-ceiling surrounds.
Finding the ideal home theatre system to meet both your needs and budget can be a difficult challenge, with so many systems on the market to choose from. But we have put together this list of five popular systems that are both budget-friendly and of high-quality to help make the decision easier for you.
At the forefront of home theatre systems is Yamaha’s AVH-X3500BT home theatre package. This system includes two 5.1 speakers, a subwoofer and an HDMI passthrough port to support 4K and HDR content. The speakers look sleek and stylish in any room thanks to their black finish; making this an easy setup option for beginners as well. Unfortunately this system does not support Dolby Atmos audio playback; therefore it may not suit all listeners.
Center Channel Speakers
Home theater systems rely heavily on center channel speakers as an essential component. Many movies and TV shows include dialogue-rich center channel tracks that must be clearly heard and understood for an enjoyable viewing experience. Without a quality center channel speaker system in place, watching movies may become difficult or even impossible to enjoy.
For clear dialog reproduction, center channel speakers need to produce a wide spectrum of frequencies from low to high. Most quality models utilize two woofers on the bottom and one tweeter at the top; this ensures complete sound reproduction across its spectrum. However, not all center channel models are created equal – for optimum audio transition in your home theater system it is essential that they match both tone and character of left and right speakers in terms of tone/character and audio transition.
Mounting method should also be carefully considered when selecting a center channel speaker. For optimal performance, your center channel speaker should ideally be mounted either above or below your TV or projector screen to align with its image; otherwise, make sure its tweeter sits near ear level at your primary listening position.
As the industry shifts toward object-based surround sound, some home theater systems include up-firing speakers to add height and make entertainment feel more immersive. This can be an enormous improvement over the traditional 5.1 system, so if budget and space allow, consider opting for such models.
If you’re in search of an all-in-one home theater system with Dolby Atmos capability, take a look at the Vizio 5.1-Channel M-Series Soundbar. It boasts 11 high-quality speakers – tweeters and woofers separate – plus two upfiring speakers that support Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. Furthermore, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as RCA, USB, HDMI, AUX inputs support virtual assistants such as Alexa or Siri are all included as well.
Surround Speakers
No matter if you’re watching a film or playing video games, surround sound can add an immersive and more enjoyable viewing experience. Not to mention its aiding in hearing crucial dialogue from films and video games!
Home theater systems that create the most realistic experience will feature surround speakers that envelop your room in sound, creating the impression of being immersed in a scene. This effect is made possible thanks to how sound travels through home theater systems; anything from cracking of twigs behind you or jets flying overhead to voices in a crowd requires convincing realism from surround speakers.
Depending on the setup of your surround sound system, a center channel speaker may either sit directly beneath or above your TV screen (if using an acoustically transparent projection screen). Its primary role is to deliver dialogue and vocals with pinpoint clarity – from Whitney Houston’s high notes to Barry White’s deep bass tones.
Surround sound technology is especially useful in movie theatres because it recreates the immersive cinematic experience, yet can also be applied in smaller setups with just a soundbar and multiple satellite surround speakers.
Wireless surround sound systems eliminate the need to run speaker wire around your room, connecting your TV via HDMI and sending audio over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to surround speakers. Certain models, like Sonos Arc soundbar and Era 100 surround speakers, even enable voice command control of their entire system via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri.
These wireless surround systems feature detachable battery-powered rear speakers which recharge from their base soundbar or receiver and can be moved around freely for optimal coverage – these so-called “wireless surround” or “multi-satellite” systems provide a true 5.1 surround sound experience.
No matter which wireless home theater system you select, make sure it can accommodate the video inputs for your games consoles, 4K Blu-ray player, and other devices. Sony HT-A7000 supports all the latest HDMI standards including 8K at 60Hz with Dolby Vision HDR support as well as an HDMI eARC port that supports high resolution audio formats.
Subwoofer
Subwoofers add an incredible sense of bass power to movies and music that gives it extra heft and impact. Some affordable subs may only deliver an audible boom without much bass definition – these subs have earned themselves the industry moniker “one-note bass.” A great subwoofer can create the sensation that your room is being shaken by an earthquake-ravaged building or battered submarine while being powerful enough to keep up with explosions or rock music!
Subwoofers come in both sealed and ported configurations. Sealed enclosures tend to work best for jazz, classical music, movie soundtracks that require less powerful bass effects and other forms of acoustic entertainment. Ported designs tend to work best with hard rock/hip-hop music as they tend to produce fuller-sounding output than sealed models do – some even use passive radiators to boost powered driver output further.
One aspect to keep an eye out for when selecting a subwoofer is its capacity to handle various frequencies. This feature can be especially crucial if you enjoy various genres of music and movies; your sub must be capable of providing both deep low-frequency notes for action movies as well as extended low-frequency notes required by acoustic music.
Some speakers feature built-in room correction features that automatically optimize their performance for any given listening environment. This helps the speakers play more consistently while relieving strain from amplifiers driving other speakers – especially helpful if your room can make bass sounds overpoweringly powerful.
Many home theater systems provide optional upgrades that enable you to expand and complete your audio system over time. Sonos, for instance, provides a complete surround sound package which consists of its Beam and Beam Gen 2 speakers as well as two Era 100 smart speakers, supporting Dolby Atmos for immersive home cinema. Other manufacturers provide packages which let you upgrade by adding center channel or rear surround speakers; others allow for multiroom audio systems; still others let you expand multiroom systems further still. Whether you prefer wireless surround systems or all-out HiFi setups there will surely be something suitable out there for everyone out there somewhere out there somewhere –