A legitimate home theater system isn’t something reserved only for the rich anymore. Video and audio tech is turning into smaller and more sophisticated than it’s ever been. Today, all you want is a decently sized room, some smart positioning, a standard TV, best home theater speakers. That last component may be one of the trickiest feature to deal with. The nuances of audio systems aren’t usually as transparently understood as TV specs.
10 Best Home Theater Speakers
1. Best Sound: Sony 7.2 Home Theater with Subwoofer Speakers
Sony’s STR-DN1080 is quite the opposite of the Home Theater in a Box in practically every way. And while it’s roughly four times the price, it’s also arguably four times the value. If you want a home theater system that can literally make your entertainment room feel like a cinema, this could be well worth the investment. Granted, the seven speakers need a lot of room to work, but if you have the space, the sound quality is pretty much unparalleled.
Boasting a full 7.1 setup with Dolby Atmos speakers, tower speakers, bookshelf speakers and a sub. The amplifier here is doing some serious heavy lifting as well. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and includes a 4K pass through so you won’t have to sacrifice the highest level of video acuity for the sake of a top notch sonic landscape. These 7.1 home theater speakers also support practically any streaming format you can imagine. The only thing you’ll need is a set of speaker stands.
Key Features
- A feature rich av receiver with a phenomenal interface
- Support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X technology
- Voice control compatibility with Google Home
- DSEE HX tech lets you upscale existing low res music
2. Best Overall: Yamaha 5.1 Bluetooth Home Theater Box System
Yamaha’s Home Theater in a Box gets right to the point with its name. For around $400 gets you everything you need to build out a home audio system for your theater room, and as long as you’re willing to recognize that this is targeted as a budget option for entry level users, it can serve you well for years to come. The surround sound built in here is basic but incredibly functional, and setting up your new system is a breeze.
But the biggest strength on display is how it’s built from the ground up for the future of media. Streaming capabilities are positioned front and center with this these wireless home theater speakers. The amplifier is undoubtedly the star of the show due to the fact that it supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, and ethernet. If you want simple surround sound that’s easy to use, it ticks all the right boxes.
Key Features
- Includes a 4K Ultra HD pass-through
- Exhaustive and future proofed connectivity options
- Supports a Virtual Cinema Front configuration
- Bass boost can be turned on and off with a single button
3. Pioneer 5.1 Home Theater System
It’s safe to say that the HTP-074 is Pioneer’s counterpart to Yamaha’s Home Theater Box System. Not only is it comparably priced, but most of the features line up as well. The wireless functionality here is one of the best around, although it doesn’t come with Wi-Fi built in. But where it outmatches Yamaha’s system is in the passthrough function that supports up to 6K connections. That means this system will be comfortably future proofed for the latest and greatest TVs for a long time to come.
A small but overlooked quality of life feature is the position of the USB output on the front of the receiver, allowing you to easily plug and play flash drives, and an ECO mode lets you minimize your energy usage while still getting access to high-quality sound performance.
Key Features
- Natively restores the quality of compressed sound files
- Generous ports for practically any device in your home theater
- Compact speakers are appropriate even for smaller rooms
- Two separate ECO modes for flexible energy conservation
- 3D ready for Blu-ray players, broadcast and games
4. Best Value: Rockville 5.1 Bluetooth Home Theater System
You’d have to look far and wide to find surround sound capable home theater speakers that offer the low price and comparable quality of the Rockville HTS56. The Rockville may offer rock bottom pricing, but it’s a perfectly reasonable option for those with little space and a desire for entry level home theater systems. The volume for all of the speakers and the sub can be controlled independently with the remote, and the generally compact design of all the components allows you to accomplish more with less space.
And unlike many budget level entries in the market, the Bluetooth streaming allows you to get the full surround sound experience rather than only letting you pipe sound through the two front speakers. More traditional users will love the FM receiver, and the different LED modes allow you to create a light show to accompany your music.
Key Features
- An incredibly cheap way to get a surround sound experience
- Two mic inputs for karaoke night
- Four lighting modes in seven colors keyed
- SD input with support for up to 16 GB of files
5. Klipsch HDT-600 Home Theater System
The Klipsch HDT-600 is one of the slickest looking home entertainment systems around. The glossy black finish and distinct curves allow these relatively small speakers to blend into the landscape, but you may just be inclined to let them take front and center stage. In the right environment, they look great. Fortunately, they sound great regardless of whether you decide to position them prominently or not.
There’s a great sense of clarity and balance to the audio reproduction here. The mids and treble come in with a level of crispness that exceeds the relatively modest price point for this home cinema system, and the sub has a pretty impressive amount of kick to it as well. The inclusion of Klipsch’s trademark horn technology really allows the tweeters and other components to sing. The speakers can also be aligned either vertically or horizontally and come with protective rubber pads.
Key Features
- Surround sound with flexible arrangement potential
- One of the slickest looking designs available today
- Clarity boost via Klipsch’s included horns
- Exceptional sound quality across the whole frequency range
6. VIZIO 46″ 5.1.4 Premium Home Theater System
Height is a component that’s often overlooked in terms of surround sound stereo systems, but it’s certainly not an oversight where Vizio is concerned. The SB46514-F6 comes in at a little under $1000 and provides one of the best home theater layouts around if you have the space to make the most of what’s on offer. Two overhead speakers round out the otherwise traditional 5.1 system, but the use of a soundbar for the center speaker ensures that you don’t need a room the size of a commercial theater to make the most of it.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built in, and it even offers native support for Chromecast, so it’s easy to link up these home speakers to your existing home automation profile. The result is a clarity of sound that sounds equally as good for music or for dialogue heavy television. It’s both loud and precise.
Key Features
- Soundbar can be voice controlled with Google Assistant
- Wireless Subwoofer for convenient placement
- Upward firing speakers deliver a more immersive soundscape
- Comes with premium level audio cables
7. Sonos 5.1 Home Theater System
Sonos has been the leader in the wireless streaming speaker market for years, and that’s largely due to how refreshingly modular their speaker systems are. This 5.1 surround sound system offers everything you need to set up a home theater system in one convenient box. The included Sonos Ones can act as rear speakers or the left and right speakers, with the ability to add up to 9 Sonos Ones in total. While it may be on the expensive end of things, it’s also easy to expand on and offers some of the best all around quality of life performance available in a wireless system.
One of the best features here is that both the Playbar and the primary speakers serve as Alexa hubs. That transforms your home theater not into just a stereo system but also a centralized hub for your virtual assistant. And as with all Sonos speakers, the sound quality here is immaculate, and you can rearrange the system in any number of different ways without worrying about losing connectivity.
Key Features
- The most polished wireless experience around
- Tight compatibility with Amazon Alexa
- Sonos One speakers can be used for surround sound or decoupled
- Sub offers deep bass without rattling the room or causing reverb
8. Enclave HD 5.1 Wireless Home Cinema System
The Enclave CineHome HD is the first truly wireless home cinema to feature on our home theater review list, and it brings both some upsides and downsides. There’s no doubt that the wireless functionality here is a great convenience. The Bluetooth technology powering these speakers gives you a lot of flexibility for how you can arrange for things without the need for unruly cables, and three separate HDMI ports mean you can comfortably hook up the receiver to a variety of different devices at once.
If there’s a negative to the Enclave, it’s that it can’t quite match the sound quality of comparable wired models, but whether or not you really notice will come down to how much of an audiophile you are. It’s still a solid improvement among most standard speakers, and the sub has a deep and satisfying rumble that really captures the lows.
Key Features
- Three HDMI outlets and a tone of other ports
- Delivers uncompressed audio seamlessly
- Full range drivers provide consuming sound quality
- Wireless design that’s easy to sync up
9. Polk Audio Blackstone Home Theater System
Polk is one of the most storied names in the speaker industry, so it’s not surprise that the TL1600 doesn’t disappoint. These are some nice budget home theater speakers that offer both a lot of style and some superior sound performance to improve home decor. And the fact that these are wall mountable home theater speakers means you have a lot of leverage to create a configuration that meets the standards and limitations of your home theater room.
And while the satellite speakers themselves aren’t particularly large, the sound quality itself is. The subwoofer isn’t going to offer the most substantive bass you’ve ever heard, but it’s a good sight beyond what you should expect from a sound system of this price range. The satellite speakers, by contrast, offer significant clarity, and it’s a clarity that can keep pace with the volume even when it’s cranked up to full capacity.
Key Features
- An incredible amount of value for less than $400
- Sleek and modernistic design appropriate for a dedicated theater
- Compact satellite speakers can fit just about anywhere
- Subwoofer sounds great in the higher bass frequencies
10. Onkyo 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos Home Theater
Onkyos has created a truly serious Bluetooth home stereo kit for less than $600. This is easily one of the best bargains in the mid-range field, and it maintains an exceptional look as well. The textured wood exterior has a whole lot more personality than most of the surround sound sets on the market, but this system also has the performance to match. The HT-S5800 supports Dolby Atmos , Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD.
There’s some smart engineering going on underneath the hood here. Onkyos’ claim to fame is their discrete amplifiers, and that allows them to replicate sound authentically regardless of the volume you’re looking to play things at. Both the wired and Bluetooth systems are easy to hook up, and this speaker package makes use of the latest HDMI specs to make sure everything is appropriately in step with your Ultra HD capable television.
Key Features
- Converts every video output directly through a single HDMI
- Impressive discrete amplifiers produce incredibly precise sound
- AccuEQ automatically calibrates equalization for best performance
- Simple connection diagrams make the setup process a breeze
