Many of us are looking to bring the movie theater experience home. The good news is, if you invest in a good set of speakers (and a bag of popcorn, of course!) you can definitely create your own little home theater.
What makes a good set of home theater speakers?
The answer is more complicated than you might think and youre going to have some decisions to make before you invest.
First, youre going to need to decide if you want stereo sound or surround sound. Stereo sound is created with a pair of speakers and is often the best option if space is limited in your home. Stereo is also often a good starting point if youre on a budget because you can always add to your speaker system later to create more of a surround-sound experience. Surround sound kits, meanwhile, generally require five to six different speakers to create that immersive experience, though there are soundbars on the market that emulate the surround experience surprisingly well.
Second, youre going to need to consider the size of your speakers. Home theater speaker sets generally include a mix of bookshelf and/or floor standing speakers, though you can get sets that are all bookshelf or wall-mounted speakers. Floor standing speakers are great if you have a large room but likely wont work if you live in a studio apartment.
Be sure to consider the quality of your center channel speaker when youre setting up a home theater system: Theyll play 50% of the films soundtrack and most of the dialogue.
You might also want to consider whether its worth investing in wireless speakers. If you live in a home with toddlers or pets, having a bunch of cords might not be the best choice. A good wireless system can help eliminate any risk of getting tangled up.
Finally, be sure to consider what kind of drivers your speakers have. In general, larger drivers are better, but their location and material will also help determine the quality of sound.
To help make your search for the perfect home theater speakers easier, here are some of our favorites.
Designed specifically by Oscar-winning sound engineers to emphasize human voices, the Sonos Beam 5.1 Surround Set was created to give you the ultimate movie-watching experience. The dialogue plays through the systems centerpiece that comes with a speech enhancement feature to help clarify dialogue when characters whisper or there is loud action on screen. This ensures you can better follow along with the story and not miss a word said. The audio quality is also crystal clear: Highs are crisp, lows have a punch to them, and the bass is powerful without any rattle or distortion. In addition, the system is a breeze to set up and, because its wireless, you dont have to worry about running cords around your room. The whole system is also voice-controlled, so you can easily turn the speakers on without having to dig for a remote. The phone app is also incredibly reliable and easy to use. As Amazon reviewer Lydia L. Mann
writes, Trust me when I say, as a person that makes software, it is not easy to make an app that works this well. Not needing to sync up with bluetooth is a God send, and with full Spotify integration I can queue up any music that I want to.
If you want to create an amazing stereo home theater system, these floor-standing speakers are what youre looking for. Theyre 40 inches tall and have a minimalist, modern design so as to not clash with your living room furniture. Theyre also available in your choice of four colors including a beautiful English Walnut so you can make sure they fit your aesthetic. With three drivers, these speakers deliver amazing audio thats free of distortion or vibration, especially if youre listening to loud or bass-heavy music. The speaker case features P2P bracing technology, which helps direct the sound towards you while you watch your movie. Best of all? These speakers are affordable and you can always incorporate them into a surround system later. As Amazon reviewer Ron Mason
writes, These are some of the VERY best sounding speakers you can buy for less than $900/pair.
Surround sound doesnt have to cost you an arm and a leg: This surround speaker set will outperform their price level. Amazon reviewer J. Buddenborg
writes the highs are incredibly crisp. The lows (even without a sub turned on) are quite impressive. The speakers themselves are well-made.The set comes with everything you need, minus a subwoofer, which makes it a great choice as a first surround sound home theater system. The biggest drawback is that these speakers are larger than some of the more expensive ones, so they arent easy to hide. Youll need a room big enough for them. Still, this is a small price to pay for, well, such a small-priced system.
While definitely expensive, this soundbar is incredibly powerful, delivering some of the best emulated surround sound you can get from a single speaker. It provides a deep bass and allows you to hear crisp, clear dialogue as you watch your movie. Best Buy reviewer BoomBoom writes Once set up in your home the sound is incredible. The bass is plenty for watching movies, the atmos and rear projecting sounds are very good and the voices are clear.The speaker is also incredibly easy to set up and connect to your TV, thanks to both HDMI and WiFi connectivity. It also comes with a remote to make it even easier to use. While the price might be a deterrent, it is not that much more than a full stereo system and the surround sound is so good, you wont need the other equipment which saves on space in a small home or apartment.read more
Turn your living room into a movie theater with these impressive speakers
