Best Surround Sound Systems

Buying guide for Best surround sound systems

When it comes to home theaters, 4K TVs get hyped a lot, but if you ask us, a good surround sound setup is just as important to the viewing experience as a high-resolution screen. Surround sound takes the multichannel audio from whatever you’re watching — cable box, Blu-ray player, or streaming box — and separates each channel into a different speaker, allowing you to hear dialogue more clearly, and you can hear explosions, vehicles, and crowds throughout the whole room. With the right surround sound system, you can add a whole new dimension to your video enjoyment.

Finding the right surround sound system can be tricky because there are so many different approaches across the market. While some people love the simplicity of all-in-one bundles, others prefer the massive sound of multi-speaker packages with speakers that are so big they’re basically furniture. Still, others prefer surround sound speakers designed for computers because they’re so good at creating big sound in small spaces.

Experiment with subwoofer placement. While it’s true that subwoofer audio is directionless (meaning it’s impossible to tell where it’s coming from), that doesn’t mean you can put yours just anywhere. Trying your subwoofer in various locations will give you a sense of what it can do — in some cases, the right corner placement can make all the difference.

Key considerations

Before you do any shopping, there are two big questions to answer.

Do you want a receiver and speakers or a home theater in a box?

To create proper surround sound, you’ve got two choices: you can go with a traditional receiver-and-speakers model and purchase each separately, or you can buy a preconfigured “home theater in a box” that includes everything you need for a modest, typical surround sound setup. If you opt to buy everything separately, you get a lot more choice, but bundles are usually a lot more affordable. Our take: if you’re outfitting an apartment, dorm room, or other small space, a home theater in a box is your best bet. If you’re building a home theater or need the absolute best audio quality available, plan on buying a receiver and speakers separately.

Which surround sound configuration is right for your space?

There are a number of ways you can set up a surround sound system, but the most popular configurations are 5.1 and 7.1 speaker systems. In a 5.1 speaker system, you have a center channel, left and right channels, side left and right channels, and a subwoofer (which is the .1 in 5.1). In a 7.1 speaker system, you have two additional rear channels. (And if you opt for latest-and-greatest audio technology like Dolby Atmos, you can add up to four additional channels in your ceiling.) Not sure how to decide? Here’s all you need to know: if you mostly watch streaming content or cable TV, a 5.1 system is perfect (they don’t broadcast in more than 5.1 anyway). If you watch a lot of Blu-rays or 4K Blu-rays, or you plan on building a system that supports Dolby Atmos, start with a 7.1-speaker system.

When researching the best surround sound systems for home theater, we are often drawn to systems that are easy to set up.

Our shortlist of the top surround sound system includes simple and affordable 3.1-channel options as well as comprehensive models with rear speakers and satellite speakers.

We pay special attention to surround sound systems that aren’t bulky or flashy. The goal is to find products that integrate well with the current setup.

We pore over speaker capabilities and specifications in order to find surround sound systems with the most consistent and precise high-end bass production

While investigating the best surround sound systems, we consider universal options as well as those meant exclusively for use with some of today’s most popular 4K TVs.

During our research, we make a point to find the best wireless surround sound systems that deliver high-fidelity audio, minimal lag, and no setup hassles.

We include in our research surround sound systems that use stereo soundbars with added center channels. These are particularly good for streamlined, minimalist setups.

One of the most important things we look for when evaluating surround sound systems is how loud they are. The goal is to make sure your home theater has immersive, cinema-quality sound.

We closely research which advanced protocols each surround sound system supports, such as the various industry-leading Dolby audio standards.

In case you want to add more satellite speakers in the future, we give special consideration to how easily each surround sound system can be expanded.

Surround sound system features

So, what can you expect in the box? That depends on what kind of surround sound system you buy.

Speaker sets for use with receivers

These include five or seven speakers and a subwoofer. Speakers in these sets are big and bulky and can get quite loud. We definitely recommend buying surround sound speakers together because they’re often designed to match one another’s sonic qualities. When you’re ready to buy speakers for your home theater, plan on getting them all at the same time. Speaker sets for surround sound systems can range from $300 to $1,500, depending on how many speakers are included and the speaker quality.

Home theater in a box and gaming surround sound speakers

These typically include five speakers and a subwoofer. The key difference here is in how much smaller these speakers are and how much quieter they are. “Quiet” may not be accurate here, though, because even the most modest home theater in a box or gaming speaker set should be enough for an apartment or small room.

Surround sound system prices

Inexpensive

Entry-level surround sound systems cost between $250 and $400. Systems in this price range are the best bang for your buck in surround sound — they cut a few corners but still bring enough power and audio quality to drastically improve your home theater experience. If you’re looking for a basic 5.1 surround sound system for a small- or medium-sized space, you’ll find your best options in this range.

Mid-range

Surround sound systems that cost between $400 and $1,000 are great for larger rooms or users who care a lot about high-end audio formats. If you watch a lot of action or sci-fi movies, or you like watching live concerts, it’s worth it to invest in a more expensive setup. You’ll get speakers that can deliver outstanding clarity at high volumes.

Expensive

Systems that cost more than $1,000 are usually for hard-core home theater enthusiasts. Systems beyond this price point are typically sets of massive speakers coupled with receivers that have enough power to fill an entire basement or ballroom with sound. If you’ve got the money and you want a professional-quality home theater, plan on spending at least this much on your surround system.

Tips

• Trust your own ears. When it comes to anything audio related, experts can often exaggerate about audio quality because it’s so subjective. What’s most important is that your surround sound system sounds good to you. If you don’t like how one sounds, return it and look for a better one. Conversely, if you find a system that works for you, go with it even if you’ve never used that brand before.

• Invest in banana plugs to connect speakers to your receiver. Most modern receivers work with banana plugs, which are adapters for speaker wire that make connectivity easier. We are big advocates of banana plugs: they keep your speaker wire from corroding, they reduce the risk of accidental electrical shorts, and they make hooking everything up much easier.

• Boost the volume of the center channel speaker if you have trouble hearing dialogue. All surround sound systems allow you to manually adjust the volume levels of each different audio channel, and dialogue always comes through the center channel. If you often struggle to differentiate the sound effects from dialogue, or if you just want to make dialogue louder than everything else, adjust it in the settings.

We strongly recommend getting a universal remote for use with your surround sound system if you don’t already have one. A surround sound system means separating the devices that handle video from the ones that handle audio, which means multiple remotes. Save yourself the headaches and control everything from one remote.

FAQ

Q. Do surround sound systems sound better than soundbars?

A. Yes. Soundbars are useful for providing improved TV audio in situations where space is limited, but most soundbars aren’t able to produce the depth and quality of sound that a surround sound system can. Surround sound works best when the speakers are set up to literally surround you, and while many soundbars can emulate surround effects, in most cases, there’s just no comparison: surround sound systems are better.

Q. What is Dolby Atmos?

A. Dolby Atmos is a new audio surround sound concept that’s becoming popular on both 4K Blu-rays and many streaming devices. Dolby Atmos takes an existing 7.1 soundtrack and adds two or four “height” channels; that is, it uses additional ceiling speakers to position sounds at specific places in your room, creating a much more immersive audio effect. To get Dolby Atmos, you’ll need a content source and playback device that support it and a surround sound system that’s compatible. In situations where it’s not feasible to use ceiling speakers, some users opt for “up-firing” speakers, which sit on top of existing speakers and play upward. At the end of the day, Dolby Atmos is worth it — in the right room it can make you feel like you’re in the middle of a rainstorm, and it sounds like the action is happening right in your viewing space.

Q. Is it important for all the speakers in a surround sound system to match? Can I mix and match speakers from different brands?

A. While you technically can mix and match speakers from different brands in any surround sound system, we recommend against it. Surround sound systems use multiple speakers that are built to work with one another, and that typically means that they sound best together (and not great when third-party speakers are introduced). Unbalanced audio can be really distracting, so it’s worth it to buy a surround sound system with a complete speaker set.