The 15 Best Home Theater Systems in 2024

Let’s get to the point – you want to get the best home theater system to create the perfect home cinema, so what are your options?

Getting a full-fledged home theater system is no small investment, so you want to get it right at the very beginning. Also, it helps to choose a home theater system that gives you the flexibility to expand into a larger configuration in the future.

In this review, we feature the best home theater systems in 2020 that deliver full-range surround sound performance with deep bass, and can provide an excellent cinematic listening experience. They can literally convert your living room into a mini cinema and transform your home audio into a movie theater with surround sound effects. This includes both 7.1 and 5.1 home theater setups.

Furthermore, some of these home theater systems are designed as ‘home theater in a box’ systems, which mean that they come with a home theater receiver and all the necessary components for you to get started straight out of the box. This is very convenient especially if you are looking for a hassle-free setup without the need for additional components or wiring.

Whether you are a beginner at home theater or a seasoned audiophile, be sure to check out our top picks for the best home theater systems below!

Not sure what to get? Our editors highly recommend the SONOS 5.1 Home Theater system for their exceptional surround sound and deep bass performance.

Best Home Theater Systems – Our top 3 picks

Top 3 Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers
SONOS 5.1 System	Fluance Elite Series	JBL Cinema 510
✔️5.1 configuration ✔️Deep bass ✔️Wireless system	✔️7.1 configuration ✔️Dolby Atmos ✔️MDF build	✔️5.1 configuration ✔️Compact system ✔️Easy to upgrade

Compare the Best Home Theater Systems Below

Picture	Name	Connection	Configuration	Dolby Atmos
	SONOS 5.1 Home Theater System	Wireless home theater, Wi-Fi	5.1 surround sound	No
	Fluance Elite Series 7.1 Home Theater System	Wired	7.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS
	JBL Cinema 510	Wired	5.1 surround sound	No
	Polk Audio MagniFi Max	Wireless home theater, Bluetooth	5.1 surround sound	No
	Leviton AEH50-BL	Wired	5.1 surround sound	No
	Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra	Wireless home theater	9.2.4 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS:X
	Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V	Wired	5.1 surround sound	No
	Enclave Audio CineHome	Wireless home theater, Bluetooth	5.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS
	JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra	Wireless home theater	5.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS
	Bose Lifestyle 650	Wired, AV receiver included	5.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Digital + DTS
	Sony HT-X9000F	Wired	2.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS:X
	Harman Kardon 7.1.4. Home Theater	Wired	7.1.4 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos + DTS:X
	Yamaha YHT-4920 UBL	Wired, AV receiver included	5.1 surround sound	No
	Bose CineMate GS Series II	Wired, supports Bluetooth	2.1 surround sound	No
	Focal SIB Evo Home Theater System	Wired	5.1 surround sound	Yes, Dolby Atmos supported

View the Best Home Theater Systems below

#1 Top Rated Home Theater System: SONOS 5.1 Home Theater System

The first home theater system on this list is the SONOS 5.1 Home Theater system. It’s really one of the very best home theater systems we have tested that comes with the SONOS Playbar, subwoofer and 2 Sonos One speakers. The Sonos Playbar delivers powerful and realistic sound to your TV with nine amplified speakers, and doubles as a wireless speaker for music. Together, this entire setup can create a symphony of sound with full-range sound effects for a very satisfying home theater experience.

We were expecting great things from the Sonos 5.1 home theater system and they certainly did not disappoint. The highs, lows and midranges on the Sonos speaker sounded impeccably smooth and detailed while watching movies. You can literally hear the sound effects emanating from different directions of the room, and pick up details in the music or sound effects that you never noticed before.

The bass on the Sonos 5.1 home theater system is very deep and punchy. It feels like the kind of bass you get from a movie theater, with deep rumbling lows and low-end frequencies that really bring out the best in your movies and music. The bass doesn’t sound muddy at all – it’s real deep bass with plenty of depth and gravitas.

The Sonos 5.1 homea theater system complements HD television screens with highly detailed and textured sound performance. It also has a subwoofer which adds extremely deep bass (and we mean really deep) with two force-cancelling speakers for zero cabinet rattle and buzz.

One thing that stands out with the SONOS 5.1 system is that it is simple to setup. There’s no need to run speaker wires around the room. All you have to do is connect the Playbar to your TV with a single optical cable, and the rear and subwoofer will sync up wirelessly. This completely avoids the need for complex wiring which is a big added plus.

We liked the fact that the Sonos sound system uses Wi-Fi connectivity to stream music. This provides a much higher resolution quality for music performance (as compared to Bluetooth) for the best sound quality possible. That said, you’ll need to install the Sonos app on your smartphone to play music, which requires one additional step.

The good thing about the Sonos speaker system is that it also supports multi-room music. This allows you to fill more rooms with music by adding more Sonos speakers together – they all work together seamlessly to play different songs in different rooms in sync.

Furthermore, the Sonos 5.1 home theater system is also compatible with Alexa, which allows you to get flash briefings and daily news on the go.

The Verdict? The Sonos 5.1 home theater system is one of the best home theater systems that provides a full cinematic sound experience. The Sonos speakers and subwoofer pair wirelessly over Wi-Fi network, and completely avoid the need for additional cabling and wires. We also liked that the bass and sound effects are extremely well articulated and detailed, providing some of the best 3D surround sound we’ve heard in any home theater system so far.

#2 Best 7.1 Home Theater System: Fluance Elite Series 7.1 Home Theater System

The Fluance Elite Series 7.1 system is a really powerful home theater system that’s designed to provide crystal clear sound with very detailed 3D sound effects. Each speaker is timbre matched in a 7 speaker system with a 10” subwoofer that delivers crisp highs, detailed mids and captures almost every single nuance in the sound. They are great for both home theater and surround sound applications.

The Fluance Elite Series speakers really excel when it comes to sound quality. You get distinctly clear midranges and crystal clear dialogues, which are pretty rare in a full-fledged 7.1 home theater system. The bass hits the right spots without sounding overwhelming or muddying into the midrange frequencies.

Furthermore, the speakers have very wide sound dispersion and soundstage – it feels almost lifelike just sitting in front of these speakers and listening to them. They are certainly the go to speakers if you want to listen to music and not just for the home theater experience.

The home theater system comes with three-way floor standing speakers. These speakers are designed with high-frequency tweeters, dynamic midrange drivers and a subwoofer for precision sound reproduction. These speakers can pump out a lot of volume without a single hint of distortion.

Furthermore, the Elite surround speakers provide really accurate and intense musical sound across a wide frequency range. You’ll be able to pick up details in the movies and cinematic effects which you have never heard before.

The entire system also comes with a 10 inch powered subwoofer that delivers room-shaking bass performance. It’s also cross-over tuned with the rear and front speakers to provide a consistent sound signature.

Finally, we also liked the precision crafted cabinets with a classic woodgrain finish. This makes the speakers easy to blend into modern home interior décor. They are also made from solid MDF wood cabinets which ensure a natural, distortion-free response.

To top it off, the Elite system can also be used in Dolby surround and DTS systems for a full home theater experience, allowing you to be immersed in all the movie details and cinematic effects. The surround sound speaker’s high frequency drivers are designed for high volume output.

The Verdict? If you are an audiophile looking for a home theater system that can double as a high-end listening sound system, go for the Fluance Elite 7.1 Series speakers. They produce crystal clear sound with some of the best midranges we’ve heard so far. The level of detail and sound reproduction in each speaker is crystal clear, allowing you to hear 3D effects and almost every single detail in the sound without distortion.

#3 Best Budget Home Theater System: JBL Cinema 510

The JBL Cinema 510 is one of the best home theater systems you can find on a budget. It comes with 5 voice-matched, 2-way satellite speakers and a dedicated subwoofer to create a spacious surround sound. The subwoofer is a 60 watt, 6.5’ powered down-firing subwoofer which delivers deep bass for movies and music. Furthermore, the JBL Cinema 510 is easy to install and comes with included brackets for easy wall mounting.

The sound quality of the JBL Cinema 510 is crisp and clear. The center speaker that comes with this setup delivers clean and clear dialogues which are easy to hear. The subwoofer is surprisingly powerful for its size, and delivers really deep and punchy bass which enhances the movie sound effects. One thing we liked about this system is that you can turn up the volume to maximum without hearing any distortion.

We liked the fact that the JBL Cinema 510 is very simple to install. All you have to do is to connect the system to any AV receiver for a 5.1 channel sound experience. It’s designed to integrate into any home environment and to complement any flat screen television. The satellite speakers are small and compact, which makes it the ideal home theater solution if there are spatial constraints.

There are plenty of controls on the JBL Cinema 510 for easy tuning. The subwoofer includes volume and phase control, providing performance management and customized tuning for your room.

Also, the JBL Cinema 510 satellite speakers are voice-matched to ensure that you get crystal clear and consistent sound from all 5 speakers, so you won’t miss any detail while watching movies.

The design of the JBL Cinema 510 is simple and elegant. It’s crafted to fit into any modern home interior décor and take up minimal space. It’s also built to complement your flat screen TV with a small foot print, and saves plenty of space inside your living room.

That said, the only downside to the JBL Cinema 510 speakers is that all the 5 surround sound speakers need to be wired up to the AV receiver – there’s no wireless transmission integration. This can get pretty messy especially if you are running wires through your floor or in-wall.

The Verdict? The JBL Cinema 510 is one of the best home theater systems you can find on a budget. The entire system is designed to be setup and installed very quickly – and connects with virtually any 5.1 supported AV receiver. The speakers also come with a quick start guide to help you get started straight out of the box. These home theater speakers have a small foot print and are ideal for those who want a space saving 5.1 sound system.

#4 Best Wireless Home Theater System: Polk Audio MagniFi Max

The Polk Audio MagniFi Max is one of the best home theater systems for those looking for a full-wireless system. This home theater system is built to deliver bigger and more dynamic sound performance. The soundbar itself comes with 7 powerful drivers and tweeters for crystal clear sound with full-range sound dispersion across all channels. This system comes with plug and play wireless subwoofer and two wireless speakers, and can be instantly set-up straight out of the box.

The thing that we really liked about the Polk Audio MagniFi Max system is the ease which you can set the system up. The speakers are instantly recognized by the soundbar the moment they are powered on for easy connectivity. The subwoofer also supports an 8” downward firing driver and wall mountable speakers with a 3” full range depth.

The speakers come with true 5.1 wireless surround sound technology from Polk that’s designed to create an expansive surround sound stage with detailed stereo imaging. The sound from the system is room-filling and immersive, and the subwoofer adds a layer of bass which enhances the cinematic effects.

The sound performance on the Polk Audio MagniFi Max is theater-like, and delivers crystal clear surround sound with movie effects. The soundbar delivers immersive 5.1 surround sound and it has the ability to project sounds in different directions to give the impression as though you are listening to a full surround sound system. Movie dialogues sound crystal clear and well-defined, and the side rear speakers also help to improve the overall 3D spatial effects. The subwoofer’s bass feels extremely deep and tight; the bass has plenty of punch and depth which definitely adds a lot of flare to music and movies.

There’s also an included voice adjust technology which allow you to independently control voice levels and maximize sound clarity while removing muzzled sounds. The home theater system also has different sound modes for movies, sports and music, and delivers balanced sound clarity so that you can hear all the details from this system.

We liked the fact that the Polk Audio MagniFi supports multiple connectivity options. It has 3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI-Arc output, an optical port for Blu-Ray players and 3.5mm for non-digital devices. It also supports USB and internet connectivity – you can wirelessly stream music and Google Chromecast from your smartphone device.

And there’s also an option for you to cast your music tracks to your soundbar using Pandora, Spotify and others with high sound quality. It’s also equipped with a wall-mounting system for horizontal adjustment to ensure the sound bar remains level and centered under your TV.

The Verdict? If you are looking for a full wireless home theater system, go for the Polk Audio MagniFi Max system. It’s designed to deliver a full cinematic sound experience with a wireless setup – and completely avoid the needs for connecting wires. You’ll need to connect the speakers to a power source though – and the rest is taken care of wirelessly with automatic sync.

#5 Best 5.1 Home Theater System: Leviton AEH50-BL

The Leviton AEH50-BL is one of the best home theater systems that simple and delivers pretty decent cinematic sound performance. It’s essentially a five-channel system that’s expandable to 6.1 and 7.1 by adding optional AESS5 satellite speakers. The five satellite speakers can be mounted on ceilings or walls to optimize your living space, while the 100 watt powered subwoofer can deliver deep bass for music and movies.

We thoroughly enjoyed the sound quality and overall cinematic performance of the Leviton AEH5-BL speakers. It definitely helps to have a good home theater receiver connected to these speakers, as it would dramatically improve the overall sound performance. The five satellite speakers on this system spread out to give dynamic surround sound, with crisp highs, detailed midrange and good dialogue performance. The sound frequencies feel vibrant and smooth, and we did not hear any distortion from these speakers at maximum volume levels.

The bass on the Leviton AEH50-BL feels deep and punchy, and was much more powerful than we expected. It really complements movie cinematic effects where you can hear the bass move through the sound effects and create a cinematic listening atmosphere. There was no hint of muddiness from the bass on the subwoofer.

The Leviton AEH50 features JBL audio engineering. It has two-way satellite speakers based on JBL’s studio monitors to create crystal clear sound with wide dispersion. The five-channel surround sound system can produce full-range frequency sounds with good volume levels that can fill up your entire room with powerful sound.

The AEH50 uses standard audio wiring – the satellite speakers are connected directly to the receiver’s speaker terminals, while the subwoofer connects to the subwoofer out or LFE out jacks. You can also easily upgrade this system to a six or seven channel system with the addition of new satellites.

Apart from the numerous mounting options, the AEH50 home theater speakers have magnetic shielding and a low-profile design which makes ideal for fitting into limited spaces. The AEH50 shielding allows the speakers to be placed directly next to a television without interference and any static interruptions. The speakers are small enough to blend into modern home interior décor with effective space utilization.

This compact home theater system comes with five two-way magnetically shielded satellite speakers with 2.5 inch woofer and 5-inch tweeters. The AEH50 also consists of a 100 watt powered subwoofer with LFT input and comes with adjustable mounting brackets for easy installation. The system includes one subwoofer input RCA cable for connecting with your home theater receiver.

The Verdict? The Leviton AEH50-BL is one of the best home theater systems with a compact design. It is a minimalist home theater system with 5 satellite speakers and a subwoofer, and is expandable to a 6.1 or 7.1 system with optional AESS5 speakers. They are a great way to start your home theater experience if you are new to this, and are relatively easy to setup for beginners. That said, you’ll need a good home theater receiver to get the best sound quality out of these home theater speakers.

#6 Best Home Cinema System: Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4 Channel System

If you are looking for a Dolby Atmos full home theater sound system, go for the Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4 channel system. It’s one of the best home theater systems you can find for movies and music, and delivers room shaking bass with dual wireless subwoofers and a 9.2 channel sound system that projects sound from every corner of your room. This massive sound system comes with two subwoofers, four modular speakers and a massive soundbar that’s designed to provide high performance acoustics of a real-life cinema.

The sound from this massive home theater system is designed for audiophiles who want really big sound – and we mean really big powerful sound. This home theater system comes with dual 10” wireless subwoofers that produce earth-shattering bass performance, and merge to distribute bass evenly throughout the room with no localization. This gives the perfect cinema-feel while watching movies and listening to music.

Dialogues coming from the Nakamichi are also very detailed and clear, and the soundbar can project sound outwards in multiple directions while maintaining a good balance of sound and volume. It really does feel like you’re sitting in a cinema while listening to this massive 9.2.4 system.

The sound bar, surround speakers and subwoofers combined reproduce the ideal home theater experience with cinema-level volumes without any distortion. The four 2-way surround sound speakers are constructed with high-frequency tweeters that deliver full-range audio and crisp dialogues. They are modular in form and designed to blend into modern home interior décor without looking obtrusive.

You also have the option to attach them as dipoles in your room to disperse expanded surround sound effects or detach as 4 individual speakers to deliver 360 surround sound. We preferred using the setup as 4 individual speakers as the sound effects sound much clearer and less distorted.

Furthermore, this massive home theater system features 3 advanced audio processing engines which enlarge spaciousness and fills your entire room with 9.2.4 surround. We also like the fact that it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X multi-dimensional audio. The whole system can produce a whopping 110dB of room-filling sound.

There are a wide range of connectivity options that comes with the Nakamichi Shockwafe sound system. It is compatible with Dolby Vision, 4K UHD pass-through and high-dynamic range (HDR). You can also connect up to 6 devices via 1 HDMI ARC, 3 HDMI, 1 optical and 1 coaxial input.

The home thaeter system also comes with a remote control for sound control, DSP modes, individual channel and room sound optimization which is great.

The Verdict? The Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra is one of the best home theater systems that provides high quality sound. The bass and sound effects coming from this system is immersive, and can really flood your room with rich and vibrant sound performance. The movie dialogues are crystal clear and well-defined, while the 3D sound effects with Dolby Atmos provide a real-life cinematic experience. All and all, it’s one of the best home theater systems that we highly recommend.

#7 Best Bose Home Theater System: Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V

The Bose Acoustimass 10 is hands down the best Bose home theater system you can find that delivers incredibly deep bass and full-range sound. It’s the best performing Acoustimass system from Bose and provides spacious surround sound for larger room and home theater setups.

If you’re looking for a home theater system that can really push the limits of bass and deep sound effects, this is definitely the system you are looking for. The bass from this home theater system punches deep and has plenty of depth, making movies sound realistic with enhanced sound effects.

There’s also pretty good sound dispersion between the satellite speakers and the main center channel speakers, allowing you to appreciate where each detail is coming from a 3D perspective. The volume on this home theater system can get really loud without a hint of distortion. Movies and music sound equally well-defined across all frequency ranges.

This home theater system comes with re-designed direct/reflecting Series II speakers that have a slim profile and can mount flush into your wall. It also has a center channel speaker which provides crystal clear dialogues for movies and music. They make a good match for HDTV and can be mounted using wall brackets.

We really liked the massive Acoustimass module which comes together with this home theater system – it is equipped with two high performance drivers and provides powerful low-end notes which really enhance the overall bass performance. The subwoofer also has adjustable controls for volume and low-frequency effects – this allows you to tweak the low-frequency effects to your liking with adjustable controls.

The home theater system is also compatible with most A/V receivers and amplifiers rated from 10 to 200 watts per channel, although we would recommend a higher powered amplifier if you are going with this home theater system (around 200 watts or more per channel, 4-8 ohms).

Furthermore, the Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V home theater system comes with all the cables and connectors for easy setup straight out of the box. The wires all have specially marked connectors which connect to the speakers, so there’s no need to cut the wires unless you want to adjust the wire length or mount the speakers into the wall.

The only disadvantage to the Bose Acoustimass 10 is the amount of wiring to get the entire system setup. There’s no wireless connectivity between the speakers and the center channel speaker, so everything has to be wired up to the home theater receiver. It’s definitely less versatile than the Nakamichi Shockwafe speaker system in terms of setup but has roughly the same sound quality.

The Verdict? The Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V is one of the best home theater systems you can find that delivers incredibly deep bass. It’s designed to provide a fully immersive home theater listening experience with 5.1 speakers and an acoustic subwoofer. They have a sleek and modern design and mount flush into your wall without any issues. Do note that you’ll want to get a good home theater receiver with at least 200 watts per channel (4-8 ohms) to get the best sound performance out of this entire system.

#8 Best Dolby Atmos Home Theater System: Enclave Audio CineHome HD 5.1 System

If you are looking for one of the best home theater systems with Dolby Atmos enabled, go for the Enclave Audio CineHome HD 5.1 system. It’s designed as a wireless surround sound system that completely eliminates the need for audio receiver or speaker cables. The Enclave Smart Center speaker serves as the central unit without the need for an audio receiver or running speaker wires. This is the ideal setup if you want a minimalist wire-free home theater system.

The Enclave Home Theater system comes with custom designed and tuned HD audio WiSA speakers. They are calibrated to deliver 360 degrees of 24 bit HD wireless audio performance. Each Enclave rear surround speaker contains two full-range drivers on opposing sides to provide an enveloping surround sound listening experience.

The sound performance of the Enclave Audio CineHome was much better than we expected. There were completely no lip-sync issues while watching movies with this sound system – the wireless transmission works as expected in this respect. The sound from the front channel speaker is crisp and very clear, and amplifies dialogues in movies and TV shows. The side and rear speakers produce detailed surround sounds and 3D effects, while the subwoofer pumps out decent bass performance.

The good thing about this setup is that it doesn’t’ require an additional home theater receiver or amplifier as everything is linked to the center channel speaker. All the speakers in this system are already pre-amped and can pump out a tonne of volume without any distortion. You’ll also be able to pick out details in the music which you may not have heard before.

Furthermore, these speakers support Dolby Digital and DTS with cinema-like surround sound performance even from stereo signals. The system is designed to literally transform your home audio experience into a full cinematic listening home theater. We also liked the fact that it supports uncompressed audio with 5.1 channels of LPCM 24 bit audio with zero lip-sync issues.

The Enclave Home Theater system has 3 HDMI inputs to connect to your cable box, DVD player or streaming device. It also supports HDMI pass-through, CEC and ARC supported modes. There are also 3.5mm analog inputs, optical and Bluetooth inputs to connect to your local network or music services via Bluetooth or Google Cast.

We were pretty impressed by the wireless speaker connectivity with the Enclave Audio speakers – the connectivity was instant and nicely synced without any noticeable latency issues. You can watch movies or listen to music on these speakers without having to worry about any ‘lag’ time in audio playback. The system also comes with a mobile app which you can use to control the system and has slightly more features than the include remote.

The Verdict? The Enclave Audio CineHome is one of the best home theater systems that’s literally plug and play with full wireless functionality. It’s a completely wireless home theater setup that works straight out of the box, and requires minimal setup and wiring. Furthermore, this system is fully Dolby Atmos and DTS enabled, allowing you get spatial 3D sound effects while watching movies and music.

#9 Best Bass Home Theater System: JBL Bar 5.1 4K Ultra HD System

The JBL Bar 5.1 is one of the best home theater systems that transforms from a soundbar into a true wireless 5.1 home theater system for movies and music. This high-definition home theater system delivers a lot of bass with its dedicated JBL subwoofer, while the soundbar and detachable speakers provide crystal clear surround sound. It’s a relatively simple home theater system that’s easy to setup and requires minimal wiring, and is a great choice for those who don’t want to wire up the entire living room to accommodate a full home theater setup.

The JBL Bar 5.1 home theater system really delivers when it comes to audio performance. It delivers crystal clear highs, detailed mids and stunningly deep bass. The bass on this home theater system is clearly powerful and deep, delivering robust low-end notes with plenty of depth. Movies such as X-men and Jurassic park sounded extremely cinematic with deep sound effects and audio rumbles. You can hear 3D sound effects and bass that you’ll normally experience in a good cinema.

Although the entire system is designed to be wireless, there was surprisingly no hint of lag or lip-sync issues. The audio and video syncs instantly and perfectly without any noticeable gaps. The sound quality on wireless connection is very good and detailed.

The JBL Bar 5.1 comes with an integrated sound bar which features two detachable battery-powered wireless surround sound speakers with 10 hours of playtime, 510Ws of total power and a 10 inch wireless subwoofer. The entire system is designed to be wireless to minimize the amount of wiring you need to do. It’s a home theater in a box system that works straight out of the box with minimal setup requirements.

In addition, the JBL Bar 5.1 comes with three HDMI inputs to connect to 4K devices, and upgrade your entire home entertainment system to ultra-HD. It also includes JBL SoundShift technology which allows you to instantly switch between sound from your TV and sound from your phone or tablet device.

We also liked that the JBL Bar 5.1 is equipped with Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS, which makes your movies and music sound much more detailed and well-defined. The system also comes ith a 10 inch wireless subwoofer which you can place anywhere in your room without the need for additional wiring.

This soundbar is also programmed to respond to your existing TV remote, so you can control everything with your existing TV remote control.

The thing about getting the best sound quality with the JBL Bar is optimal calibration. You’ll need to tweak the EQ settings and the subwoofer level to ensure that the bass doesn’t overpower the midrange frequencies. The bass on this home theater system is clearly its strongest point – with deep thumping sound effects and bass vibrations that can be felt across the room.

The Verdict? The JBL Bar 5.1 is one of the best home theater systems you can find that delivers deep bass performance in a fully wireless setup. This home theater system comes with a soundbar that features two detachable battery-powered wireless surround speakers with 10 hours of playtime and 510 watts of total system power. The bass from this system hits and can be slightly overpowering, but delivers a truly immersive Dolby Atmos supported sound experience for movies.

#10 Best High End Home Theater: Bose Lifestyle 650 Entertainment System

The Bose Lifestyle 650 is one of the best home theater systems for audiophiles in the high-end category. The Lifestyle 650 is actually the best and most powerful 5.1 system from Bose, and is built specifically for movies and music with HD TVs. It combines Bose technologies to provide full-range sound effects and extremely deep bass, and comes with support for six 4K/60 video sources (HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2).

The Bose Lifestyle 650 comes with omni-directional Jewel satellite speakers which are the smallest speakers for easy installation. It also comes with a slim center channel speaker which creates true 360 degree sound, so that the sound can be heard all-around you rather than from a single point.

The wireless bass module that comes with this home theater system utilizes Quiet Port technology and an advanced DSP to virtually eliminate all distortion and create deep bass notes that reverberate through the entire room.

We also liked that this Bose system features AdaptiQ audio calibration which automatically fine-tunes the system’s sound to your room acoustics. The home theater system supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, multi-channel PCM audio formats.

When we first tested out the Bose Lifestyle 650 system, we were surprised at how much bass and impact the entire system had. The jewel satellite speakers blend in nicely into home interior décor while the center channel speaker delivered crystal clear dialogues and sounds. The bass response from the bass module is incredibly deep and punchy, and can literally shake your entire living room. There’s no doubt that this home theater system can deliver sound on par with high-end home theater setups – especially with the 3D sound effects and bass depth.

The Bose Lifestyle 650 is designed with SoundTouch which uses your existing home Wi-Fi network to stream music services like Pandora and Spotify wirelessly. The spacious 360 degree sound output blends with the bass from the wireless Acoustimass 300 module, delivering rich bass and detailed overall sound quality.

Furthermore, this system supports Bluetooth with NFC pairing which allows you to stream music from your phone or tablet. The SoundTouch app also allows you to add more speakers to the system and expand your music throughout your home.

In terms of design, the Bose Lifestyle 650 system comes with premium tempered glass and brushed anodized aluminium finish which makes the system look stunning and sleek. This system comes with 6 HDMI inputs and 4K pass-through which ensures that it works with high-quality audio and video formats.

The Verdict? The Bose Lifestyle 650 is one of the best home theater systems we have tested that delivers extremely good sound quality and powerful bass. It’s the ideal system if you want a full-blown home theater experience with powerful bass notes and crystal clear sound. Watching movies on this sound system felt as though we were sitting in a real life cinema, with cinematic sound effects and 3D sounds rendered really well. That said, the only downside to this system is that is isn’t compatible with universal remote controls, and the Bose remote control lacks certain features that allow you to change between video and source modes.

#11 Best Sony Home Theater System: Sony HT-X9000F

If you are looking for a Sony home theater system, go for the Sony HT-X9000F system. It is essentially a 2.1 channel Dolby Atmos surround sound speaker system with a soundbar and subwoofer. The soundbar that comes with this system is Bluetooth and HDMI Arc enabled for wireless connectivity. It is also vertical sound engine enabled, which allows you to upgrade the system to 7.1.2 channel with a single click of the button. Overall, it’s one of the best home theater systems from Sony that delivers good surround sound performance for movies and music.

Here are some of our thoughts on the sound performance – the Sony HT-X9000F delivers pretty clear and dynamic sound for a 2.1 channel setup. The bass from the subwoofer hits hard and delivers plenty of depth, adding to the 3D sound effects during action movie scenes. The sound dispersion from the soundbar is relatively wide, creating that 3D soundstage for home cinema when connected to your HDTV. There’s also pretty good stereo separation between the right and left channels.

That being said, the sound coming from the Sony HT-X9000F isn’t exactly full Dolby Atmos surround sound because the soundbar supports only 2 channels. The soundbar also lacks volume and you can’t exactly push the system to full volume without hearing some distortion. It’s a decent setup if you are looking for a simple out-of-the-box home theater solution, but don’t expect full home cinematic surround sound that you’d get from a 5.1 channel setup.

We liked the fact that the Sony HT-X9000F soundbar is designed to match your sound preferences. It has 5 unique sound modes for enhanced movies, music, gaming and news. The only downside to this home theater system is that it uses Bluetooth version 4.2 which is slightly outdated (the latest Bluetooth version at the time of writing is 5.1).

The soundbar supports voice enhancement technology which isolates voices and dialogue, and amplifiers them over the background noise for greater clarity. This helps movie dialogues and music vocals sound crystal clear while maintaining background sound effects with precision.

Furthermore, the Sony HT-X9000F supports 4K HDR sound quality for the latest home theater formats and digital audio rendition. It also has eARC technology which relays full-resolution sound with immersive audio formats including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. This allows the sound system to provide cinematic sound effects and 3D sounds with wide dispersion while watching movies, but don’t expect too much from a 2.1 channel setup.

The Verdict? The Sony HT-X9000F is one of the best home theater systems that deliver crystal clear sound for a 2.1 channel setup. This home theater system is relatively easy to setup – all you have to do is plug the ARC input with the HDMI cable and the soundbar is good to go. The soundbar has really good sound performance with crystal clear dialogues, and the subwoofer does deliver pretty solid and decent bass output. This system also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with wide sound dispersion, although it lacks the full cinematic sound capabilities of a true 5.1 surround sound setup.

#12 Best Samsung Home Theater System: Harman Kardon 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos System

If you are looking for a really powerful home theater system, go for the Samsung Harman Kardon 7.1.4. Dolby Atmos home theater system. This is a fully equipped surround sound system that’s designed with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to provide full-range sound performance with cinematic effects.

In terms of sound quality, the Samsung Harman Kardon HW-Q90R has really good tonal balance between the speakers and a wide soundstage. If you manage to optimize the sound speaker placement, you can get really good three-dimensional sound performance with in-depth sound effects. The bass from the dedicated subwoofer is also powerful and goes very deep, adding a layer of cinematic sound effects to movies.

This massive home theater system supports 7.1.4 channels – it has a total of 17 built-in speakers for surround sound effects. This includes four speakers that fire sound upwards and two that radiate sounds from the side, delivering a multi-dimensional cinematic audio experience for movies and music.

We also liked the fact that this system comes with a rear wireless speaker kit – this upward firing rear speaker adds another element of surround sound to your movies and music, making them sound truly cinematic.

Furthermore, the HW-Q90R home theater system is equipped with adaptive sound technology which analyses the sound signal and delivers optimized sound performance with crystal clear dialogues. While watching the news, this home theater system will give emphasis for clear and focused dialogue.

For those of you who are using Blu-ray devices, the Harman Kardon HW-Q90R system uses 4K pass-through with HDR10. The built-in 4K pass-through allows you to connect to UHD 4K and HDR10 sources for a seamless audio experience that matches your HD video.

Another good point about the HW-Q90Rs is that they are optimized to work with Samsung QLED TVs – this allows for plug and play connectivity via wired or wireless connection. The setup is very simple and using a Samsung TV, this sound system integrates automatically from start to finish.

That said, some of the disadvantages that we noticed with these speakers is that the sound bar is pretty heavy, and you’ll need support if you want to wall mount it. There’s also no auto-calibration when installing the speakers and you’ll have to discover where the most optimal placement is by self-experimentation.

The Verdict? We really liked the Samsung Harman Kardon 7.1.4 system for its surround sound performance and wide sound dispersion. It is a full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system with DTS:X support, and delivers solid bass performance with its integrated subwoofer. It also supports 4K pass-through with HDR

#13 Best Home Theater in a Box: Yamaha YHT-4920UBL 5.1 Channel System

If you are looking for a quick home-theater-in-a-box system, go for the Yamaha YHT-4920UBL system. This 5.1 home thaeter system is designed for easy setup and comes with virtually everything you need to get started, including a home theater receiver. This home theater system supports 4K ultra HD video with HDCP 2.2 compatibility and features a discrete 5.1-channel amplifier design.

After some hours of sound calibration, we liked the sound performance from the Yamaha YHT-4920UBL system. The surround sound speakers pump out crystal clear and dynamic sound effects, while the soundstage feels spacious and nicely dispersed. You’ll have to test and experiment multiple times to get the best sound placement with these speakers though – we’d recommend positioning the subwoofer near a wall corner to get better bass response.

We like the fact that the Yamaha YPAO system automatically calibrates your listening environment for optimal sound performance. This system comes with a 5 channel speaker package with a 8 inch 100 watt subwoofer for deeper bass and cinematic response.

Furthermore, the YHT-4920UBL is equipped with Bluetooth functionality to allow you to stream music directly from your smartphone device. It also comes with a Compressed Music Enhancer from Yamaha that is optimized for Bluetooth audio transmission to ensure that you get crisp sound quality.

There’s also a virtual cinema front that allows you to install all of the speakers at the front and enjoy virtual 5.1-channel surround sound when the rear speaker placement is not possible. We also liked the fact that it has 4K ultra HD pass-through with HDCP 2.2 support for those who want to enjoy surround sound with HDTV.

Finally, this entire home theater system comes with a compact black gloss speaker package. The has a nice black glass finish that is reminiscent of a Yamaha grand piano, adding a stylistic finish to your modern home interior décor.

The Verdict? If you are looking for a quick setup to your home theater system, go for the Yamaha YHT-4920UBL 5.1 channel speaker system. It’s designed for you to get started immediately straight out of the box, and includes a home theater receiver and subwoofer with all the wiring you need. It also supports 4K Ultra-HD pass through and HDCP 2.2

#14 Best 2.1 Home Theater System: Bose CineMate GS Series II System

The Bose CineMate GS Series II is one of the best home theater systems from Bose that sounds great. It is a minimalist 2.1 channel speaker system with two Gemstone speakers with improved acoustic performance, and a bass module that delivers really deep and powerful bass. This entire system is designed to enhance the audio from your TV and existing video sources, and provides and immersive home theater listening experience.

We were surprised at how much surround sound the Bose CineMate GS Series II speakers had. The can make you feel as though you are listening to a 5.1 home theater system. The two gemstone speakers do a very good job by dispersing the sound across a wide soundstage. The acoustic mass subwoofer module delivers room-shaking bass performance that makes sound effects very realistic and punchy.

The Bose CineMate sytem comes with proprietary TrueSpace technology that creates spacious and multi-channel sound, so that you can experience the surround sound effects while watching movies. The system also connects easily to your HDTV, so you can control all your entertainment sources with a programmable universal remote.

It has a simplified setup with only a few connections to get started. They are also ideal for small to medium sized rooms. This Bose sound system also supports Digital 5.1 decoding that provides realism for 5.1 encoded DVDs or HDTVs. In other words, the two satellite speakers on this setup are designed to mimic a full 5.1 surround sound system with digital sound encoding.

The interface module on the Bose Cinemate GS Series II is simple and minimalist. It houses two LED indicators and connectors for your audio input, and also receives IR commands for speakers and connects directly to your TV.

We particularly like this home theater system due to the fact that it takes up very little space. Assembly is also easy and speaker placement is relatively straightforward.

The Verdict? While the Bose CineMate GS Series II system is a small home theater system, it delivers plenty of punch and volume. It has improved digital acoustic performance and supports HDTVs with detailed surround sound. The bass on this system also feels extremely deep and tight, making it great for movies or casual music listening.

#15 Professional Home Theater System: Focal SIB Evo 5.1.2 Home Cinema System

There’s nothing quite like the Focal SIB Evo home theater system. It’s essentially a high-end home theater system that’s designed to provide professional-grade surround sound with crystal clear imaging and good bass performance. This system is composed of 5 Polyflex speaker drivers and a ¾ silk dome tweeter integrated into a sizeable enclosure to give it extended frequency response.

We were pretty surprised by the sound performance of the Focal SIB Evo home theater system. They deliver crystal clear highs, detailed midranges and a lot of bass for a rather compact system. You can also upgrade this system from 5.1.2 to 7.1.2 by adding 2 more rear speakers.

The sound effects on this home theater system are distinct and well-defined, and very crisp. You can practically pick up details in the music that you’ve never heard before, and subtle notes can be heard from the side speakers that adds to the movie experience.

That said, it’s a rather small package and you do have to crank up the volume a little bit to fill up a larger space. We didn’t experience any distortion when pushing up the volume on these speakers.

The Focal 5.1.2 home theater system is composed of two loudspeakers equipped with an additional speaker driver featuring Dolby Atmos technology. This loudspeaker system is designed to produce both horizontal and vertical waves towards the ceiling. The vertical waves reflect off the ceiling towards the listener using an extra driver on top of the loudspeaker, providing a much wider soundstage.

Each speaker is Dolby Atmos equipped with an additional 3 full-range polyflex drivers dedicated to reproducing Atmos effects. The Evo subwoofer is also equipped with an 8” speaker driver and a 200W class D amplifier for much deeper bass response. The entire cabinet is made from MDF to reduce standing waves and resonance.

Do note that you’ll have to mount these speakers vertically – wall mounts do not support horizontal mounting for the Focal SIB Evo speakers.

The Verdict? If you are looking for a high-end home theater system, go for the Focal SIB Evo 5.1.2. home theater system. We like this system particularly because of its sonic clarity and crystal clear dialogues. The subtle details in movies and music can be heard through the satellite speakers, and it delivers really good soundstage with wide dispersion through its angled orientation. It’s one of the best home theater systems that we’d highly recommend for professionals.