9 Of The Best Sound Systems For Your Home Theater Setup

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A good home theater setup consists of a soundproofed room with no light leakage, a quality A/V receiver, a large TV — or one of the best projectors you can buy — and comfortable seating, preferably with a bunch of snacks nearby. However, there's a final piece of the puzzle, and missing it can be a costly mistake when setting up your home theater. Without a good sound system, your favorite movies, TV shows, and video games will be lackluster in a department that is very important if you love being immersed in cinematic spectacles and engaging narratives.

A lot of factors come into play when deciding what sound system to get. Everyone has a budget they need to work around, and people have varying needs when it comes to the kind of audio experience they want to unlock. Music lovers will prefer bass-heavy systems, movie buffs want dialogue to have near-perfect clarity, and gamers will prefer low-latency sound systems with a detailed soundscape. Whatever your requirement may be, these quality sound systems should do a great job of leveling up your home theater setup.

One way to set up an all-encompassing home theater system is to use the Bowers & Wilkins 606 S3 speakers as your front left and right channels, with the HTM6 S3 serving as your center channel for enhanced dialogue clarity. For surround sound speakers, two 607 S3 speakers should do the trick. Finally, the ASW610 600 will work as a subwoofer, forming a robust sound system that will bring the energy and dynamism you want in your home theater setup.

As the two main speakers, the 606 S3 will do a lot of the heavy lifting. The titanium dome tweeters and the Continuum woofers work in tandem to emit a soundstage that a number of reviews found extremely transparent, with Aphrodite Sound finding it almost excessively so. The 607 S3 is like a little brother in comparison. Both these speakers have pleasantly designed, minimalist cabinets.

By combining their capabilities with the HTM6 S3 and the ASW610 600, the overall package is a very competent one. The dynamism and richness of the audio will immerse you in no time, which impressed multiple reviewers. Just don't expect this to be a particularly pocket-friendly sound system to set up — a pair of 606 S3 speakers cost $1,200, both the 607 S3 speakers and the ASW610 600 subwoofer will set you back $1,000 each, and the HTM6 S3 center channel completes the setup for $900.

$1,999.99 is expensive for a sound system, but it's a whole lot less than the $4,100 you'll have to spend for that entire B&W package. Plus, the Samsung HW-Q990F is on sale at the time of writing for $997.99, a discount of 50%. If you want an all-in-one 11.1.4 speaker system with a soundbar, two rear speakers, and a subwoofer, this is one to consider. The sound output of this home theater system has been praised by multiple review outlets, highlighting its powerful bass, crisp vocals, and room-filling audio. Sound & Vision found its highs a bit shrill at max volume, although this issue didn't rear its head when playing music via streaming services.

Surround sound performance is also impressive. It supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS:X audio formats. If you own a Samsung TV, then you can also use Q-Symphony to help it work in tandem with this device to further increase the number of speaker channels in this system. For gamers, the 4K at 120Hz passthrough enabled via two HDMI 2.1 ports is a great inclusion and will make this sound system pretty great if you set up your consoles and gaming PCs properly.

Bookshelf speakers are a smart way to upgrade your home theater system without replacing everything, and the $499 price point for a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 speakers makes their relative affordability quite apparent. With a 1-inch tweeter and a 5-inch driver, this speaker may be a bit chunky, but its room-filling bass will justify this size. This low-frequency output was highlighted by reviewers, although they noticed something odd about these speakers — while their performance at high volume was great, they lost a lot of their oomph at lower volumes. This isn't a big deal if you love blasting music and don't mind loud audio, although make sure your family members and neighbors are on the same wavelength.

Another widely praised aspect of the speaker is its build quality. You can choose between a Deep Black, Classic Walnut, or Stone Grey finish, all three of which look quite nice. The black fabric grilles magnetically attach to the speaker, adding a touch of premium convenience to the entire package. While the sound is apparently sufficient enough to fill up your entire room, we'd recommend considering rear speakers — and possibly a center channel — for the best home theater experience possible. Thankfully, these speakers aren't so expensive that those additions would exceed your budget.

If you don't mind stretching your budget for a premium set of bookshelf speakers, then a pair of $1,399.99 KEF Q Concerto Meta 5.1 speakers will become a viable option. You'll also need a good amplifier to get the most out of these passive speakers. KEF recommends a unit with a power rating of 100-watt RMS. This is very important, since HiFi Blog noticed in their tests that smaller amplifiers with less headroom do a lackluster job with the Q Concerto Meta 5.1 speakers. On top of this, an optimal setup requires additional speakers and a subwoofer — ideally from the KEF Q Series if you want the best compatibility — along with stands, which will hike up the price significantly.

Multiple reviewers have praised the audio output of these speakers, which certainly enhances their appeal. The soundstage is apparently massive and vibrant. Bass comes through more naturally, instead of trying to vibrate your room. The clarity of the midrange enhances vocal output, and the treble is detailed. Wired felt that the vinyl wrapping on the cabinets looked a little cheap, but it helps that the speaker comes in either a satin black, satin white, or walnut finish. 

The eye-watering $2,699.99 price tag could easily make the Sony Bravia Theater Quad a hard sell, especially since it lacks a subwoofer. This 4.0.4 audio system uses four speakers, filling the role of your home theater's front and rear speakers. Not only do they look sleek, but many review outlets concur that their audio performance is excellent, regardless of whether you opt for a wired or wireless setup. The surround sound effect is especially impressive, making it a good addition to anyone's home theater system — though you'll probably want to buy the compatible Sony SA-SW3 wireless sub to enjoy a more complete surround sound experience. 

If you have a Sony TV, you can use Acoustic Center Sync to turn the Bravia Theater Quad into a dedicated center channel for your system. However, Wired noticed that virtualizing this center channel worked well enough and helped improve dialogue clarity.

Setting up the Bravia Theater Quad was also a painless experience for most reviewers. The package comes with wall mounts for placing these large speakers around your home theater room. Once you've set them up, you can use the Bravia Connect app to calibrate the sound system to your room's acoustics. This setup isn't entirely effortless, however — Digital Trends experienced some bugs while using the app. 

Sonos has made a name for itself as a reliable audio brand, although the barrier to entry for its premium products is quite high. Just take a look at the Sonos Arc Ultra, Sub 4, and Era 300 bundle, which will set you back $2,996. At time of writing, it's on sale for $2,808.20, but that isn't exactly a substantial discount. That being said, reviewers have unequivocally praised this bundle's audio performance — specifically its bass, crisp dialogue, and powerful sound.

On top of this, these Sonos products look premium regardless of whether you opt for the black or white variant, making for both a practical and aesthetic upgrade to your home theater room. Just make sure that you have enough space to accommodate the 46-inch soundbar under your TV. Most people make the mistake of installing this massive soundbar under a small television, which makes for an awkward setup. An HDMI eARC connection will make it very easy to connect this sound system to your device, although the lack of a passthrough isn't great for televisions with limited HDMI ports.

The Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 is far more affordable than most other options on this list, retailing for $479. At the time of writing, this price is further reduced to $329, which is great for home theater enthusiasts who want to upgrade their sound system on a budget. This pair of bookshelf speakers has been praised by reviewers for a rich sound output that punches well above its weight. The frequency response of 44Hz to 35,000Hz is good at this price range and does justice to both treble and bass outputs. What Hi-Fi? was especially impressed by the transparency of the soundstage, which apparently made it easy to distinguish each and every element of a musical track or cinematic score.

Compared to the original B6, the Debut 2.0 B6 is thinner and taller, though the most obvious change is the bass port shifting to the front of the speaker. That change means you can place this device close to your walls without worrying about negative impacts to the sound. It features additional bracing to prevent any audio distortions, and the vinyl present in the previous model has been replaced with a black ash wrap. Definitely pair a good amplifier with these passive speakers — What Hi-Fi? noticed that amplifiers lacking in quality end up ruining the overall sound output of these speakers.

As you've probably realized by now, dedicated, fine-tuned surround sound setups that unlock the best experience possible typically cost a pretty penny. So, it's only natural to assume the Logitech Z906 5.1 sound system will be just as expensive, given that it comes with four speakers, a center channel, and a subwoofer. And yet, it will only set you back $449.99. So what's the catch? 

For starters, this sound system lacks an HDMI port, which is the norm for most modern home theater systems. You'll have to make do with 3.5-millimeter jacks, an optical connection, or a coaxial cable. As a result, this sound system only supports Dolby Digital and DTS. There's no Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DTS:X, or DTS-HD goodness to be found here, which is a major compromise.

The tiny size of the Logitech Z906 5.1 also makes it a bit ineffective in larger home theater rooms — Expert Reviews recommends it for more compact setups, like your PC. However, this is to be expected from such a budget-friendly product, and most reviews agree that the Z906 5.1 boasts admirable performance for the price. The sound will fill up a small room with ease, and the center channel helps improve overall vocal clarity. For people who are new to the varied — and expensive — world of home theater sound systems, the Z906 5.1 is a beginner-friendly sound system that will help you take the first step in forming a competent home theater setup.

For $999, the KEF LSX II LT needs to deliver great sound quality. For the most part, reviewers agree that these wireless bookshelf speakers deliver on that front, highlighting their punchy bass, and balanced, detailed sound. The 0.75-inch tweeter and 4.5-inch bass/midrange cone — both made of aluminum — are clearly doing a great job. However, TechRadar had some concerns regarding their performance in larger environments because of their compact nature, so keep this in mind if your home theater room is on the bigger side.

Another aspect that review outlets praised is the speakers' eye-catching design. The Uni-Q driver array — a staple found in most KEF speakers — places the tweeter right in the middle of the bass/midrange cone for balanced sound, and it also looks pretty sweet to boot. The smooth, sleek-looking cabinet design also comes in three colors — Sage Green, Graphite Gray, or Slate White. Setting up this speaker is also apparently easy, with the KEF Connect app really wowing Trusted Reviews. Apart from easily guiding you through the setup process, it also lets you access equalizer settings and configure presets.

All sound systems mentioned on this list are compatible with a wide array of home theater configurations and have great review scores — a minimum of 4 out of 5, 8 out of 10, or 80 out of 100 — across three or more outlets. These online publications include What Hi-Fi?, CNET, Wired, Trusted Reviews, Every Home Tech, TechRadar, Sound & Vision, Aphrodite Sound, AVForums, Expert Reviews, PCMag, HiFi Blog, StereoNET, FlatpanelsHD, Digital Trends, SoundGuys, Stereo Guide, Calibre, Sound Manual, and Home Media Entertainment.