While a TV screen may be the first thing people notice about your living space, it's sound quality that truly transforms a living room into a home theater. Whether you want to invest in a high-quality surround system, a Dolby Atmos sound bar or a bookshelf speaker system we've got you covered. Whatever route you decide to go with -- soundbars or discrete surround sound -- there should be something here to bring movie theater magic to your living room. We'll update this list periodically as we review new products.
Our Picks
What is the best home theater system overall?
The Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 System is a great starter kit for building out your first home theater system. Pair it with a great AV receiver, like the Onkyo TX-NR6100, and you'll have yourself a sweet little home cinema. On the soundbar side the Roku Streambar offers great dialogue reproduction and streaming at a bargain price. However, the best home theater system truly depends on your individual needs, and there are plenty of high-quality options to suit your budget.
At CNET, we test all kinds of home theater equipment based on our decades of experience testing and reviewing soundbars, speakers and AV receivers. We endeavor to find the best home theater systems by conducting performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs.
Best home theater systems of 2025
Pros
- Compact and easy to set up
- Affordable
- Excellent dialogue reproduction
- Tried-and-true Roku experience
Cons
- Lacks bass in movies and music
When it comes to bang for buck, it doesn't get much better than the Roku Streambar home theater system. This speaker offers both a dialogue-enhancing soundbar and a built-in 4K streamer in one package. If you want more bass or surround speakers, the system is also upgradable. Read our Roku Streambar review
Pros
- Excellent sound
- Deep bass
Cons
- Spring clips are a little fiddly
If you're looking for a surround set to pair with an AV receiver, then the Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 System can be yours refurbished for $360. The surround sound system is easy to set up with five satellites and a wireless subwoofer and boasts excellent sound quality. You would have to pay over twice this to get equivalent sound quality from a rival system. Read our Klipsch Reference Theater Pack 5.1 System review
Pros
- Excellent sound for the price
- Solid build quality and attractive finish
- Front bass port allows close placement to walls
Cons
- Big, boxy design
- Not as forgiving or versatile as competitors
If there's one area where we're spoiled for choice, it's affordable stereo speakers, and at just $280, the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2s offer excellent playback of both movies and music. They offer a transparency that's unlike anything else near the price. The Debuts have been replaced by a newer model so look out for a full review very soon.
Pros
- Excellent connectivity including Wi-Fi
- Solid build quality
- Sounds great with movies and music
Cons
- No Apple AirPlay
- Wired rears
For around the same price as the Sonos Arc, the Vizio Elevate offers everything you'd want from a Dolby Atmos system. With great sound, excellent connectivity and numerous streaming options this soundbar is a sort of hybrid between a receiver-based system and a soundbar. That revolving height driver is also a party conversation starter.
Pros
- One of the best music streaming suites on the market
- Excellent home theater performance
- Fun to use
- Compatible with Xbox Series X/4K 120Hz signals
Cons
- Not as dynamic with music
You may not be able to watch 8K video right now, but it's still worth buying an 8K-compatible receiver -- especially if you're a gamer. The TX-NR6100 is a great receiver with excellent sound quality and an unbeatable streaming suite, including Chromecast built-in. At its current $400 price it is an exceptional value.
Pros
- Best-sounding single speaker
- Best emulated surround
- Advanced connectivity
- More compact than a receiver and speakers
Cons
- Expensive
- No subwoofer
- Music can be a little harsh
- It's huge
If you demand the best Dolby Atmos performance from a single sound bar, it doesn't get any better than the Sennheiser Ambeo Max audio system. It's not cheap, and it's not small, but if you want the best sound, this is it.
How CNET tests home theater systems
CNET's AV studio where I test audio equipment
CNET follows a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process for all of its soundbar and AV system testing, from simple stereo system speakers to Dolby Atmos systems. In the CNET AV Lab, I do comparative testing, pitting similar systems against each other side by side.
I evaluate the performance of each system with a number of different types of content, including movies, music, TV shows and games. I use a number of test scenes, including the opening of Mad Max: Fury Road for playback of the spatial audio standard Dolby Atmos for systems and sound bars that support it. I also use the Thanator Attack scene of Avatar (26.53) to test a product's dynamics and detail retrieval.
When it comes to music, I use a number of CNET test tracks which you can find here in a Tidal or Spotify playlist. Tracks such as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Red Right Hand, with its deep bass and tenor vocals, help determine a system's ability to track male voices in particular, without sounding congested. The song also helps with uncovering hidden details and the relative dynamics a speaker system is capable of. Using both types of content -- movies and music -- I then grade the sound quality of each product. I evaluate characteristics such as speech clarity, dynamics/volume, bass response and musical playback.
CNET's dedicated audio lab in downtown New York includes a selection of televisions (with HDMI eARC), plus Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra streamers, a Microsoft Xbox Series X and an Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player. I also use Roon music software to stream to individual devices or the Oppo player as needed.
Factors to consider when buying a home theater system
Soundbars offer a lot of performance in a compact package and cost much less to get up and running than a speaker system. You can even choose one with advanced features such as Dolby Atmos and Wi-Fi streaming. Some soundbars offer an upgrade path including optional subwoofers and rear speakers which is a great feature.
If you want to truly mix and match speakers, however, an AV receiver is for you. Unlike soundbars, receivers are able to support many more sources including record players and FM radio with six or more HDMI inputs. You can start your system with just a couple of stereo speakers, but given you can get a full 5.1 Klipsch system for under $500, you don't really need to wait.
Home theater systems are notoriously difficult, with several options and technical specifications to choose from. Here are the most important factors to consider.
Channels
An audio channel is a stream of data encoded into its source, like music or a movie soundtrack. Music is often encoded with two channels, left and right, called stereo sound. These two channels play distinct and separate audio signals, giving you a soundstage. The newest movies and TV shows often have several channels of audio data -- most often five channels plus a subwoofer -- encoded into their source material. If you're looking for the full surround-sound experience, you'll need more channels in your speakers or more speakers to support more channels.
Subwoofer integration
Designed to produce low-pitched frequencies, subwoofers add power and dimension to your home theater sound. Subwoofer integration is the process of using volume and signal processing to blend a subwoofer with an existing system. Soundbar and subwoofer combos do this automatically, but AV receiver owners can use a calibration routine (or do a manual calibration) to add a third-party sub.
Connectivity
You'll want to consider your system's connectivity to make sure all your loose cables are put to use. The most common analog audio connection is a single pair of audio RCAs (the red and white connectors), while a Digital Coaxial (or digital coax) is most common for digital audio. If you're hoping for a wireless experience, many home theater systems come equipped with Bluetooth or wireless connectivity options to minimize wires. HDMI uses cables to simultaneously transmit digital video and audio. Make sure you know which types of connectivity your TV or projector supports before making a purchase.
Dolby Atmos capability
Dolby Atmos is a technology that adds height channels to traditional stereo and mono audio formats to create a three-dimensional audio experience. The number of channels is expressed as x.x.x where the first number is surrround channels, the second is subwoofers and the last is heights e.g. 5.1.2. If you're looking for a more realistic and immersive audio experience, you'll want to make sure your home theater system supports Dolby Atmos.
Other home theater systems we've tested
Sony STR-AN1000 Receiver: Sony went away for a couple of years but came back better than ever with the STR-AN1000. This model offers all of the latest features including HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz) support. It includes "works with Sonos" certification, but the reason to buy it is that it's a solid performer, especially with video games. To learn more about its latest features, read out full Sony STR-AN1000 review.
Vizio V21 Sounbar: If you're looking to ditch your TV speaker, this is where I suggest you start. The subwoofer may be smaller than usual for the brand, but this audio bar still sounds great with two full-range speakers, as well as offering HDMI connectivity with ARC and a much easier-to-understand input display. Read our Vizio V-Series 2.1 review to see why its the best soundbar value we've have tested in the last few years.
Yamaha RX-A4A Receiver: The Yamaha is great for as home theater receiver but doesn't sound as good with music streaming. Still, as the Onkyo offers balanced performance across both, it's my current favorite. Learn why it might fall short in our full Yamaha RX-A4A review.
Fluance XL8F Tower Speakers: Want the biggest sound? You'll need big speakers. The fit and finish of the large Fluance XL8 towers is unmatched by other speakers at its price. The sound of the XL8F is open and thrilling but never shrill, and when fed a movie soundtrack these speakers simply zing. They're no slouch with music either. If you truly want the maximum speaker for your money, the huge Fluance XL8F has no equal. Read more about them in our full Fluance XL8F review.
Creative Stage Soundbar: For less than a C-note, the Creative Stage soundbar offers a bunch of previously unheard-of features, including HDMI connectivity with an HDMI ARC port and a subwoofer. What's even more remarkable is that this affordable PC soundbar sounds better than most of its ultra-budget competition; its wired subwoofer fills the room with great bass. The soundbar includes a variety of audio modes, making it quite versatile, and the speaker delivers excellent sound quality for gamers and movie fans alike. Learn more about the budget sound bar in our full Creative Stage Soundbar review.
