Recent Recommended Home Theater Systems

$2,500 is the sweet spot where things start to get interesting when building a 5.1 home theater system. Unlike the $1,000 5.1 system we built recently, there aren't any glaring compromises to speak of. With top name speaker manufacturers offering all in one 5.1 speaker systems for around $1000, you can get into some serious peripheral equipment with the ability to expand into immersive 3D sound with a small future purchase of additional speakers. Curious to see what equipment we picked? Keep reading.

There is no replacement for displacement” is an adage among automobile enthusiasts that holds up just as well in the audio world. Big sounds, in both amplitude and frequency wavelength, need big speakers to be properly reproduced. And for high-fidelity big sound, size alone will not do; a speaker will also need good design and high-quality components, which brings up the cost. And if you want it to fit in with your home decor, the speaker will need a reasonable footprint and nice finish, which also adds to the cost. This article is a small roundup of some big speakers, and not inexpensive ones either, but a life-like sound demands life-size speakers.

There are those among us who crave an epic level of bass performance that an 8" micro-subwoofer from a big box electronics store cannot even hope of beginning to meet. Happily, some of the subwoofers which have recently become available look poised to meet many of the most demanding bass fanatic's demands for subwoofer performance. In this article, we take a look at a selection of these new 'super subwoofers' and the different approaches they use to achieve bass nirvana. They are big, they are heavy, and they are expensive. But, for those who do not want to compromise on both the quality and quantity of bass that meets or exceeds our own Extreme Bassaholic rating, the cost is well worth the reward.

The Audioholics $6,500 recommended home theater is a bit different from some of our other systems. This time, we wanted to build a setup where attention to aesthetics went beyond the usual "well...it's not THAT ugly." Needless to say, there are no towers in this system, nor is our first choice of subwoofer a ported, refrigerator sized behemoth. Does that mean performance went out the window? Not at all. Interested to see our component choices? Click to keep reading.

Do you want to build a respectable home theater, but have $1,000 to spend on the whole kit and caboodle? Forget that HTIB system from your local big box: while the prices of such setups are usually attractive, their performance typically leaves a lot to be desired. Instead, take a peak at the Audioholics $1,000 5.1 recommended home theater system. We built a setup on a shoestring budget that will leave any HTIB in the dust, as well as compare favorably with systems costing much more. Curious to see what components we picked? Click to keep reading.

Today we're going to have a little fun building a high end home theater system. That whole business about budgets and making compromises to meet a price? That's going out the window. At the same time, we're not looking to burn money just for the sake of doing so. We're not wasting time on magic cables, nor are we recommending ultra-exotic gear because of the intangible cool factor. Simply put, we're building a system that looks and sounds like a million bucks, without going out of our way to actually try and spend seven figures.

For many people, listening to music on a great two-channel system for the first time is like rediscovering their music collection. There are innumerable combinations of equipment that one could choose and it can be a very daunting task for anyone to sift through the options and put together a well rounded system. In our recommendations, we decided to focus on proven brands and equipment that most people can find or order at a local HiFi shop. We also wanted to allow you to play all of the music you can find, so we included SACD and USB functionality. Each piece in this system is matched in quality with the other components, and a couple of alternatives for each piece of equipment are provided. This is certainly not a budget system, but rather a system that will allow someone to take a leap into high-end audio with confidence that the end result will be sonic bliss.

If you've ever been on our forums, you'll have run into a post (or made one yourself) along the lines of "I have $XXXX to spend, please help me build a home theater." If $5,000 happens to be your magic number, to you we say: have no fear, the Audioholics are here! Today we're put together a killer 5.2 channel system that combines affordability, high performance, and respectable WAF. Curious to see our component choices? Click to keep reading.

If your first impression after reading our $10,000 two channel system recommendations was "maybe when I hit the lotto", never fear, the Audioholics have you covered. This time around, we drop the price down to the $4,000 mark, with an aim to retain as much performance as possible. Needless to say, there are a few compromises; niceties like dual SB13-Ultras and $1,200 CD/SACD players aren't happening on this budget. However, no apologies need to made for the end performance of the resulting system. This is one killer combo that will provide many fine years of service with upgrade paths to the future.

Trying to be an Audioholic when you have a cash flow problem can be a challenge. But we all started somewhere and we aren't so far removed from those heady days of college that we can't remember what it was like to scrape together all your change to buy a new speaker or component. We asked ourselves a question - "If we only had a grand and wanted to buy a brand new $1000 stereo system, what would we get?" Here is the answer.

Are you an audiophile? Do you happen to have $10,000 laying around? Do you need a new two channel system? Even if you answered no to any of these questions, you'll want to check out our equipment choices for building a top of the line hifi stereo system in the $10,000 price class. With a focus on achieving exceptional performance without sacrificing good looks, this is a system both you and your interior decorator can appreciate.

The $2500 system represents extreme value and emphasis on audio performance. At this price its not typical to get such high performance and beautiful aesthetics all wrapped in one package. Harman Kardon provides all of your amplification needs with solid power delivery and decoding of all the latest HD formats. EMP provides the beautifully constructed and acclaimed speaker and subwoofer solutions to transform your living room into a mega cineplex. Get ready to entertain family and friends often as once they find out you've assembled a system of this caliber they will be visiting more frequently. Make sure they bring they supply of popcorn and beer as well as the occasional Blu-ray rental.

If you have $2,500 to spend on a 5.1 surround sound we can't think of any better system to buy than this one. $2,500 is absolutely everything you will need, including cables, power protection, and Blu-ray player. Just add a TV and you will have a completely new home theater. We hand picked every product in this system because of their extremely high performance vs price ratio. You will be hard pressed to find better equipment for the money, and often times for even double the money. For $2,500 you will end up with a home theater on a budget that will make your friend's "home-theater-in-a-box" or expensive "cube" system look like toys.

The $1000 system delivers a solid 5.1 surround sound experience for a bargain price. While the $1000 system won't include a flat panel display, it does feature great components such an AirPlay-compatible A/V receiver and a Blu-ray Disc Player that supports NetFlix streaming. This level of system will present a more than subtle upgrade of the audio and video capabilities of a television or even a soundbar. For those looking to make the move into a true 5.1 home theater system, this is going to be a major upgrade.