5.1 Home Theater Systems

While a big TV screen may be the first thing that guests notice in your home theater, it is the quality of the sound system that transforms it into a true cinema experience. We’ve put together a list of the best 5.1 home theater systems to make your living room truly come alive.

Traditionally, a 5.1 system consists of five speakers (usually called satellite speakers) and a subwoofer connected to an AV receiver. The speaker arrangement creates a surround sound effect that wraps around the viewer and can be experienced with movies or even TV shows. A subwoofer provides deep bass for enhanced movie sound effects and to give a dramatic thump when listening to music.

An AV receiver is the heart of any home theater system and it’s important that you choose one with good features. Look for a receiver that supports the latest codecs, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, as these provide an immersive audio experience that’s more realistic than traditional stereo or mono sound. Look for HDMI inputs as well, which will allow you to connect a Blu-ray player or streaming device and also support 4K and HDR content.

Another important feature to consider is a built-in or external media player, which will let you play back music from CDs and an array of popular streaming services. You can also find a variety of home theater systems that include a built-in DVD or Blu-ray player.

If you’re looking for an entry-level 5.1 home theater system that won’t break the bank, check out the Monoprice Premium 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with Subwoofer. This speaker system is about on par with speakers included in a receiver/speaker bundle from Yamaha (YHT-497) or Denon (DHT-1312). While it doesn’t have Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, it does offer great audio quality and is easy to set up.

For a more sophisticated sound system that’s perfect for watching movies and gaming, take a look at the Klipsch Next-Gen R-50M 5.1 Home Theater Surround Sound System. This system uses the Klipsch signature controlled directivity and groundbreaking acoustic technology to deliver cinema-quality surround sound. While this system doesn’t have Dolby Atmos, it does include a Dolby Digital decoder and the latest codecs to provide an immersive listening experience.

If you’re in the market for a 5.1 home theater system but don’t want to spend all night and day browsing the r/hometheater subreddit, the LG SK8000 is worth checking out. It’s a great value, providing startling picture quality and rock-bottom input lag, plus support for Nvidia G-Sync and 4K/120Hz gaming.