We purchased the The Best Home Theater Setups so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full products reviews.
If your family room only has a basic television, you might want to consider investing in a home theater system. Gamers can enjoy their favorite titles in high resolution and with vivid surround sound, and friends and family can gather to watch sporting events, movies, and shows with a good home theater setup.
When you’re picking up items one by one, putting together a home theater can be a pain. You must ensure that your receiver is compatible with your speakers, not to mention all of the tangled wires. We’ve gathered three different home theater setups in various price ranges. Each of these setups includes a television, a soundbar for easier setup, and a cabinet for storing accessories and concealing wires. Below are our top picks for the best home theater setups.
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Best Budget Setup
Getting an entire home theater setup for around $450, which includes a TV stand, TV, and soundbar, may seem too good to be true—as if you’d end up with a setup that’s not worth the money. However, prices for TVs and soundbars have dropped in recent years, and you can find budget-friendly options that will do the job well.
With two cloth drawers for holding remotes, game controllers, or other accessories, the Lancaer TV Stand by Ebern Designs has a simple but clean look. There are two additional shelves that can be used to store consoles, Blu-ray players, or cable boxes. It gives you exactly what you need without all the frills. The only thing we don’t like about it is that it lacks a backing or a good way to conceal wires.
Every home theater setup requires a good sound system, and the Vizio 36-inch 2.1 Channel Soundbar delivers on both counts. Two front-facing speakers and two internal subwoofers are included. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the high-quality sound you get for such a low price. Connect the TCL 43-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart ROKU LED TV to the Vizio soundbar. For around $260, you get a large screen and a stunning 4K picture, ideal for binge-watching movies or watching sports. You won’t need to fiddle with any external devices because ROKU is already integrated, so you can start enjoying your new setup right away.
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Best Mid-Tier Setup
The total cost of our best mid-tier setup rises to around $1000, but you get a higher-quality setup at that price point.
Brayden Studio’s Javier TV Stand has a contemporary design with clean, sharp lines. It comes with four open shelves to hold any decorations or electronic devices you might need, as well as a backing to keep wires organized and hidden.
The Sony HT-X8500 Soundbar is a significant upgrade in terms of sound quality. It comes with Dolby Atmos/DTS X with Vertical Sound Engine and dual subwoofers, giving you a simulated 7.1.2 surround sound experience for a fraction of the price of a full surround sound speaker system. You won’t have to worry about a receiver or hiding all those wires around the room, either.
For less than $600, you can get a crystal clear picture with the SAMSUNG 55-inch Class Crystal UHD TU-8000 Series, which is a great deal. You’ll receive a 4K smart TV with Alexa, Bixby, and a plethora of apps, allowing you to watch with fewer devices. The crystal display produces crisp brights and darks, and small details like the ability to hide wires in the stand’s legs ensure that there are no unsightly wires in the way of your home theater enjoyment.
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Best High-End Setup
| TV | SAMSUNG 75-inch Class QLED Q80T Series |
| Speaker | Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar |
| Cabinet | Alisee TV Stand |
We have the perfect selection for when you want to go all out with your home theater setup. You can be sure you’re getting a top-notch home theater package for $4,500, the majority of which is dedicated to the TV and sound system.
The Alisee TV stand is stylish and durable, and it comes in two colors: black and espresso. It has six cubbies to accommodate all of your storage needs. There’s a well-made built-in cable management system, so you can put your expensive TV on it with confidence.
If you’re looking for a sound system that will transport you to a movie theater, the Samsung HW-Q90R Soundbar System will not disappoint. The 512W 7.1.4 channel system comes with a soundbar, two satellite speakers, and an eight-inch dedicated subwoofer. It also has Bluetooth connectivity, so you can use it to listen to music on the go. This soundbar packs a punch with its slim design and excellent performance.
Even if some of that water is due to the price, the SAMSUNG 75-inch Class QLED Q80T Series promises to deliver that wonderful eye-watering picture you’ve always wanted. The QLED display has incredible color and deep, rich blacks. When you add in an anti-glare screen, Alexa built-in, and a Quantum 4K processor, you can see why this TV is so great. The TV also has 4K upscaling and Real Game Enhancer+, which improves gaming. This massive television will devour anything you throw at it and ask for more.
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Nice to Have
Projector: Anker Nebula Mars II Pro
Rather than having a fixed home theater setup in one location, you could opt for a more portable option that allows you to take the movie theater with you wherever you go. The Anker Nebula Mars II Pro projector has a 720p resolution and can project up to 150 inches. It also has an internal battery, so you can watch a movie without having to deal with extension cords.
Projector: Aeon Fixed Frame Projector Screen
You’ll want to invest in a screen like the Aeon Fixed Frame Projector Screen if you’re going all-in on a home theater with a home theater projector. This screen costs around $340, but you’ll be glad you spent the extra money when you see how good your projector looks on it. You can use a border or the Aeon Edge Free Screen to hang it.
Bluetooth headphones: Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless Headphone System
You want to hear everything while watching the game or your favorite loud movie, but you don’t want to disturb the rest of your house. The Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless Headphone System is the solution to this problem in that case. You can truly immerse yourself in whatever you’re watching thanks to good sound, a punchy base, and background noise reduction. After a long movie, you won’t be in pain because of the headset’s comfort. A second headset can be added to the system if you want to watch with someone else.
Media playback: Roku TV Stick
If you’re going to spend a lot of money on all of these devices for entertainment, you’ll need some real entertainment, especially if you go with a non-smart TV.
The Roku Streaming Stick+ allows you to access all of your favorite apps while remaining so small that you’ll forget it’s there. You can plug it in and watch Netflix, AppleTV, Prime Video, and more in full 4K HDR. It’s about the size of a thumb drive. It even has features that allow you to control volume and other TV functions, so it can serve as your all-in-one remote.
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TV Mount: Cooper Square Full Motion Tilt/Swivel/Articulating/Extending Arm Wall Mount
There’s something special about a wall-mounted television. This Cooper Wall Mount can accommodate TVs ranging in size from 37 to 70 inches. The ability to tilt, swivel, and extend this mount is its best feature, allowing you to set your TV to the perfect viewing angle and changing that angle if you rearrange your furniture.
Gaming console: PS5, PS4 Pro, Xbox X/S Series
A modern console capable of 4K resolution, such as the PS5 or the XBox X Series, may be the best way to see just how beautiful and impressive your home theater setup truly is. Amazing graphics and system-testing surround sound will make you feel like you’re actually playing the game. These systems can also be used as a central entertainment hub, with all of the most popular streaming apps available.
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