Best Home Theater Surround Sound Systems

A suitable soundbar is among the best things you can use to get a quality experience since most TVs do not come with the kind of speaker system designed to give you the best sound.

Nowadays, the home theater market is saturated with many sound systems from different brands, and finding a suitable one for your sound needs can be a daunting task.

Regardless of whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, this post will highlight some for different needs and different prices.

Here is a detailed review, pros, and cons of the top surround sound home theater systems on the market. Read on to find out which features you would like to give priority to help you make an informed selection.

Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2 DTS: X 1000W 45-inch Surround Sound Systems

The system comes with a 45-inch Atmos/DTS-X. You will also get four two-way rear satellite speakers and two10-inch subwoofers in the package, which will all add up to an incredible 1000W.

This remarkable set of home theater systems has turned this soundbar by Nakamichi into one of the first audio equipment in the world that can give a 360 degree 3D-surround sound.

Furthermore, you can expand this set to a 9.2.4 channel audio system. With this amazing home theater, your living room will be full of uncompromising and moving audio, which means you don’t have to go to the movies anymore to experience a full movie theater effect.

Main Features

Wireless subwoofers: The Shockwafe Ultra 9.2 home theater comes with two 10-inch wireless subwoofers, which is not common in other soundbars. These subwoofers will turn your living room into a real movie theater every time you are watching your preferred movies.

Together, these two subwoofers evenly distribute the boom throughout your entire room. Therefore, the audio will not have any distortions and will give you an excellent movie theater experience, and you will not have to go to the movies anymore.

Two-way surround speakers: The Shockwafe Ultra 9.2 home theater package also comes with four rear two-way surround speakers. Each of these speakers has a tweeter that reproduces the high frequencies with good clarity and a full-range driver that assists in delivering all the sound effects from the home theater system with absolute precision.

These speakers come in a modular form, which means you can place them in six different ways to get the best surround sound. Therefore, the size or shape of your room does not matter because the speakers will work pretty well and also give you a real movie theater experience during your movie nights.

Connectivity options: The Shockwafe Ultra system has a 4k Ultra HD pass-through, a Dolby Vision pass-through, HDCP 2.2, ARC HDMI, and HDR connectivity options. These connectivity options allow you to connect a maximum of six different gadgets through an HDMI ARC, 3 HDMI, coaxial input, and an optical input.

It also comes with a remote control that’s backlit to provide you with flawless control of the DSP settings, input sources, individual channel optimizing, and room size optimization, among other settings. The audio system also includes Bluetooth aptX that assists in delivering a wireless sound that sounds just like a wired one.

Setup: The Shockwafe Ultra system by Nakamichi was specifically designed and made to bridge the prevailing gap between the standard 2.1 channel sound systems with high-performance home theater systems that come with multiple channels.

It might sound like a complex audio equipment to set up, but it is not. Generally, it is just like any other plug and play system. Nevertheless, what you’ll get after installing the Shockwafe Ultra soundbar by Nakamichi along with the four rear surround speakers and two subwoofers cannot be described enough with words because it is just remarkable.

Yamaha YHT-4950U Surround Sound Systems

If you are looking for a home theater with solid construction and one that provides you with good performance but do not want to spend a lot of money, then Yamaha YHT-4950U will be a great selection for you.

Yamaha is popularly known for making high-quality sound systems, and this system is generally a video/audio receiver that’s bundled along with a 5.1-channel speaker package.

Therefore, it is a great selection if you want to purchase an AV receiver system that you don’t intend to pair with a set of some speakers.

Main Features

Speakers and subwoofer: The Yamaha YHT-4950U home theater package that comes with this audio system consists of black gloss speakers with a compact design. The right, center, and front left channel, as well as satellite speakers, come with single two ¾-inch full-range cones.

This small size will give you unobtrusive speakers that will not take over your living room. Once you set the system’s crossover frequency at the appropriate point, you will still enjoy a full sound from the smaller speakers.

The subwoofer of this home theater has an 8-inch cone that is rated at 50W. That should provide you with enough bass for music and movies, without taking up a lot of your floor space.

This subwoofer will handle all the lower frequencies that al the small front/surrounds may not do enough justice to. Also, all the speakers of this system are wired, and the package includes a speaker cable as well.

Connectivity options: This home theater system presents you with an affordable option that has numerous connection types. There is 1 HDMI output, 4 HDMI inputs, and all have HDCP 2.2 support and 4K Ultra HD pass-through. The HDR pass-through is usually available for all the most popular versions. That means you will have support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, BT.2020, and HLG out of the package.

Furthermore, you will have two coaxial audio, one optical audio, three composite video inputs, and three analog audio inputs. Also, there is a single composite video for output.

Bluetooth support: This system does not provide Ethernet and Wi-Fi connection. Nonetheless, it comes with Bluetooth option that gives support for wireless streaming, which partially compensates for the lack of a connection to the internet.

If you would like to stream audio content from your handheld gadget into the home theater system, then the Bluetooth will help you a great deal. 

Moreover, you are not limited to only streaming into the system’s receiver, but the YHT-4950U will also connect to speakers and Bluetooth headphones, which is something that not all gadgets with Bluetooth support can do.

Optimization software: Yamaha YHT-4930UBL includes YPAO room optimization software to help provide a good sound quality that will satisfy many users. To do that, you can utilize the microphone included in the package and the optimization software to assess your room and then set the best audio parameters.

The software will automatically find the most suitable crossover points as well as speaker distances. That is something that many all-in-one audio systems do not have, and that’s why this Yamaha all-in-one system stands out in the market.

Polk Audio 5.1 Surround Sound Systems

While Polk is popularly known for its high-quality LSiM series, its subwoofer powered sound system integrates into a home theater to offers seamless 5.1 audio channel for an entire room.

These speakers are relatively plain-looking but are incredibly compact, which makes them a pretty easy addition to any room.

All the speakers of this system, including the subwoofer, come with dynamic balance technology that has minimal distortions and wider dispersion.

Therefore, every listener in the living room hears the unmatched three-dimensional surround sound along with a heart-thumping bass.

These speakers are compatible with many home theater system AV receivers offering you multiple setup options. You can either use this 5.1 channel as is or consider upgrading to a more engaging multi-room setup with the 7.1, 9.1, or some more channels.

Main Features

Connectivity: One of the benefits of a surround sound system is they offer more input connections than many all-in-one sound systems. The Polk 5.1 offers one output or 5 HDMI inputs. You will also get two composite video inputs, one composite video output, two optical audio inputs, one coaxial audio inputs, two stereo RCA inputs, and one phono input.

Polk Audio T50: When it comes to the speakers, this package from Polk Audio includes a remarkable 5.1 channel system from Polk Audio. The front right and left speakers are the T50 tower speakers from Polk Audio. 

Each of the floor-standing speakers will give you a perfect front stereo image that has a balanced sound from one 6.5-inch mid-range driver, two 6.5-inch bass radiators, and a single 1-inch tweeter.

Polk Audio T30: The T30 center speaker by Polk Audio generates the sound produced by this sound system . This speaker can complement your floor standing speakers with two 5.25-inch drivers and a single 1-inch tweeter for the low and mild end.

Polk Audio T15: The Polk 5.1 system package includes T15 bookshelf speakers for the rear of your room. You can use these speakers as the front speakers in a few systems.

However, in this unit, these speakers are meant to get installed as the surround sound pair. Besides, they will work pretty well with the speakers in the front part of the room.

Polk Audio PSW10: The last piece of the puzzle is the PSW10 powered subwoofer from Polk Audio. The subwoofer comes with a uniquely configured direct port that provides you with accurate bass with more depth to bring your films and music alive, making it an ideal solution for small-to-mid-sized rooms.

Samsung HW-Q80R

The HW-Q80R system by Samsung is a powerful 5.1.2 soundbar. It can play DTS:X object-based, and Dolby Atmos audio formats, and further enhances its reputation in this respect by adding in up- and side-firing speakers in the main soundbar.

The audio reproduction is clean, well-balanced, and accurate, even at high volumes. The setup of this sound system is well-built and of high-quality, even though it does not have any rear speakers.

Main Features

Channels: The Samsung HW-Q80R home theater has a total of seven channels: right and left width speakers, three front speakers, and two upward-firing speakers for the right height and front left channels.

The unit does not have any rear speakers, which means that it lacks overhead and rear surround sound and is only restricted to the three front drivers as well as the two side-firing and two upward drivers on the soundbar.

The system has a simple LED display that prevents the aesthetic from appearing too cluttered. The only typical controls on the sound system are in the form of some basic touch-sensitive buttons mainly for power, volume and input selection at the top center part of the device.

Whether you are watching the news, a game show, a documentary, or your preferred sports channel, all the three front channels normally deliver a remarkable all-round performance.

If you are a sports enthusiast, the side-firing drivers can add more width to your audio to give you a better experience.

Subwoofer: The HW-Q80R sound system uses an updated, wireless subwoofer. This design utilizes a rear-port and an inbuilt amplification, with an 8-inch side-firing driver.

Samsung has been keen to make sure that the finish of the subwoofer complements the design of the main soundbar, and it’s also built pretty well.

This design is intended to provide you with more powerful bass and generally results in the same high-quality you would expect from any other Samsung gadget.

Connectivity: The connectivity of HW-Q80R is quite fair for a system of its price tag. It has one HDMI output, two HDMI inputs, and one optical audio input, and it also offers Bluetooth wireless and Wi-Fi support.

The HDMI system of Samsung Q80R supports eARC that enables your system to receive lossless object-based audio formats from compatible TV sets. It is also capable of passing through HDR10+, HDR, as well as Dolby-Vision 4K HDR video.

Viewing modes: The Samsung HW-Q80R home theater includes several modes that come in handy to boost the viewing experience for an average viewer. One of the modes that come to mind is the common ‘Adaptive Sound’ mode that’s incredibly useful in combining different content with taking advantage of the additional channels and providing the audio with a greater presence.

Avid gamers will love the ‘Game Pro’ mode in their household because it emphasizes the effects and enhances game soundtracks to make your experience more immersive and effective.

JBL Bar 5.1 Surround Sound Systems

If you are the type of an individual who likes immersing in the world of films with the minimal wires, setup, and fuss, the JBL Bar 5.1 system is what you are looking for.

This sound system does an amazing role of bringing out dialogues clearly with its surround sound capabilities. This sound system will surely take you to a greater height with its high-end surround sound capacity.

Whether you would like to listen to your preferred music tracks, play a game, or enjoy a movie, you’ll always enjoy the best audio if you have this great sound system by your side.

Main Features

Design: This sound machine by JBL comes with a stylish design. It’s incredibly attractive, especially in terms of appearance. The device comes with a black drilled body with a bar and metallic trims that enhance its looks more.

The subwoofer is pretty heavy and large, meaning it can produce low and deep bass. It includes basic controls like power, volume, and source selection that are ergonomically placed on the sound machine.

You will also find a light-up display at the back of the unit. This feature brightens the light or dims it depending on your preference and taste.

Detachable speakers: The end speakers of this sound system are wireless, and that means that you can freely put them anywhere around your living room to enjoy the best audio.

These speakers offer you a playtime of up to 10 hours, and if you would like to experience quality surround sound, all you need to do is to remove your end speakers that are attached to the soundbar using a magnet and put them in another place you prefer.

JBL sound shift: The JBL sound shift is an amazing feature that allows you to instantly switch the source of sound between the television and your tablet or cell phone.

For instance, if you are watching a film from your television, and you would like to switch to your smartphone and play some music, all you need to do is press the play key on your cell phone. However, your mobile phone should be connected to your sound system.

By doing that, you’ll override the sound system and instantly pause the TV input, and the music will begin playing.

Wireless subwoofer: The JBL Bar 5.1 system comes with a 10-inch subwoofer that gives you a bass that is incredibly powerful and deep. The power of the sound machine is 510W in total, which means that you don’t have to deal with the messy wires that can be a big inconvenience when they get entangled.

Sound modes: The JBL Bar 5.1 system provides you with multiple options when it comes to sound modes. You can utilize this amazing feature to change your sound set up depending on the type of music you are listening to or the kind of show or film you are watching Music, movie, voice, and sports are some of the common sound mode options that you will find in this sound machine. 

Furthermore, you can easily and conveniently switch between sound modes with a remote. Also, you can remotely change the bass intensity as well.

Final Thoughts

The best surround sound system can provide you with many hours of music and entertainment in different forms. You can easily stream TV shows and movies from a variety of platforms and also listen to your preferred music.

Today’s sound systems offer the best quality visuals and audio, which allows you to get the most out of everything. When shopping for a sound machine, you can start by checking the available ports, the connectivity of the sound system, and what you need.

The ten best home theater systems reviewed in this post are a good place to start when looking for a high-quality sound system with remarkable features.