This speaker is 27% smaller than the B6.2 and usually a little less costly, so it’s an appropriate choice for surround channels. Klipsch RP-600M and RP-600C: In my tests, this system sounded good overall, just a little too trebly and bright for my taste; voices sounded clear but not natural. Immersive sound comes standard with this system—the THX-265B bookshelf speaker incorporates an upward-firing Dolby Atmos speaker to bounce sound effects off the ceiling. 5.1 vs 7.1 - A 5.1 channel setup consists of five small speakers and a subwoofer, while a 7.1 channel setup includes two additional speakers -- obviously. Emotiva Airmotiv B1 and C1: Our panelists liked the robust, enveloping sound of this system but occasionally complained that the treble was overemphasized and fatiguing, and that the design was suited only for hardcore enthusiasts who don’t care about looks. You could use the B6.2 for the surround channels, though, if you intend to play your system loud. Considering the cancellation of so many trade shows this year, we’re not sure what to expect in terms of future product introductions, but if we encounter a promising new system, we’ll do our best to get it in and give it a spin. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Sensitivity was 84.5 dB for the B6.2 and B5.2 and 84.1 dB for the C5.2. The system is also a breeze to install—it comes with conveniently labeled cables for plug-and-play setup and the speakers can mount flush to the wall. Their response also stayed relatively smooth off-axis. The answer largely depends on the size of your room. Neither showed any major deviations from generally accepted standards of speaker performance, and the THX-365C’s off-axis response was much smoother than that of almost all conventional two-way center speakers. Floor-standing speakers, bookshelf speakers, and on-wall speakers all work well as front left and right speakers. With the Vizio Smartcast app, you can turn your smartphone or tablet into a remote control for the speakers and stream your favorite songs, shows, and movie audio to different rooms when used with compatible Vizio components.Â. review process here. Yet even at high volumes, they didn’t sound harsh or strained. Sensitivity was 86.4 dB for the S15, 86.1 dB for the S10, and 88.1 dB for the S35. The system Polk sent us included two S15 bookshelf speakers for the front left and right channels, two S10 mini bookshelf speakers for the surround channels, and an S35 center speaker. Connectivity can be a huge issue when trying to connect up to seven speakers to a single source, so make sure your chosen setup comes equipped with a receiver or features other connectivity options. The Nakamichi Shockwave Pro is a gigantic surround audio speaker body that provides over 600 watts of audio efficiency. Our top choice, the Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 800, is a top performer that punches well above its pay grade. Within the speakers’ operating range, the THX-265B’s frequency response measured within ±2.0 dB, and the THX-365C’s measured within ±2.3 dB. We advise you to study our buying guide before you spend any money on Rear Surround Speakers… Both speakers measure “by the book,” and the center speaker provides much more consistent sound over a wider listening area than our other picks do, thanks to its three-way design. Other than the aesthetic appeal of having your entire system come from a single brand, there’s no reason your subwoofer needs to be of the same brand as your speakers. *At the time of publishing, the price was $172. Less-expensive center speakers like those of our Polk and ELAC picks usually have just a tweeter between two woofers, a design that can produce more of a beam of sound; that’s fine for the person in the middle but not so good for the people seated to the sides. But it’s bulky and not very attractive. The S15 bookshelf speaker pair sounds great, looks cool, and is surprisingly affordable. This means that if you try to power this system with an inexpensive receiver, the receiver may shut itself off if you try to play the system loud. Bose has a well-earned reputation for turning out some of the most refined, high-quality audio products on the market, and the Acoustimass 10 Series V is another sterling example. The subwoofer is a 12.2-inch cube and weighs less than 20 pounds. The B6.2 bookshelf speaker has a powerful sound, and a matching Dolby Atmos add-on module is available. Learn more. They also use old-school friction-fit grilles, so the look of the front baffles is somewhat marred by grommet holes (four per speaker in the case of the B6.2 and B5.2, eight in the case of the C5.2). All that said, we consider the Monoprice THX system suitable only for a serious home theater. We used the following criteria to help us decide which speaker systems to test: To power the speakers, I used a Sony STR-ZA5000ES AV receiver. Wired vs. wireless - A wired setup will have an edge when it comes to sound quality, but if you don’t mind sacrificing sound in the name of design, go for a wireless setup. Many system configurations are possible; we recommend two B6.2 bookshelf speakers for the front left and right channels, the slightly smaller B5.2 as surrounds, and the compact C5.2 center speaker. Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 800 at Amazon, Klipsch Reference Theater Pack at Walmart, Best Overall: (The ELAC Debut 2.0 C5.2 actually sounded slightly better than the THX-365C from my prime seat in the center of the room but didn’t sound as good when I moved 3 feet to the side.). You could also install two or four ceiling speakers for Atmos, which would deliver much more realistic overhead surround effects but would require much more effort and expertise to install. But we found that the treble had a slightly mellow quality that allowed the speakers to play respectably loud without sounding blaring or fatiguing. Just download the Enclave Audio app onto your phone and stream music from any of your favorite services. Photo: Monoprice, Each THX-265B has two sets of speaker binding posts: one set for the main channel and one set for the Atmos/height channel. They're unobtrusive enough to not interfere with your room's aesthetic and the master-crafted angled drivers deliver some of the most immersive audio of any home system ever manufactured. Instead of using two large woofers and one tweeter, it uses one tweeter with six small woofers, which allows for a super-slim enclosure that stands just 4.1 inches high. Vizio 29-inch 2.0 Channel Sound Bar. For someone who is a little more interested in serious home theater sound, ELAC’s Debut 2.0 speakers are likely to work better than the Polk Signature Series. The Vizio Elevate sounds great and is full featured, making it the best choice for anyone who wants an advanced, high-performance soundbar system. This is as loud as most home theater enthusiasts would want to play their systems, and louder than most families would be likely to listen. For all the systems, I used an RSL Speedwoofer 10S subwoofer. Intro to home theater speakers. In our tests, they couldn’t match the dynamics and clarity of our top picks, but they did sound pretty good, so if you want a wall-mounted system, they’re a good choice. The system we tested used two Debut 2.0 B5.2 speakers for the surround channels. While the overall sound quality is obviously important, there are other considerations when picking out surround sound speakers. Believe it or not, our free, daily newsletter can help you use tech better and declutter your inbox. This produces a more enveloping surround-sound effect, especially when you play movies and music with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X encoding, although you’ll need an AV receiver that includes those technologies. (581) Home Theater Review's Best of 2013 Awards SVS Ultra Tower Speakers Reviewed Focal Bird 2.1 System Reviewed Focal Sopra N°2 Floorstanding Speakers Reviewed Home Theater Review's Best … We somewhere talked about in-wall surround speakers, and this is one of the best from Polk audio to complete your surround sound setup. As senior editor of Video magazine in the early 1990s, I was one of the first two or three people ever to review home theater speaker systems; my work includes the first reviews of a horizontal center speaker and a home THX speaker system. Like the Polk Signature Series, they had a smooth treble that wasn’t fatiguing and rarely caused voices to sound sibilant. Definitive Technology SR-9040 10” Bipolar Surround Speaker | High Performance | Premium Sound … The THX-365C adds a midrange driver that lower-priced center channels usually lack, so dialogue sounds clear in every seat of a home theater. Back speakers get placed behind the side surround speakers and the listening area. The role of the surround speaker is to create a convincing, continuous envelopment for each listener, without introducing distractions such as bright spots, dead zones, or timbre imbalance. GoldenEar Technology SuperCinema 3: This compact 5.1 system, which can easily mount directly to walls, sounded very good in our tests but uses small satellites that don’t blend easily with the included subwoofer. Read on to see our list of best surround sound speakers. The system’s rather plain design and finish might make it unwelcome in many living rooms, but for a serious basement or den home theater, it’s tough to beat. Axiom Audio Epic Midi 125: This relatively large system missed the first cut in our tests for a previous version of this guide. Within the speakers’ operating range, the Polk S15’s frequency response stayed within ±2.0 dB, the S35’s remained within ±4.1 dB, and the S10’s (not shown in the chart) stayed within ±1.8 dB. Side-channel speakers are what took 5.1 to 7.1 surround. Side Surround Speakers . In a 5-channel system, the side surround speakers should be located 90-110 degrees off-axis. Countless manufacturers have set up their speaker systems in this room, and I’ve performed many measurements in it over the years, so I know its properties well. Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 800, The 7 Best Home Theater Starter Kits for Under $500 in 2020, Monoprice HT-35 5.1-Channel Home Theater System Review, The 6 Best Budget-Friendly Stereo Receivers of 2020, Best Design: Unfortunately, the Definitive subwoofer won’t rattle your bones like some higher-end Bose or Klipsch models, but the experience is still immersive and wildly enjoyable. Q Acoustics 3020i and 3090Ci: The 3020i is the current top pick in our guide to the best bookshelf speakers for most stereos, and this system was also one of our favorites for home theater. The S35 center speaker sounded clear with voices, so movie and TV dialogue was easy to understand. The THX-365C has a single pair of speaker binding posts. The THX-365C center speaker has a three-way design, meaning that it features both a midrange driver and a tweeter mounted vertically, flanked by two woofers. For the best sense of spaciousness, the tweeter height should be about 2 feet above ear level. What sense of envelopment did the system produce when playing movie soundtracks and stereo music? ELAC Debut: The company has replaced this system with the Debut 2.0 series, but it’s our previous top pick for this guide, and you may still be able to find it. A basic surround-sound speaker system usually employs a “5.1” arrangement: front left and right speakers, a center speaker (mostly for dialogue), left and right rear speakers (for surround-sound effects), and a subwoofer (that’s the “.1”). A higher sensitivity means the speaker needs less power to play louder. I had help in this evaluation from Wirecutter editor-at-large Geoffrey Morrison, who has written countless reviews of surround-sound gear while working as a writer and editor for Home Theater, Sound & Vision, CNET, and Wirecutter, and from Wirecutter senior staff writer and headphone reviewer Lauren Dragan, who has served as a listening panelist in numerous audio tests for Wirecutter and Sound & Vision. The Sonos multiroom music platform offers the best-sounding speakers, supports the widest variety of streaming services, and is easy to set up and use. The 5 speakers should be distributed with three in front of the viewer – on the left, in the center, and on the right -, and two on each side – the “surround” speakers. How Do I Position Loudspeakers for My Home Theater System? The THX-365C center speaker is a three-way design, with a separate midrange driver that lets it deliver consistently natural-sounding dialogue across a wide area. They all showed a narrow dip around 16.5 kHz, but that’s way out at the edge of most adults’ hearing range. (Read more about Toole’s work in his book, Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms.). If money is no object, there’s no shortage of options that can range into the thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. So after eliminating systems that had limited distribution and availability, I contacted the manufacturers whose models we were considering and asked for their advice about what they thought would be their most competitive system. For one thing, the speakers in the Debut 2.0 line are generally larger and more robust sounding than those in the Signature Series; the B6.2 bookshelf speaker we used for the front left and right channels is 57% larger than the Polk S15, and the C5.2 center channel is 150% larger than the Polk S35. But these speakers are larger and pricier than our main picks, and they may not be worth the step up if you don’t listen to movies at very high volume or care about having the most immersive surround-sound experience. Sign up now! This means that, given the same amount of power, the Polk main speakers will give you almost 2 dB more volume than their ELAC counterparts, and the Polk center speaker will give you 4 dB more volume than the ELAC center speaker. Klipsch surround sound speakers can literally put you at the center of the action. Definitive Technology SR-9040 10” Bipolar Surround Speaker, High Performance, Premium Sound … Definitive’s best described as detail-rich, preserving the fidelity of a soundtrack while allowing for all the simultaneous effects to be heard and enjoyed. While wireless audio may be the highlight of the Enclave system, there’s a bevy of additional features to maximize value. The other six independent speakers work together for a total of 14 speaker drivers, delivering 360 degrees of HD wireless audio. There’s little question you’ll end up feeling like the ProCinema 800 offers both value and a high-end experience that belies its price tag. Each satellite speaker stands just 7.5-inches tall and weighs less than three pounds. Following the listening tests, I ran frequency-response measurements of all the speakers. The system is also THX Select certified, which means it has been designed and tested to meet the technical standards of THX for sound in rooms up to 2,000 cubic feet in size. Focal also pushes the envelope pretty far with some speakers costing over 100k!

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