5 Home Theatre Systems Brands We Recommend For 2023

41% of Americans now own a home theater system and if you’re looking to join them or to upgrade your existing system, we can help.

We’ve tested dozens of home theater configurations to come up with the best home theatre system brands and configurations available today. 

That way, you can shop with confidence knowing that you’ve bought a system that will serve you and your family well. 

We used four main criteria to make our decisions:

• The type of system. Was it modern and up-to-date with support for the latest Dolby sounds? 
  
• The cost of the system. We’ve included something for nearly every budget in our round-up. A high price should, however, mean better performance and we’ve focused on value for money at every level. 
  
• The speakers involved. How many speakers were included, did they produce a fully immersive experience when working together, what types of speakers were there?
  
• Available connectivity. The more options the better when it comes to connectivity not just of devices connecting to the speakers but the way that the speakers interact with each other. 

We also looked at other things such as consumer reviews, additional features, wireless support, etc. but didn’t rank them as highly as these four criteria.

Enclave CineHome Pro

If wireless is more than an “option” but is, in fact, a total necessity then you may want to check out the Enclave CineHome Pro as your first port of call.

They specialize in wireless audio which is based on the WiSA (Wireless Speaker & Audio Association) standards and that means, for now at least, up to 24-bit audio carried at a maximum latency of 5.2 ms. 

They are fully THX certified which means you’re going to get a level of sound that competes with real cinemas. 

Inside the box, you get 5 surrounds plus an excellent 10” V-shaped subwoofer. The three front speakers incorporate 2×3-inch drivers and a 1-inch tweeter, each, and the two rear speakers use a 1 x 3-inch driver and a 1-inch tweet each. 

The price is very reasonable for an all-in-one wireless home theater surround sound system and it’s completely plug and play, set up is super easy, in fact. You control everything from the “CineHub” included in the box. 

Our main concern with these speakers is the design, the aesthetic is clearly built to appeal to a certain group of listeners and may not go with everyone’s tastes.

Nakamachi Shockwafe Ultra

If you’re not familiar with the Nakamachi name, don’t worry – they’ve been making high-quality audio kits in Japan since 1948.

Their soundbar systems are newer, though, and they launched their first model in 2016 and the Shockwafe Ultra is the result of continuous improvements ever since. 

This package contains 2 x 10” subwoofers, 2 x side surrounds, and 2 x rear surrounds (all of which are two-directional), and a soundbar that incorporates an incredible 6 x 2.5” drivers!

They say that if you use two subwoofers, you get better-balanced audio, and having listened to this setup, we agree, but we’d point out that you need a fairly big room to make this work. 

Onkyo HTS3901 Home Audio Theater

If you’re thinking that a home cinema system must be the exclusive preserve of the well-to-do then you couldn’t be more wrong.

The Onkyo system is one that nearly anyone can afford and you’ll be surprised at how good it sounds, though, perhaps, not by its somewhat “chunky” looks. 

You get a center speaker, 4 x surrounds, a subwoofer, and a receiver for your investment and it’s super easy to put together and start using too. 

It’s fully 4K ready, uses a Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer to create a fully immersive experience, and has excellent Bluetooth support, what more could you need?

Klipsch Reference R-26FA 5.1 Home Theater Pack

Don’t run away! Yes, this is a home cinema system from the incredible Klipsch and yes, it looks as amazing as you’d expect it to. 

What you might not expect, is the incredibly reasonable price tag of this home theater system, you’re not going to need a new mortgage to pay for it.

In fact, it includes a pair of Dolby Atmos speakers, a pair of bookshelf speakers, an excellent center channel home speaker, and a wireless subwoofer and for not much more than a thousand bucks, all told. 

We particularly liked the fact that they haven’t compromised on sound quality here, the whole package sounds stunning and it looks so refined. 

Bose Lifestyle 650 Home Entertainment System

It’s Bose and this system is absolutely amazing but only if you have the deep pockets required to be able to afford it.

It is every bit as well-engineered s you’d hope for from Bose and it looks super-stylish, you’d never be ashamed to have guests round with this in your living room. 

The 650 includes the OneConsole, 4 x OmniJewel Surround Speakers, an Omni Jewel Center Speaker, an Acoustimass wireless bass module, a universal remote control, a pair of wireless receivers, and an ADAPTiQ headset!

The surround sound speakers deliver 360-degree sound which when paired with the Acoustimass module, really makes you feel like you’re in a real cinema.