Surround Sound Home Theater Speaker recommendations?

Question

I need recommendations for a Surround Sound Home Theater Speaker System. I need something that would sound great with all my components (dvd player, CD player, Receiver, TV, Satellite).

Model numbers or links would be good.

Answer 1

My first recommendation from a Home Theater standpoint, meaning primarily Movies and Video, but music will be played from time to time, would be Definitive Technology Bipolar Super Towers. http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/powertower/powertower.html
They have built in powered subwoofers and they are THUNDEROUSLY powerful! The speakers themselves are great looking, great sounding, and pretty well priced for the quality of the product!
If you want something just a bit more upscale, and PHENOMENAL sounding (but you better have an amplifier with GUTS) then look no further than Martin Logan Electrostatic Speakers.
http://www.us.martinlogan.com/frontpage.html
These are my favorite speakers of ALL time! Yes, there are better speakers out there, but if you are so inclined, these speakers are nearly without comparison!

Sorry to inform you... Bose is not a quality sounding speaker system from a music, nor from a home theater standpoint. Having been a high end salesperson, I can tell you 1 universal truth, Bose is expensive NOT because it is quality gear... But because they have the best marketing in the business. Bose is one of the most profitable stereo companies on the planet, charging anywhere from 50-100% margin on every product. No other component company makes anywhere near that much profit. Check my profile for other answers I have given on this subject. We used to joke about Bose when we sold them (not to the customers of course) "No Highs, All Lows, it MUST be Bose!" They turn the bass up far too high, but because people tend to like music they can FEEL, the "Bose sound" has become acceptable to many people.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

Like the other pros in their answers, stay a way from Bose, Yes i do this for a living too.

I am not going to specify a brad cuz i don't know your budget. So with out a budget my recommendation is to spend the same amount on speakers that you spent on your DVD, CD, and Receiver combined. So if you have a $200 DVD + $100 CD + $700 receiver then spend $1000 on the speakers or more if you have the cash. Speakers make the biggest difference! Also for music and movies, if your budget allows, get something with larger front speakers that can represent bass. Subs are fine if that's the system you can afford, although bass is mostly non-directional, even i can tell where a 30Hz tone is coming from so frontal bass is more satisfying. And by all means if you can afford larger front and a sub then do both.

Listening tip, people tend to buy overly bright or bass sounding speakers (Bose) because side by side to a "smooth" pair they seem to sound better. That is until you get fatigued from listening to them. So think when you are listening "wow that treble is crisp and loud, sounds good"...... think about it, is it over the top, is that going to bug me when I'm watching a movie?

hope this helps

Answer 3

I can't believe there are still people out there recommending Bose. Although it depends on the price range you are looking at, you can get an excellent Marantz receiver for about $1000. Speakers are a matter of taste. Boston Acoustics and PSB are both excellent speaker companies. As far as subwoofers go, Velodyne are the first and last name to consider. You will also want to look carefully at how you are wiring/connecting your components and speakers. If you use cheap wires, then all the money you spend on your system will be for nothing. Although you could end up spending as much for wiring up the system as a pair of speakers, it will dramatically improve the sound and video quality of your system.

You also need to consider the room this will be in and how/where you place the speakers. A room with paneling will deaden the sound. As with all audio equipment, you should go out and listen to everything for yourself as everyone's ear is different. Just please, stay away from Bose.

If you've really got the $$$ to spend, then go for McIntosh audio equipment and Sonus Faber (fabre?) speakers.

Answer 4

The question can't really be answered well without the desired price-range being known.

I know of some home theater speakers that perform much better than you'd expect for next to nothing... Like the Insignia bookshelves from Best Buy that have been getting some attention...http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03043&id=1138085354138 One speaker may be used as a center speaker. Or the Sony SS- series that Consumer Reports rated higher than many more expensive speakers (larger speakers in the series recommended for main L+R channel use, such as SS-MF750H). The Sony SA-WX700 subwoofer will give most $500.00 subs some REAL competition as far as quantity AND quality of sound at less than half the cost. I would recommend this sub to anyone on a budget seeking excellent performance. Worthy of being matched with high quality mid-priced speakers.

I've heard the newest series of Cerwin Vega speakers is sounding pretty good (V-series or Classic series actually) and is priced competitively. (not the cheapest, less than many, good value)

At a higher price level, I like Wharfedale Diamond, PSB, Boston Acoustics, Energy, NHT, Definitive Tech... as some strong values. Worth their higher price for the performance delivered. There are many others around this price level and worth it... Too many to mention... Dynaudio makes some awesome speakers for more money... The speakers in these price-ranges will generally sound cleaner and more detailed without sounding harsh.

If I had to choose the best speakers from those being sold at Best Buy or Circuit City.... I'd choose JBL at Best Buy (Klipsch come close, something wrong with the midrange sounds)... Infinity at Circuit City... The DCM speakers at Circuit City sound decent for cheap. Could compare favorably to the Sony SS- series I mentioned. Klipsch makes a Reference Series not sold at Best Buy that sounds much better and is a VERY strong contender in it's price-range.

There are many high-end home theater speakers costing many thousands of dollars that I don't have much experience with. I have heard a few and was pretty impressed though...

Answer 5

JW is absolutely right 100%. I am a CEDIA certified professional and have installed MANY brands of speakers and there are MANY great brands. Definitive are great for the money. I have atlantic technology which are also great for the money and have a crisper sound for a little lower pricetag. I can recommend a system 2200 by atlantic for about $2000. Definitive towers do outperform them though as they are towers and have that deep sound but the $$$ are comparatively more. Anyway BOSE is not a great sound and no real installers use them for anything at all except profiting :). BOSE is great for consumers who want a name but thats it. Ill put my atlantics or JW's definitives with a Denon or Yamaha reciever against a bose anyday. So would any tru professional. BOSE offers very little in terms of their "recievers" (use term loosely) as far as video and audio switching, routing, scaling. As an industry professional pick ANYTHING but BOSE or theaters in a box and you will have a worthy system. Other CEDIA professionals, high end retailers will back me up.

Answer 6

Klipsch, Harman/Kardon, Or Bose Are Probably The Best Ones Out There. I Personally Would Recommend Klipsch.

Answer 7

There are lots of good choices in a lot of different price ranges. A couple of good values that come to mind that I can recommend are from Athena and from BIC America -specifically the Acoustech series, also Definitive Technology is an excellent choice as well.

H a p p y
H o m e
T h e a t e r i n g !

Answer 8

I would also have to agree with J.W. and audio. if you have the chance just walk away from BOSE. depending on price range and size of room you have a few options. first you said you have a reciever so we would need to know what type of speakers best match up with it. second what size of speakers are you looking for, third what price range are you looking for, and finally what kind of performance are you looking for? there are many different options if small speakers are what your looking for take a look at definitive technologies, Mirage, or polk audio systems. all three have inexpensive speaker packages that sound fantastic, midsize bookshelves look at again Definitive technologies and polk audio you can also look at boston acustics and B&K. if your looking at small towers Definitive or polk audio, personally id go definitive. larger towers .... theres just to many. remember to go to a store near you and listen to them and be aware that they will NOT sound the same in your house but it will give you a good idea. you can actually most of the time get your house sounding 10x better than what it does in most stores because how they have to set it up. Finally depending on your situation subwoofers are a huge option. some speakers such as definitive technologies have built in subs but i would personally look to have a seperate sub. Look for one that gives deep rich base you can not only feel but hear as well, not just one that blasts it since there is a huge difference between the two in how they will perform for you. personally i like Martin logan subs or the smaller supercubes from definitive. the sub will most likely be the most expensive speaker of them all since it has not only the speaker but an amplifier with it.

Answer 9

About two months ago, I went to Circuit City and bought six Infinity Primus 150 bookshelf speakers and their Primus C25 center channel speaker. I am very pleased with these. I haven't made a final decision on subwoofers yet (what size and what brand), but there are bound to be many that will work fine. Try out the Infinitys or even the Polks that Circuit City sells. Try mixing various subwoofers with them also and see what pleases you. Your bound to find something that works quite well. Does anyone else reading this have any thoughts about subwoofers? Please share them with us.

Answer 10

Stay away from Bose!

Receivers: Marantz, Harman Kardon, Panasonic (digital), Onkyo, Yamaha

Speakers: Athenas, some of above except Bose.

Sub: Hsu, SVS