Choosing loudspeakers is the most difficult part of putting together a home theater system. Besides deciding on brand, price, and style, actually determining what loudspeakers sound the best can be very subjective, as we all have different degrees of hearing ability and personal taste as to what sounds good. To top things off, there are hundreds of good quality branded loudspeakers that can do the job. Check out some examples of my current favorites that you might want to consider.
1. Paradigm SE Series Home Theater Speaker System
Photos (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
You won't find the Paradigm SE system at a big-box store at a bargain price or on sale. The cost of the entire system (including a bass tuning kit) totals about $3,000. This may seem expensive for some, but when you consider how well this system performs, you will find it hard to find something in this price range and lower that sounds as good and, in fact, may even put the brakes on those who think they need to spend more on a speaker system to access the equivalent of the SE Series' performance. The system consists of an SE center channel speaker, four SE-1 compact bookshelf speakers for left and right main and surrounds, and an SE 300 watt subwoofer.
2. Anthony Gallo Acoustics AV Reference Loudspeakers
If you are looking for new home theater loudspeakers, check out the uniquely designed AV Reference Center Channel Speaker, AV Reference Main Speaker, A'Diva T Satellite Speaker, TR-2 Powered Subwoofer from Anthony Gallo Acoustics. The AV Reference Center/Mains use a spherical housing for each mid-range/woofer speaker, combining several spherically-housed speakers with a unique tweeter design. The A'Diva T speakers employ a compact single-speaker and spherical housing, delivering just the right sound texture and surprisingly strong output. The TR-2 powered subwoofer provides excellent, tight, distinctive bass.3. KEF T205 Home Theater Speaker System
Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
The KEF T205 is a home theater speaker system that combines extremely flat and slim main and surround speakers with a slim profile compact subwoofer. With the T series, KEF demonstrates that they can present speakers with great style without sacrificing sound quality. The speakers in the T205 system can be either table or wall mounted, and are a great match for wall mounted LCD and Plasma TVs.
4. EMP Tek Impression Series 5.1 Channel Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker Package
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Finding a home theater speaker system that sounds great, looks great with your home decor, and is priced right, is not always easy. If you are looking for new set of loudspeakers for your home theater, you might want to check out the stylish and great sounding EMP Tek Impression 5.1 Home Theater Package. The system consists of an E5Ci center channel speaker, four E5Bi compact bookshelf speakers for left and right main and surrounds, and an ES10i 100 watt powered subwoofer.
5. Aperion Intimus 4T Summit Wireless Home Theater Speaker System
Photo (c) Aperion Audio
The quest to get rid of all the speaker wire in home theater has been a long and only semi-successful one, as most wireless speakers really don't deliver the goods, as they are usually designed for portable or outdoor use. However, Aperion Audio and Summit Wireless have now teamed up on both a 5.1 and 7.1 channel wireless speaker system that is actually suitable for the home theater environment, and is definitely worth considering.
6. Paradigm Cinema 100 CT Home Theater Speaker System
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Paradigm brings their high-end speaker expertise to an affordable system that is perfect for small or medium size rooms. The Cinema 100 CT home theater speaker system consists of five two-way If you are looking for a new set of loudspeakers for your home theater setup, check out the stylish and great sounding compact center/satellite speakers featuring 4-inch midrange/woofers and 1-inch tweeters, and an 8-inch subwoofer. The center/satellite speakers can be mounted on table stands or the wall, using the included hardware. This system is priced at $999.
7. MKSound MKMovie 5.1 Channel Speaker System
MKSound is well-known in the professional audio realm, however, they also make speakers for the consumer market. One of their more interesting speaker systems is the MKMovie. At first glance, this system doesn't look out of the ordinary, but looking closer you notice an interesting design variation incorporated into the surround speakers.
Most surround speakers are either a traditional Monopole design (where the speaker drivers face out into the room) or a Dipole design (where the speaker drivers are mounted facing out the sides, (spreading the sound along the walls and out into the listening area indirectly at an angle, both towards the front and rear of the room).
However, in the MKMovie system, MK incorporates a tripole design combines both front and side mounted drivers that are intended to direct the surround image both indirectly and directly into the listening area. This enables a more robust surround image without front/surround audio dips (where the listener may sense a dip in sound level as surround effects move back and forth between the front and surround speakers). Combining the tripole surrounds with compact center and front L/R channel speakers and compact, but powerful, 150-watt subwoofer, makes the MKMovie definitely worth a look and a listen.
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8. Pioneer 5.1 Channel Bookshelf Home Theater Speaker System
Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
Shopping for loudspeakers can be tough. Speaker prices don't always relate to how good or bad specific speakers really are, the proof is in the listening. If you are looking a speaker system to complement your HDTV, DVD and/or Blu-ray Disc player, check out the great sounding compact and affordable, Pioneer 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System designed by noted speaker designer, Andrew Jones. The system provided for this review consists of a SP-C21 center channel speaker, four SP-BS41-LR bookshelf satellite speakers, and a compact SW-8 8-inch powered subwoofer.
9. Cambridge Audio Minx S215 5.1 Channel Speaker System
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One reason consumers shy away from home theater is all the speakers, and the space they take up. As a result, consumers get seduced by speaker systems that tout great sounding "tiny" speakers. Some of these systems are cheaply priced and sound cheap, and some are very expensive, but still don't deliver. How do you strike a balance? I have reviewed several good sounding compact speaker systems, but the Minx S215 5.1 channel speaker system perked my ears up.
10. JBL Cinema 500 Home Theater Speaker System
Photos (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
There are a lot of budget-priced home theater speaker systems to choose from. However, most of the time, what you save in money comes back to bite you in terms of poor sound quality. However, if you are looking a modestly priced loudspeaker system that sounds good to complement your HDTV, DVD and/or Blu-ray Disc player, check out the stylish, compact, and affordable, JBL Cinema 500 5.1 Channel Speaker System. The system consists of a compact center channel speaker, four compact satellite speakers, and a uniquely-shaped 8-inch powered subwoofer.
