Mirage Nanosat 5.1

The Mirage Nanosat 5.1 home theater system is an ideal solution for settings where larger speakers are aesthetically or practically undesirable. Despite their small size, these speakers can pump out enough volume for even a moderately large room, and the small subwoofer is surprisingly effective. Sound quality is good, but critics say the system sounds light or thin compared to larger options. The system's omni-directional technology creates a convincing surround-sound field, but it's harder to locate where specific sounds are coming from than with other speakers. If having the absolute smallest speakers isn't a priority, the Energy Take Classic 5.1 (*Est. $400) is a very well-regarded option with great sound quality for both movies and music, and it's priced less.

CNET has the best review of the Mirage Nanosat 5.1 and is among the most prolific reviewers of speakers in general. Owner feeback can be read at Amazon.com. Some additional reviews of the Nanosat 5.1 can be found online, but those largely address an older version. (Mirage updated the speakers in 2008 but didn't change the model number.)