Speakers Under $400

Best budget home theater speakers

Although many audiophiles insist that skimping on speakers is a sure path to disappointment, the fact remains that some $400-or-less home theater speakers can deliver astoundingly good audio quality, especially if they'll be used primarily for watching TV.

While most surround-sound systems use a powered subwoofer to deliver bass, the Fluance AVHTB+ (*Est. $200) instead relies on large, full-range, front-channel speakers to take care of the low end. The build quality of these speakers is much higher than their price suggests, reports say. They feature solid-wood construction and are magnetically shielded so they can be placed close to a television.

The Fluance AVHTB+'s front-channel speakers are a far cry from what's normally seen in most budget home theater speaker systems, instead harking back to the days when speakers were expected to deliver high, mid and low frequencies in one cabinet. Each is 33 inches tall and weighs 27 pounds. The customary tweeters and midrange/high bass drivers are joined by 6.5-inch woofers and tuned bass ports in the front surrounds. The result is pleasing bass, though the low end does lack some punch on special-effects-heavy movies when compared to systems that include a powered subwoofer. If that's a concern, a subwoofer (*Est. $200) is available, but the system should be more than satisfactory for smaller spaces (250 square feet or less) as-is, and reports say sound is otherwise "shockingly good." Although Fluance recommends power inputs as low as 20 watts, CNET's Steve Guttenberg says the AVHTB+ is inefficient, and that low-powered receivers/amplifiers are a poor match if you like to play your music or movies loud.

Like many high-end home theater speaker systems, the Fluance AVHTB+ can grow with you. In addition to a subwoofer, additional rear-channel satellite speakers are available (*Est. $30 each) if you want to expand the system to a six- or seven-channel setup. Some reviews predate a minor upgrade to the original AVHTB+ that added gold-plated binding posts and floor spikes (to isolate the speaker from the floor).

Fluance also offers a step-up system, the SXHTB+ (*Est. $300) . Improvements over the AVHTB+ include higher-end speaker elements, an upgraded crossover network and stronger cabinet bracing. CNET gives these speakers a listen and rates them just a hair higher than their not-so-little brother. The configuration is the same, which means relatively huge speakers (at least by home theater standards) and no subwoofer. Sound quality doesn't compare to high-end speaker systems costing many times more, but is more than competitive with those that are similarly priced. Best bass is heard with the speakers moved away from walls and spread apart from each other, CNET reports. Because of that, Guttenberg says the SXHTB+ isn't really a good candidate for small rooms.

At the top of this price range, the Energy Take Classic 5.1 (*Est. $400) draws a ton of expert and user recommendations. Even though this home theater speaker system is several years old and wasn't even available for a while, it still performs well enough compared to the competition that CNET named it an Editors' Choice pick in 2011 -- a testament to its staying power. Similarly, it enjoys an almost perfect rating with Amazon.com users who either purchased the speaker system when it first debuted or were delighted to find it back on retailers' shelves. This feedback joins a spate of older reviews, most of which couldn't find enough positive things to say about the Energy Take Classic 5.1, even when it sported a price tag that was $200 higher than it is today.

The Energy Take Classic 5.1's satellite speakers are small but not quite compact at just less than 3 pounds a pop. Like most lower-priced home-theater systems, the Take Classic won't blow out the windows with power, but will more than adequately fill a small to moderately sized listening area. More important, sound quality is first rate, with CNET's Matthew Moskovciak reporting absolutely flawless sound performance. With a 200-watt powered subwoofer, "brute force is not the Take Classic's forte," writes Home Theater magazine's Mark Fleischmann, but the system can reproduce low-level sounds and dialogue that can challenge lesser systems.

Reviews also rave about the Energy Take Classic 5.1's performance with music, though there are limitations. Cranking up the power can muddy sound quality somewhat, and J. Walker Clarke Jr. at Audioholics.com says there's a limited sweet spot for best sound quality. Clarke adds that the system's musical competence pays off when watching movies: "Whether it was the focus of the scene or quietly playing in the background, the music just sounded fantastic," he says.

The Klipsch name is synonymous with high-end audio speakers, but the company also produces some well-reviewed, moderately priced home theater speaker systems and even some budget offerings. The Klipsch HD Theater 300 (*Est. $400) falls in the latter category. Unlike the speaker systems profiled above, the HD Theater 300 is fairly compact, relying on its small subwoofer to deliver a reasonably impressive low end given its size and low price. Michael Trei of Sound + Vision magazine says the bass sounds fine as long as you don't push the subwoofer too far. He calls the HD Theater 300 a budget-friendly system that provides balanced performance and does its job competently. Trei does warn, however, that the speakers need about 200-plus hours of break-in before the sound becomes smooth and refined.