Home Theater System Reviews

Home theaters, made simple

Home theater in a box (HTIB) systems simplify the task of setting up the audio side of a home theater by providing all of the elements needed in one package. They include an audio-video (AV) receiver along with enough speakers to properly enjoy the surround sound that's part of most DVD and HDTV broadcasts. A home theater system can also include a high-definition Blu-ray player, and some less expensive ones offer a DVD player. If you want to research separate components, see our companion reports on home theater speakers and home theater receivers, as well as our DVD player and Blu-ray player reports.

Among professional reviewers, CNET does the best job of covering the available options. You can find reports on basic systems as well as high-end options with and without Blu-ray players. ConsumerReports.org has updated its report on home theater systems. Although testing is competent, discussion is brief and you need a subscription to read the site's opinions. Home Theater magazine reviews fewer home theater systems, but the magazine's reviews are commendable for their wealth of technical details. Other good spots for professional reviews include BigPictureBigSound.com, HomeTheaterInABoxReviews.com and Sound & Vision magazine. You can find owner-written reviews at BestBuy.com, Amazon.com and Walmart.com

In our research, we found excellent reviews for home theater systems in a wide range of prices. Reports say that some budget systems are surprisingly good performers. However, they also warn that some -- particularly the least expensive systems selling at $200 and below -- fall seriously short.

Professional reviewers rarely cover the least expensive home theater systems, but user reviews for some are plentiful. Most don't have lots of good things to say about systems in this price range. Worthwhile features -- at least on paper -- such as iPod docks and upconverting DVD players -- are overwhelmed by other issues, including insufficient power, poor sound quality and questionable reliability in almost every ultra-cheap home theater system with enough user feedback to be informative.

With that said, we did see one system, the Philips HTS3011/37 (*Est. $150), that leaves far more owners satisfied. With 200 watts of total system power, the HTIB can't fill a very big space with sound, but what comes out of the system's five speakers sounds pretty good for its class. Setup is easy, according to reports, and is aided by the use of color-coded speaker cables. The incorporated DVD player boasts good compatibility and is DivX Ultra Certified (for playing back media files from your PC). System reliability seems good compared to other inexpensive home theater systems, though a small handful of issues are reported

There is one flaw, however, and it could be a big one for some. Connections are limited, and you won't find a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port or a digital audio input. That means that you won't be able enjoy Dolby Digital surround-sound audio from broadcast or cable TV. That doesn't seem to bother some owners, but for others it is a major turn off.