Electronics
Home theatre systems
Introduction
We put 6 home-theatre systems to the test – and found just 3 had good sound quality.
A home-theatre system can turn your home into a cinema – and your seats are in the front row. But can it deliver what you want? Only the top 2 in our test were worth considering.
We also explain about the specifications and features to look for, and how to set up your system to get the best possible listening experience.
Models we tested
This report contains test results and recommendations for the following home theatre systems:
Checklist
If you're thinking of buying a home theatre system, here's what you need to know about specifications, features, and how to set it up.
What's included?
"Home theatre" includes a set of speakers designed to reproduce the full range of sound you hear at the movies, plus a unit consisting of a signal receiver and amplifier. A blu-ray player is usually part of the deal, and may be built into the receiver unit.
An integrated blu-ray player reduces the clutter (and the number of remote controls), but gives less flexibility. A non-integrated player means you can select the blu-ray player that best suits you.
The home-theatre systems we tested could all either directly play CDs or have inputs for a CD player (or an MP3 player – with a suitable connector-cable). So they can replace your stereo system for playing music.
Although you can buy some quite cheap home theatre systems, our tests have shown their quality will leave you unsatisfied. This is because home theatre isn't just about connecting more speakers to a blu-ray player. You need a good amplifier that produces good sound through quality speakers. You also need a good TV (preferably an HDTV) with the right video connectors.
Specifications and features
Power
At least 30 watts per channel is needed for a smallish lounge, but a really big room might need 100 watts. A more powerful subwoofer channel could help boost explosive sound effects on a lower-powered unit.
Connecting up
Having the blu-ray player, receiver and tuner in one unit cuts back on cable clutter. Using HDMI cables also helps as they carry both HD video and digital audio signals (though digital audio signal can also be carried by coaxial digital output or optical digital cables).
Make sure the speaker wires are long enough. You'll want to tuck them discreetly out of the way (along the skirting, say) and still be able put the speakers where you want. "Wireless" rear speakers cut some of the clutter, but they need a convenient power point. Check the handbook has clear wiring guidelines.
Picture outputs
The video signal from your home theatre system can get to your TV using several formats. HDMI, as mentioned above, is currently the best for HD video (which is what you should get from blu-ray). Older composite video (usually a yellow RCA plug) is available on all models and gives the lowest quality. S-video is a little better than composite, and component video (which splits the video signal into 3 colour components) is better still. For more information see Connections.
Remote control
There are many features to operate, but user-friendly design is still possible! Look for a logical layout with well-grouped buttons (sound in one group; play controls like play, skip, stop in another). Button size, colour contrast and shape are also important.
Receiver
Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital and DTS are proprietary systems that organise the sound into its appropriate speakers. Most receivers can handle all these, at least.
Upscaling
While it's not perfect, this feature attempts to upgrade a lesser-resolution video format to one of a higher resolution – for example, the standard 576i picture of a DVD movie to 1080p.
A point to note is that some cheaper blu-ray discs of previously released films have not been upscaled to full HD perfectly and may not have a crisp 1080p image.
Speakers
You'll often see home-theatre systems described with a number like "7.1". This refers to the number of speakers the system has – for example, 7.1 means 7 surround speakers with the .1 referring to a subwoofer.
The typical home theatre system has more than 5 speakers, each of which plays a particular role. As with any stereo, speaker-quality is the key. Look for a bit of weight. In general, solid-feeling speakers sound better.
Standard speaker connections make it easier for you to upgrade your speakers if you decide you want a better sound than the home theatre system’s speakers can deliver.
Satellite speakers
There are 2 pairs of surround speakers (left and right, front and back) for localised sound effects. It's best not to have them on the floor. Front speakers should be on the same level as the TV. Rear speakers should be screwed to the wall or put on stands, slightly above and behind the viewers. Some systems allow you to tune the speakers to their location.
"Wireless" rear speakers could be useful, though they need at least one wire – to a power point.
Centre speaker
This handles most dialogue and sounds from the central focus of the picture. It's aligned with the centre of the TV.
Subwoofer
For enhanced bass effects. Bass sound is usually non-directional – you'll hear (and feel) the T-rex in Jurassic Park coming, but you won't know from which direction. This means the location of the subwoofer is not critical.
Active subwoofers have their own built-in amplifier. It doesn't seem to improve the sound significantly, but does take some of the load away from the receiver unit.
Getting the best sound
To hear decent sound effects, you need to connect each speaker correctly to the proper terminals and place them for the best effect (on stands or walls). Fail to do this and your sound will probably be inconsistent and move in the opposite direction to the action on screen.
Take the time to get the speakers correctly balanced – it makes a huge difference. Some systems have a useful auto-calibration feature, using a special microphone that plugs into the unit. The microphone is placed at your listening position and the auto-calibration automatically adjusts the relative channel volumes and (slight) delays to get the best possible sound.
Connections
Rear panel
Note this image shows an AV receiver rather than a home-theatre system, but the connections are the same.
1A = Digital optical (TOSLINK): carries a digital audio stream from external components such as blu-ray, CD, and DVD players and game consoles.
1B = Digital coaxial: a digital audio plug. Digital Coaxial Connections use RCA-style connection plugs (see 4).
1C = HDMI: standard HD plugs for connecting to a blu-ray or DVD player, game console, or HD set-top box. Video and sound are outputted to an HDTV.
2 = Control jacks: for connecting external components such as IR blasters.
3 = DM port: this is a proprietary Sony plug for media player connection. Other systems often have different plugs, such as 3.5mm or USB.
4 = Composite video and audio: sometimes called AV connections – the actual plugs are called RCA plugs(and also used for audio and component video). The video plug is yellow and the stereo audio is red (right channel) and white (left channel).
5 = LAN port: for connecting your system to your local network. Some systems are compatible with WiFi dongles; others will require a direct connection to your router.
6 = Component video and audio: the audio jacks (lower panel) are the same left and right channels as for composite, but the video is separated into three red, blue and green plugs.
There are two component options: RGB; and Y, Pb, Pr. RGB is the type of signal generated by a professional video camera. The Y, Pb and Pr system is encoded so that it uses less of the signal bandwidth. The one you use may be determined by the connections on your equipment. (You can’t send an RGB output to a Y, Pb, PR input or vice-versa.)
7 = Radio antenna: these plugs are for AM and FM radio antennae.
8 = Maintenance port: many systems have plugs like this or USB plugs that are used for maintenance only. Check the manual before plugging anything into them.
9 = Audio multi-channel inputs and pre-outs: the pre-outs are for connecting to external powered amplifiers and subwoofers. The other audio inputs are for connecting to other multichannel players, such as blu-ray, CD, and DVD players.
10 = Speaker plugs: for connecting to your surround sound speakers.
PDF version
You can download a PDF copy of the connections diagram for printing or reference.
Download now (PDF 85 KB).