George Lucas has been quoted as saying “sound is 50 percent of the moviegoing experience .” To truly enjoy your movies it is important to have a good Home Theater System. You have a high definition TV, so it makes sense to have high definition audio too.
Home Theater systems today have the same audio processing capabilities as those in the movie theaters. From Dolby Digital and DTS to THX, it is possible to now bring that movie experience home. Even the cheapest of Home Theater Systems will dramatically improve the sound over your TV speakers. Some Key advantages of Home Theater in a Box Systems are:
• The more speakers, the better. The best way to recreate a surround experience is to surround your self with speakers.
• Any Home Theater System will improve the audio quality of any TV.
On this site, you'll find articles on Home Theater Systems, news stories and comprehensive reviews on the best Home Theater Systems that will help you make an informed decision on which System is right for you. At TopTenREVIEWS – We do the research so you don’t have to.™
What to look for in a Home Theater in a BoxA home theater system is the best way to enhance your current TV experience. There is a wide range of options available, so it helps to know what to look for. Below are the criteria TopTen REVIEWS used to evaluate Home Theaters in a Box:
• Watts: Although the number of watts a system has can be misleading, typically better systems will have more power. It is still wise to listen to the system before you buy.
• Blu-Ray: It is not secret that Blu-ray has won the high definition war. If you are looking at a Home Theater System and need one with a built in player, look for one that plays Blu-ray discs.
• Powered subwoofer: The low frequencies in a movie soundtrack help you actually feel the action. The better systems have a subwoofer with its own dedicated amplifier.
• Wireless speakers: If you are buying a Home Theater in a Box, chances are you don’t have a room that is prewired for surround sound. The best way to hide the wires to the speakers is to not even use wires. Many systems offer wireless rear speaker options.
• Consumer and Expert Recommendation: We not only incorporated our own evaluations when selecting the top Home Theater Systems, we also included the reviews and recommendations of consumers and other experts.

| Rank | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
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Onkyo HT-S9100THX | Vizio VSB210WS | Panasonic SC-BT100 | Panasonic SC-PT760 | Samsung HT-X810 | Sony DAV HDX 576WF | Sony DAV-IS10 | Onkyo HT-S3100 | Sony DAV-FX900W | Panasonic SC-PT660 |
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| Reviewer Comments |
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| Lowest Price |
$894.93 |
$349.99 |
$669.99 |
$169.00 |
$499.98 |
$339.00 |
$299.00 |
$199.99 |
N/A |
$140.00 |
| Overall Rating | ![]() |
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| Ratings | ||||||||||
| Features | ![]() |
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| Expert Reviews | ![]() |
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| User Reviews | ![]() |
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| View Specifications | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! | Go! |
| View Screenshots | ||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||
| Watts | 130 Watt - 8 Ohm - THD 0.9 % - 7 channel(s) ( Surround ) , 290 Watt - 1 channel(s) ( Subwoofer ) | 150 Watts | 1250 Watt | 1000 Watts | 300 Watts | 1000 Watts | 50 Watt - 10 Ohm - 5 channel(s) ( Surround ) , 200 Watt - 4 Ohm - 1 channel(s) ( Subwoofer ) | 700 Watts | 1280 Watts | 1000 Watts |
| Wireless Speakers | ![]() |
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| Channels | 7.1 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Surround Decoder | DTS Neo:6 | SRS TruSurround | DTS 96/24 | DTS | Dolby Digital EX | Dolby Digital | DTS | Dolby Digital EX | DTS | DTS |
| Powered Subwoofer | 290 Watts | 65 Watts | 125 Watts | 250 Watts | 150 Watts | 285 Watts | 150 Watts | 125 Watts | 285 Watts | 250 Watts |
| THX Certified | ![]() |
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| Video Switching | HDMI | yes | No | yes | Component | |||||
| Warranty | 2 Years | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year | 2 Years | |||
| AM/FM Tuner | ![]() |
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| Blu-Ray | ![]() |
No | ![]() |
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| DVD Player | single | single | single | Changer | single | single | single | |||
| Energy Star | No | Energy Star 4.0 | Energy Star 4.0 | Energy Star 3.0 | Energy Star 4.0 | No | No | No | Energy Star 4.0 | |
| HDMI Output | ![]() |
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| Sound Bar Style | ![]() |
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| Reviewer Comments |
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| Lowest Price |
$894.93 |
$349.99 |
$669.99 |
$169.00 |
$499.98 |
$339.00 |
$299.00 |
$199.99 |
N/A |
$140.00 |
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