Best home theater speakers

Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD (cherry)

Anchored by its minitower speakers, the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD is an exceptional surround speaker system that ably combines good looks and superior sound.

Price: $1,569.00 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)

KEF KHT3005 (black)

KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theater performance.

Price: $1,749.95 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)

Aperion Intimus 5B Harmony SD (medium cherry)

Aperion's awesome 5.1 speaker system is pricey, but the Intimus 5B Harmony SD's great sound and superb build quality are definitely worth it.

Price: $1,749.00 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)

Energy RC-Micro 5.1

The Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 speaker system delivers superb sound quality from incredibly tiny speakers.

Price: $399.99 - $599.99 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)

Mirage MX 5.1

Innovative engineering solutions propel Mirage's MX 5.1 Home Theater System to the top spot in the small system/big sound sweepstakes.

Price: $999.00 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)

KEF KHT5005.2 (black)

KEF's KHT-5005.2 is one of the few surround speaker packages to coax audiophile sound from lifestyle-friendly speakers and a subwoofer.

Price: $2,199.95 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 (black)

The powerful Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 satellite/subwoofer package redefined our expectations of what a small surround speaker system can do.

Price: $1,199.00 (check prices)

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

KEF FiveTwo Series Model 11 (black)

While their surround effects fall a bit short of the best we've heard, KEF's beautifully crafted FiveTwo Series Model 11 speakers produce five channels of sound with exceptional audiophile-grade clarity.

• 4.0 stars

  Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

KEF FiveTwo Series Model 7 (silver)

KEF's FiveTwo Series Model 7 system produces audiophile-grade surround sound from two speakers--that's a rare compliment for a virtual-surround system.

Price: $1,198.99 (check prices)

• 3.5 stars

  Very good

  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)

Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 (black)

The Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 surround speakers pack a mighty wallop for their small size, but the system needs some extra care during setup to sound its best.

Price: $799.00 - $799.95 (check prices)

• 3.5 stars

  Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)

Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1

Cerwin-Vega refers to itself as "the loud speaker company," and its extraordinary CVHD 5.1 system makes good on that promise--but the lack of included stands will mean an extra expense for most users.

• 3.5 stars

  Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)

Fluance SX-HTB

You can't beat Fluance's rock-bottom pricing, solid construction, and sound quality, which rivals that of more expensive speakers.

Price: $299.99 (check prices)

• 3.5 stars

  Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)

Fluance AV-HTB 5

This five-piece home-theater speaker package offers shockingly good sound for a mere $199.

• 3.5 stars

  Very good

  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

Boston Acoustics CS2310C (cherry)

Highly detailed sound is the key strength of Boston Acoustics' CS2310 system, but it lacks the muscle to make home theater come alive.

Price: $669.95 - $749.99 (check prices)

• 3.0 stars

  Good

  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)