By Laura Hubbard

With your favorite shows returning and football season underway, chances are you’ll be turning your attention to your television. CEA research shows the majority of U.S. households own at least one high-definition TV. But, less than one-third have a home theater system.

Most of today’s TV shows, sports events and movies are filmed in surround sound. Your television only comes with two speakers, but to get the movie theater experience you need surround sound. A HDTV without an audio system attached simply does not give you the true high-definition experience.

Don’t worry; manufactures are making it easier than ever for you to have a home theater set-up. There is an audio system for every price level. Here are a few suggestions to help you to find the best system that fits your budget and room.

Soundbar Solution

These single-speaker systems are a perfect complement to a flat-panel TV and require minimal space and wiring. Sound Bars are great solutions when you want surround sound, but can’t accommodate multiple speakers or want to run speaker wire to the back of your room.

Sharp HT-SB300 2.1 SoundBar Audio System with Digital Decoding features 32 watts of total output power and 2.1ch front surround system with main driver plus subwoofer in one unit.

JVC TH-BA1 SoundBar System is a sound bar system that features a low-profile 4.1 channel front surround sound bar and wireless subwoofer.

Polk Audio SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater is a compact, integrated speaker array perfectly matched for flat TVs. The system comes with an innovative wireless subwoofer and features six drivers to provide a broad, accurate sound field.

Yamaha YSP-4000 Digital Sound Projector provides true multi-channel surround sound from a single component. The system is XM Satellite Radio ready and offers iPod compatibility via an optional dock.

Pre-matched Home-Theater-in-a-Box (HTiB) System

HTiB includes a Blu-ray or DVD player, two to five speakers and a subwoofer. They are a great choice if you want the home theater sound with a simplified set-up.

Panasonic SC-BTX70 is a slim bookshelf system that pumps out virtual 7.1 channel sound. Using only front speakers and a subwoofer, it provides a realistic surround sound. Designed with a sliding door that plays Blu-ray discs and iPod music and video.

Philips HTS5100 combines Blu-ray technology with an immersive 5.1 surround sound system that brings cinema quality sound and picture directly to the living room.

Component System

For the best performance, think about building a custom system out of separate components. This allows you to select a powerful receiver and better-quality speakers. Custom-built systems do involve a greater investment of your time and energy to find the best fit, but you will enjoy the added power and performance these types of systems offer.

Yamaha RX-V765 AV Receiver delivers HD video and audio performances along with exceptional versatility. The model enables music and movie enthusiasts to fully enjoy their Blu-ray players, broadcast HD services and gaming consoles with comprehensive feature sets.

Triad Speakers’ OnWall Mini 3.0 LCR Loudspeaker System integrates three Mini LCR loudspeakers into one high-performance front channel speaker solution. The system was developed for on-wall use with 42-inch flat panel video display.

For more information on theses systems, check out the following video or visit DigitalTips.org figure out the best audio system for your home.

Popularity: 40% [?]

This entry was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Consumer Research, Home Audio. Reply to this post, or trackback from your own site. Follow responses to this entry through the comments RSS feed.