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Almost all home theater systems include the following speakers:
These speakers work together to create the surround sound experience of a movie theater in your living room. While there are many brands and models that do a great job reproducing sound, you will want to be sure that the various speakers in your home theater system work well together as a cohesive unit. Check out what each speaker's job is for an idea of what to look for before buying.
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First thing's first — some general tips
Before you start, consider voice-matching. Voice-matching is key to effective home theater sound. If your speakers do not produce a similar tonal quality and share the same harmonic characteristics, the sound will be disjointed when it travels from speaker to speaker. With voice-matched speakers, the sound moves effortlessly around you, creating a seamless surround effect. The best way to ensure voice-matched speakers is to choose speakers from the same "family" of speakers, by the same brand.
It's easy to get lost in the various types of speakers and kinds of materials used to construct speakers. In general, look for solid, relatively inert speaker cabinets. Often, this means rigid materials like MDF or aluminum with strong internal bracings. They'll help cut down on internal resonances that can muddy the sound.
Be aware that more powerful magnets and voice coils give a speaker greater control, so you'll hear more precise sound. That means that no matter what kind of music or movies you throw at it — jazz, classical, rock, sweeping movie soundtracks, and intense special effects — you'll be able to hear every detail.
And look for stronger driver materials since they'll stand up to years of use. But be aware that different tweeter and woofer materials will reproduce sound differently. For example, silk tweeters tend to produce smoother highs, while metal tweeters produce sharper highs. What you choose will depend largely up on your personal tastes and preferences.
Learn more
Where you plan to position each speaker in your room might affect the size or type of speaker you choose. You can learn about the basics in our video on speaker placement, or find more detailed guidelines in our speaker placement article.
If you're already familiar with what goes into a home theater system, then you can also check out our article on planning your home theater system to get started.
 The center channel speaker delivers more than half of the soundtrack, including almost all of the dialogue. (Polk Audio CSi A6 shown) |
Center channel speaker
The center channel is the unsung hero of the home theater speaker system. When you watch a movie, the center channel delivers more than 50% of the soundtrack, including almost all of the dialogue. Since its purpose is to keep sound anchored to the on-screen action, a good center channel speaker is crucial for a well-balanced home theater system.
What to look for:
- Placement. The center speaker typically sits just below your TV, so make sure your center channel is an appropriate size for the intended placement. If you have a wall-mounted flat-panel TV, and you won't have a stand on which to place your center channel speaker, you may want to consider a wall-mountable center channel speaker, or an in-wall speaker. It's very important that your center be located directly above or below your screen, since placing it somewhere off to the side can noticeably disrupt the surround sound experience.
- Speaker size. Like the front speakers, center channel speakers are available in a variety of sizes. You should consider the other speakers in your system as well as the size of your television set when making a decision. Subwoofer/satellite systems usually use smaller center channel speakers, and these interact just fine with the smaller mains and surrounds. Tower speakers require a larger center channel model to maintain a seamless surround effect.
 Front left and right speakers come in all shapes and sizes, although floor-standing models will give you best performance in large rooms. (PSB Imagine T shown) |
Front left and right speakers
In home theater, the front left and right speakers offer a wide soundstage that blends with the video to create a more realistic and exciting movie experience. In addition to reproducing the musical score, front speakers handle the bulk of the special effects, which move back and forth between the two speakers in sync with the images on the screen. Front speakers also broaden the soundstage by reproducing off-screen special effects. Finally, the front left and right speakers in your home theater system also act as the left and right stereo speakers for listening to music.
What to look for:
- Speaker type. Floor-standing speakers, bookshelf speakers, and satellite speakers all work fine as front left and right speakers. Floor-standing tower speakers have the most impact and provide great low-frequency response, but they also take up more space. Bookshelf speakers don't reproduce as much bass and may need a sub, but they're more space-efficient and still sound great. Compact wall-mountable satellite speakers must be teamed with a subwoofer, but they're ideal if you want big sound from a small package. Bookshelf and satellite speakers can be placed on shelves or tables, and they can often be mounted on stands or walls.
 Surround speakers produce exciting, enveloping directional effects. (Definitive Technology SR-8080BP shown) |
Surround speakers
Surround speakers produce atmospheric, ambient sounds — such as rain drops, the rustling of leaves, or footsteps crunching on gravel. They also work with your other speakers to deliver spectacular directional effects, like a locomotive rushing by, or a bullet zinging past. They help put you smack dab in the center of the action.
Although a 5.1-channel surround system, with only one pair of surround speakers, is the most common setup, most newer home theater receivers can power more than a single pair of surround speakers. Today, many people buy one or two additional speakers to use as "back surrounds" in a 6.1- or 7.1-channel system. To learn more about surround sound, including the newer 7.1-channel formats, check out our article on surround sound.
What to look for:
- Speaker type. Ideally, your surround speakers should have the same performance capability as your front left and right speakers, but that's not always realistic when you consider room size and space. Most people use either bookshelf or satellite speakers for their surrounds. Both bookshelf and satellite speakers may require stand placement or wall mounting.
- Dipole/bipole capability. Dipole/bipole speakers take advantage of reflected sound to create a wide soundfield, and they provide greater speaker placement flexibility. Some higher-end surround speakers offer a dipole/bipole switch (sometimes referred to as a "Solid/Diffuse" switch). These speakers feature two high-frequency drivers that either fire in phase (bipole) or out of phase (dipole).
- Placement. Correct surround speaker placement results in a very realistic three-dimensional soundfield; incorrect surround speaker placement can leave people asking, "Are our surrounds even on?" Look for surround speakers that you can easily angle towards your listening area. Pivoting mounting brackets and speaker stands can really help here, especially because to enjoy the best sound, you'll want to be able to aim the tweeters towards your ears. Check our speaker placement guide or video and consider where you'll put your surrounds and whether they'll need to be stand-mounted, wall-mounted, or even in-wall or in-ceiling models. If your room is irregularly-shaped and you're having trouble figuring out where your speakers will go, then take a look at our article on real life rooms for some ideas.
 A subwoofer is essential for deep, rumbling lows. (Velodyne DLS-4000R shown) |
Powered subwoofer
If you're assembling a home theater, plan on including a powered subwoofer. Many Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks provide a dedicated channel of deep bass (sometimes known as low frequency effects, or LFE). This bass is what makes the entire soundtrack feel larger, fuller, and more lifelike — it gives special effects like thunder or explosions their window-rattling punch. A subwoofer is also a wonderful way to enrich music listening — it can round out all types of music, from classical to jazz to rock to R&B. Since most speakers can't deliver that level of bass on their own, a subwoofer is needed to ensure that your home theater system delivers crucial low-frequency impact.
What to look for:
- Size. As a general rule, the larger the driver, the deeper the bass — so go for a sub with a big 10" or 12" woofer cone (or a multi-woofer sub) if you need to fill a large room. However, there are a number of compact and even ultra-compact subwoofers out there that offer multiple drivers and ported enclosures to produce big bass approaching that of what some large subs can produce. Compact subs are also a great option if you don't have a lot of room for a sub, or if you want it to be as unobtrusive as possible.
- Power. Powered subwoofers are a must — they have their own built-in amplification, so they won't hog power sent from your receiver or amplifier from the rest of your speakers. If you have a large room (or if you just crave serious bass impact) then you should look for a sub with more watts in the built-in amplifier. Other convenient features include remotes that allow you to control the sub from your seat, and pre-set modes that change depending on what you're watching or listening to. You can find out more in our article on choosing a subwoofer.
- Placement. Low-frequency sound waves are omni-directional, so you have a great deal of flexibility when it comes to subwoofer placement. If you have a spot in your room picked out, consider the dimensions of the sub's cabinet to make sure it will fit. And remember that placing your sub near a wall or in a corner can increase bass impact noticeably. Though for tighter, more precise bass, you'll want to move it a couple of inches away from the wall or corner.