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Just imagine, while watching television, the sound that is produced does not just come from straight ahead of you, but encroaches from all angles, just like in the movie theaters. When you buy a home theater system, all that is needed to complete the awesome entertainment system is a great set of 5.1 surround sound speakers. Using a surround sound system will give a variety in the directions of sound just like you wish to have.
For realistic entertainment and an engaging experience, the best audio device would consist of 5.1 speakers and an audio interface. The powerful sound produced by a 5.1 surround speaker system, will engulf the room you set it up in. A multi-channel audio system is most commonly used in cinemas, and has since gained popularity for all kind of home theaters. While watching television or playing video games, the best 5.1 speakers will give you the realistic feel you are after. If you’re looking for an immersive movie experience, or life-like online game play, you’ve found the right article.
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What To Look For In The Best 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers?
Ease of Installation
A good set of 5.1 surround sound speakers is a sophisticated piece of technology – and requires some sort of installation. As you will see, some products are very user-friendly, while others are not so much, and require a little bit of skill to set up correctly.
Price
When you go to buy speakers, one of the most important things that you need to determine is whether the price falls within your budget. You will find a large range of 5.1 speakers falling into different price categories, some of them are expensive and some of them are just the right price for you.
Size
The next thing that matters the most is the size. Although most of the 5.1 surround sound systems are very compact and designed in a space saving manner, each set of speakers is intended for use in a general range of room sizes. You need to ensure the room you intend on using these speakers is sufficient. The room should be large enough to accommodate all the speakers at a good length. The speakers should be placed in such a manner that it covers nearly every corner of the room for maximum benefit. The size of the surround system should hence be compatible with the room – don’t forget to consider where you will place the subwoofer.
Compatibility
Another thing that is very important and that you need to remember when buying a 5.1 surround sound system is whether the sound system that you choose to buy is compatible with other gadgets or devices that you use. You might need to connect it to your laptop to stream a movie, or an mp3 player to jam out to some music. Ideally, you should make sure there is a USB port as well, so that you can easily connect to your USB anytime you want to listen to songs, or for any other audio usage.
Bluetooth
Nowadays many of the 5.1 surround sound speaker systems have Bluetooth functionality. This is not necessarily required, but if you have a large room, or do not plan on having the wires professionally installed in your walls or ceiling, wireless Bluetooth 5.1 speakers may be the way to go.
In today’s world, everybody demands a cinematic experience that is as close to reality as possible. To fulfill this purpose, the 5.1 surround sound speaker system has made its place in the world of technology. With a variety of options and a wide range of products to choose from, you can experience the best from your surround sound system.
But the question remains, which would be the best 5.1 surround speaker system that you should opt for? Generally, the more money you put in, the better you get – but not always!
When making your decision, keep in mind the quality of sound the set produces, it’s design and compatibility, and to a lesser extent, the styling or design of the speakers.
1. Harman Kardon (HKTS 30BQ) Review
The Harman Kardon (HKTS 30BQ) are a very stylish set of speakers, which are very compact and can easily fit into any room. Its suave design looks brilliant with a LCD. The build is very durable and of a high quality. I had an excellent experience with these speakers – Jurassic Park was used to test these and I gotta say, it quite literally felt like a dinosaur was breathing down my neck at times.
These speakers come with an already cut speaker wire, which makes the installation very easy and it can be done within minutes. But on the other hand I couldn’t use a banana plug for it and so I had to connect it with a bare wire, because that is the only option I had. The bracket for wall mounting comes along with the set of speakers. Speaker sound is very fine, and the subwoofer is excellent and deep. When watching romantic dramas or comedies, you may choose to lower the subwoofer’s power, as it can be very intense.
Dialogue was also precise and one of the best I’ve had a chance to experience, even with explosions or dinosaurs chasing, you can still clearly make out what the actor is saying – something that all too many products have a problem with. Overall, this is a great set of 5.1 speakers and you will be quite pleased, movie-lovers and gamers alike.
2. Klipsch HDT-600 Review
I bought the The Klipsch HDT-600 last month and believe me or not it is an awesome surround system. It produces a brilliant sound that gave me a wonderful experience of watching television. The only thing that I faced the problem with was the placement of the speakers as Klipsch HDT-600 did not give me a lot of choices and I had to carefully choose the best location for the desired sound I needed. I found the center channel and the subwoofer are good enough with the sounds but the problem arises with the front and rear, left and right speakers, which are a bit tricky to set up – nothing you couldn’t handle, it was just not as simple as the Harman Kardon’s we reviewed above.
I had to set the front speakers up 9 feet apart at ear level and then I placed the rear mounted away almost 3 feet from the basic spot. Also I had to set the front and rear speakers at different volumes to give better surround effects. The subwoofer is hard-hitting and the bass is rich and deep. Overall I found the Klipsch HDT-600 as a superb sound system and at a very affordable price, all I needed to do was a little experimenting with its placements to find the sweet spots from where I could get what I wanted from it.
3. Energy 5.1 Review
I bought the Energy 5.1 Surround sound system at a very cheap price but found them out to be an awesome set of speakers. The brand does not have the same popularity as the others, but the quality of these speakers is really very good.
The speakers came paired with Monoprice high quality 16-gauge speaker. It was like icing on the cake! A good thing I felt about it was that the set is very lightweight, and the speakers have a magnetic shield on them. The frequency of the receiver is around 100-120 Hz and for the speakers it is between 110-120 Hz. The subwoofer works at 200 watts and has an individual volume equalizer. The sound these speakers produce is crystal clear and crisp. What more could I ask for?
The only thing that was an obstacle for me was the placement of the speakers because of the size and angles it made it difficult for me to use banana plugs and so I had to switch the system on with bare wires. Whether I watch a movie, listen to music, play video games or simply watch television, the quality of sound that the Energy 5.1 produces is simply awesome. I highly recommend the Energy 5.1 to those for whom the brand does not matter, but the quality of the work it produces does. Another excellent choice!
4. Onkyo HT-S3500 Review
When I wanted to replace my previous version of The Onkyo home theater system I went to the market to find The Onkyo HT-S3500. It seemed to be a little risky for me to buy due to the failure of its previous generations, but ultimately I bought at my reduced review price – surprisingly I found it to be a really good sound system.
The installation of the speakers was very easy to do. All you have to do is unpack the device, hook up, plug in the wires, and then install the screen setup, which was even simpler. I found the wires a little sensitive and they appear to work just for short term, but then I replaced with better quality speaker wires. There are a variety of sound options that you can choose from.
The best thing is that it has an USB port where I can place my iPod and other devices for the playback, which can be controlled with a remote control. One thing though, the Onkyo HT-S3500 is that the receiver heats up pretty quickly when enclosed, and I had to place it somewhere where there was enough ventilation – which solved the overheating issue. This shouldn’t be a problem for you, unless you plan to hide away the box in a cabinet with little ventilation. The speakers produce a crystal clear sound but they do not have holes at the back to hook up on the wall, so I had to mount them up on something – otherwise I would have had to do some custom work that is not easily done for beginners.
Overall it produces a very high-fidelity audio – even without an equalizer. It does suffice the needs for me but is not favorable for professional usage. For a home theater sound system, it would be great. For the major movie buffs and audiophiles, possibly look elsewhere!
5. JBL Cinema 510 Review
I purchased the JBL Cinema 510, which is a durable and well-built surround sound system. The dynamic sound quality that it produces was what I actually needed in my 5.1 speakers. The best thing I found about the JBL Cinema 510 is that it is relatively inexpensive, yet comparable to some of the other top rated speaker systems above. I got the desired sound as per the price I have paid for it.
All five speakers are identical in design, and have the built in option to hook them up on the wall. The subwoofer is compact, and is powered with up to 60 watts. The speakers work between frequencies of 150-200 Hz.
For me the installation method was very simple and I did it in just a few steps. The best thing is that it fit in my home just perfectly and can be adjusted easily as to suit your needs. The design of the JBL Cinema 510 lacks top end detail – They look simple and very common. These may not look the part, but they are surely some of the best 5.1 speakers we’ve had a chance to test.
6. LG Electronics BH6730S Review
LG Electronics BH6730S did exactly what I expected from it to do. It is one of the best surround sound systems available on the market. The assembling and installation of the system was very simple, and it was completed within minutes.
The LG Electronics BH6730S utilizes a digital optical audio output, directly from the television. Sadly the cables are not provided with the system and I had to purchase them separately. One thing that bothered us is that all speakers are wired, and the placement can only be done according to the length of the wire, which at times we found to be too short – nothing that can’t be fixed with some extra speaker wire.
The rear speakers come with an elongated wire, but still the wire system is a major negative point in the LG Electronics BH6730S sound system – you may be required to do some custom work to fit your room.
A small FM radio is also included with an antenna, which works perfectly fine. Another minor negative – the input/output ports are limited, and so you must pick and choose which devices you wish to connect to it, if you have many.
A USB port is provided which can be easily accessed for listening to music through an iPod or mp3 player. The Wi-Fi System works pretty well but the speed depends on what is chosen to watch. Overall, we were very pleased with the LG Electronics BH6730S.
7. Monoprice Premium 5.1 Review
After my first experience with the Monoprice Premium, I was surprised by the amazing sound quality. It is crystal clear and gave me just what I needed. The build is durable, and the texture it comes in is matte. Though many people may prefer a glossy finish, you’re out of luck as it only comes in a matte texture – I personally found the look to be elegant.
The LED light on the front of the subwoofer is a little bright in a dark room. The subwoofer is extremely powerful and even when I turn it at half the volume it produces a very loud, yet deep sound.
The Monoprice Premium is affordable for those on a budget, and worth every penny. It is assembled with a three-mode switch, which shows Off/Auto/On. The instructions manuals given with the Monoprice Premium were very easy to understand. I easily mounted them with just the need of a single screw for each speaker.
There are no wires with the speakers but the power cable does not use a banana plug and so I plugged in using the bare wires. The speaker grills are firmly fixed but there is no grill at the bottom of the subwoofer – so you have to be careful in handling, to ensure your fingers don’t go through the cone. The design is not very stylish and it appears to be very simple. But for those who don’t mind a simple look, these 5.1 speakers may be your best choice on a budget.
8. Acoustic Audio AA5817 Review
The Acoustic Audio AA5817 is a pretty good set of speakers, as per the price paid. It produces a very good surround sound that is desirable to have.
The rear cables have longer cables, which is definitely a positive point. The bass of the Acoustic Audio AA5817 is awesome, and a blue light encircles around the controller, which is pleasing to the eye. The design is very impressive, and the system produces a good quality of sound as compared to many of the other sound systems I have reviewed within the same price range.
Sadly the speakers cannot be hooked up on the wall and I had to mount them up on shelves. The blue LED light on the subwoofer is a little bright, and looks like a night bulb when I switch it on in the dark (keep this in mind if you plan to have the woofer out in the open.
One strange thing that I found about the Acoustic Audio AA5817 is that the center speaker, which generally runs horizontally, actually stands upright, vertically, in this system. Fortunately, this does not negatively affect the performance of these speakers, which sound great, even at full volume.
9. Acoustic Audio AA5150 Review
The Acoustic Audio AA5150 is a decent system, which comes at an affordable price. The installation and assembly were very easy. It is a compact, and space friendly designed sound system, that easily blends into its surroundings.
The build is solid and the sleek design makes it look pretty cool. There is an USB and SD card input through which you can play music using various sources like your memory card or an iPod.
I found the instructions on the manual of the Acoustic Audio AA5150 are a bit limited, and we had to use other resources like the internet, for extensive information and guidance related to the system’s customization. Overall, the speakers are decent and can be used long term. If you have a keen interest in full packaged entertainment, then you should probably look at the other products we have reviewed above. If you have a limited budget, but still want to enjoy the benefits of surround sound gaming and television, then this is one your best options.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]