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Creating a true home theater system was the stuff of dreams not long ago – but times have changed. Building a setup worthy of big-screen movies and live sports is well within reach, now, even if you're working with a budget.
It's partially because TVs are bigger than they used to be. The average set is 55 inches today, while the best 65-inch TVs are the fastest-growing part of the market. Then, there are the 4K TVs that pack 8 million pixels of detail onto a screen, and 8K versions that ramp that number up to 33 million pixels (though there isn't enough 8K content out there to really justify going all in on an 8K TV yet).
24th April, 2026. Revamped the entirety of the guide, including new product recommendations, to reflect our most recent in-house reviews.
The best home theatre system: our picks
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The TV: LG C5
The LG C5 impresses right off the bat, bringing another affordable, mid-range OLED TV into the fold and building on what was already an excellent predecessor: the LG C4. We've crowned it the best OLED TV available today for good reason, including a brightness boost, stunning color clarity, and AI-powered enhancements to images and sound.
We put the C5 through its paces during our review process and really enjoyed the vibrancy of the display. Images are lifelike and vivid, there's nothing dull about the picture, and textures almost feel as though you could reach out and touch them. It's just what you want from an OLED TV. If you've got plans to tune in to older, lower-resolution content, the C5's upscaling is pretty awesome. The HD streams we watched got a boost in sharpness and brightness, and even standard-definition content (anything 480p and below) got a makeover, though a little fuzziness remained (which is to be expected).
The C5 is available in a range of sizes, starting from 42 inches and running up to 83 inches, so you've got some choice when it comes to picking the best set for your home theatre. Getting the TV up and running is also nice and simple. The webOS 25 interface is clean, easy to navigate, and makes customizing settings a blessedly stress-free experience.
We did notice a few stumbling points with the C5, however. The first being that it struggled in well-lit environments, where reflections interfered with darker images. However, if your home cinema is a light-controlled space, this won't be as much of an issue – and the C5 dazzles in dimmer setups.
Read the full review: LG C5 OLED
The soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990F
If you want your home theatre to sound as good as it looks, you can't go wrong with the Samsung HW-Q990F. It delivers a true 11.1.4-channel surround experience across four separate units: a soundbar, subwoofer, and two rear speakers. The real cherry on top is the Dolby Atmos support, however, which ensures immersive audio with wickedly precise spatial accuracy.
When we put the HW-Q990F to the test, we were impressed by its room-filling Atmos soundscapes. Overhead effects, like helicopters swooping through skylines or falling rain, were precisely placed and gave a convincing sense of height and movement. Dialogue was clear even during chaotic action sequences, and the system’s ability to render pinpoint effects around the listener is as close as you’ll get to a true theater surround experience in a living room. It's the kind of thing cheaper soundbars just can't reproduce.
The HW-Q990F is nice and easy to set up, too. All you'll need to do is connect the soundbar to the TV using HDMI eARC and give the four units a second to sync wirelessly. We checked out the SmartThings app during setup, and it comes in handy for fine-tuning the soundbar and toggling features, but you can always use the Samsung remote (included with purchase) instead.
The real downside to this power and precision is the price. The HW-Q990F is more expensive than its rivals, including the Samsung HW-Q800F (which we think is the best soundbar overall), and such a premium price tag might put the system outside of tighter budgets.
Read the full review: Samsung HW-Q990F
The Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB9000
There's an overwhelming amount of streaming content available at the click or tap of a button, but if you're looking for the best Blu-ray player that'll make the most of your physical library and grant easy access to on-demand movies, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 ticks all the right boxes.
As you'd expect from Panasonic's flagship 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and the successor to the excellent Panasonic UB820, it's a reliable pick for folks who want to really push their home theatre experience to an elite level.
During our hands-on tests, the image quality never faltered, thanks to Panasonic's second-generation HCX video processor. Movies are rendered with oodles of detail and flow fluidly from scene to scene. The UHD picture is well complemented by the player's audio performance, too, with high-quality DACs, two-channel and 7.1-channel analogue outputs, and Hi-Res Audio support. We were also glad to see that the UB9000 can upscale lower resolution content to 4K and reduce edge-stepping – which is great news for anyone with an expansive collection of media they want to enjoy on the big screen.
The UB9000 does fall short when it comes to CD playback, if only slightly. We found the audio a little abrasive and would recommend the Magnetar UDP800 to movie fanatics who also moonlight as audiophiles. If the UB9000 falls outside of your budget, and it might, considering that it's sat at the premium end of the Blu-ray player spectrum, the UB820 could be a more affordable option.
Of course, it's worth noting that the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles come with 4K Blu-ray players built into the hardware, so if you're a keen gamer, you may already be covered in this category.
Read the full review: Panasonic DP-UB9000
The projector: Epson LS9000
The Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 is an entry-level home theatre projector – but don't be fooled, you're getting a great performance and nifty features at a budget-friendly price. In fact, the Epson LS9000 is cheaper than the Epson LS12000, which previously topped our rankings of the best projectors, and far more affordable than alternatives from JVC and Sony.
2,200 lumens of brightness make the LS9000 bright enough for darker, light-controlled rooms, and the projector is also compatible with the HDR10+ high dynamic range format. We played with the picture modes during our testing, too, of which there are five, and found that 'Natural' is the most versatile pick for cinematic viewing (especially if you're mixing genres). We were also impressed by the overall picture quality. Images are accurate, details rendered crisply, and contrast held up well even during visually demanding scenes.
The LS9000 is, undoubtedly, going to give the best performance in a properly darkened room – and that's partially because it lacks dynamic tone. This means that some details can get lost in especially bright or dark scenes, and watching the projector in a bright living room can compound the issue. If you're looking for more of an all-rounder, the Hisense PX3-Pro is an ultra short throw model that excels in light spaces.
Read the full review: Epson Pro Cinema LS9000
How to choose a home theater system
There are a lot of different bits of kit to research, purchase, and fit into a budget – and that's why we pulled together this guide to walk you through the process. However, if you want to continue your search for the best home theater setup, there are a few key factors to keep in mind.
Budget. This is a big one, but if you're going to invest in multiple items for your home theater, costs can add up quickly. It's worth considering your priorities here. Happy to pay more for a high-end TV and save a little on an entry-level projector, because you'll use the TV more often? That's good dollars and cents sense.
Space. While we all wish we had a cinema-sized room somewhere in our home, it's probably not the case. Keep your available surfaces and dimensions in mind when browsing through TVs and soundbars, and any adjustments you might need to make to ensure the best viewing experience.
Soundbar or speakers. Generally speaking, we recommend soundbars for smaller rooms. They're nice and easy to set up, don't take up a ton of space, and there's minimal cable management to worry about. Speakers provide a truly immersive cinema experience, however, and are typically the go-to option for anyone looking for a high-end setup. Speakers can handle higher volumes without distortion and can be upgraded over time, too, which should appeal to cinephiles and tech lovers alike.
FAQs
Can a soundbar provide surround sound?
Plenty of soundbars claim to offer surround sound but, in our experience, we've found that they can't quite recreate a truly surround sound experience. Soundbars can produce immersive landscapes but ultimately can't produce sound from behind you like a true surround sound system with multiple units.
Is upgrading from 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound worth it?
It certainly can be, but there are a few conditions you'll need to meet before you really hear the improvement. Jumping from 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound has the most impact in larger rooms that have been designed with acoustics in mind. You'll need space behind your seats for those rear speakers to create a 360-degree soundscape, too. If you're working with a smaller room, you might want to consider checking out an overhead 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos system rather than a 7.1 surround sound setup.
