Home theater

  1. Electronics
  2. Home theater
Building the home theater of your dreams doesn't necessarily mean assembling a massive surround-sound speaker system. Our experts have spent hundreds of hours to find the best home theater gear so you can enjoy your next Netflix binge the way you want to, whether your speakers are over your ears, on your bookshelf, or all around your room.
  • Two of the best AV receivers for most people, shown side by side.

    The Best AV Receivers for Most People

    by Dennis Burger and Adrienne Maxwell

    The Denon AVR-X1800H is an easy-to-use AV receiver that sounds great and has the necessary features to meet most people’s movie, music, and video-gaming needs.

  • Four media streaming devices next to each other on a light yellow-green background.

    The Best Media Streaming Devices

    by Lee Neikirk

    The Chromecast with Google TV has all the features we look for in a media streamer, and Google’s interface is the best at finding and organizing content.

  • An array of the wireless HDMI transmitters and receivers that we tested to find the best.

    The Best Wireless HDMI Video Transmitter

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    If you want to send HDMI signals wirelessly instead of through cables, the Nyrius Aries Home+ performs reliably and has more features than the competition.

  • A movie projector with a bowl of popcorn next to it.

    The Best Budget Projector for a Home Theater

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    The BenQ HT2060’s good contrast, bright output, and impressive color accuracy make it our pick for the best budget home theater projector.

  • Our two picks for best home projector for a living room, side by side with a vertical stack of DVDs in between.

    The Best Projectors

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    We reviewed every type of projector to find the best projector to fit your needs, whether it’s for a home theater or a home office.

  • Our two picks for best portable mini projector, displayed in front of a yellow background.

    The Best Portable Mini Projector

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    A portable mini projector doesn’t perform as well as a good TV or home-theater projector, but the Nebula Mars 3 Air ably blends performance and convenience.

  • A Samsung S90C Series TV displaying a vibrant rainforest scene.

    The Best OLED TV

    by Lee Neikirk

    Samsung’s S90C Series delivers premium picture quality, high brightness, and desirable features at a more affordable price than many OLED competitors.

  • A room with movie-theater style chairs in it, facing a projector screen on a wall.

    The Best Projector Screen on a Budget

    by Adrienne Maxwell and Chris Heinonen

    A good projector screen is an essential complement to a home projector. We have recommendations for value-oriented fixed-frame, pull-down, and DIY screens.

  • An LCD TV that is displaying an image of stacked pebbles at a beach.

    The Best TVs

    by Lee Neikirk

    We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and testing TVs to find the best choices for any budget and room size. See all our top picks here.

  • A Hisense U6K Series Google TV, our pick for the best 4K TV on a budget, with a scene of a lake surrounded by mountains displayed on it.

    The Best 4K TV on a Budget

    by Lee Neikirk

    The Hisense U6K is an excellent value, as it successfully incorporates high-end hardware and svelte software from the company’s pricier TVs.

  • Our pick for best soundbar overall, the Polk MagniFi Mini AX Atmos soundbar, next to its remote control and subwoofer.

    The Best Soundbar

    by Brent Butterworth

    The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is the all-around best soundbar because of its big, immersive sound, small footprint, affordable cost, and easy operation.

  • An LCD TV that is displaying an image of stacked pebbles at a beach.

    The Best LCD/LED TV

    by Lee Neikirk

    TCL’s QM8 Series is a great LCD/LED TV that delivers terrific performance, a sturdy design, and excellent features for a reasonable price.

  • The Insignia 8-Device Backlit Universal Remote (left) and the Sofabaton U2 Universal Remote Control (right) leaning up against a couple of throw pillows.

    The Best Universal Remote Control

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    The Sofabaton U2 offers a good physical design and lots of features for the price. Though it has flaws, it’s the best remote we’ve found in a dying category.

  • A person sitting in a living room, behind a projector with a bowl of popcorn.

    The Best Gear for a Home Theater System

    by Grant Clauser and Kathryn Rath

    We researched and tested to find the best-looking and best-sounding home theater equipment that will take your personal setup from functional to fantastic.

  • The Epson Home Cinema LS11000, our pick for best 4K projector, along with DVD's and a remote control.

    The Best 4K Projector

    by Adrienne Maxwell

    The Epson LS11000 4K laser projector delivers a big, beautiful image, works well in a variety of lighting conditions, and has most of the features you need.

  • The two best wireless TV headphones, the Insignia NS-HAWHP2 and the Power Acoustik HP-902RFT.

    The Best Wireless TV Headphones

    by Nena Farrell and Lauren Dragan

    Wireless TV headphones let you watch TV or play games without disturbing others. We like Insignia’s NS-HAWHP2 for its comfort, ease of use, and minimal lag.

  • One of the models that we tested to find the best high-performance subwoofer, with its front grille removed.

    The Best Subwoofer

    by Brent Butterworth

    For powerful, precise bass in stereo and home theater systems, the best subwoofer is the compact, affordable Rogersound Labs Speedwoofer 10S MKII.

  • The Polk Signature Elite Series speakers sit together on an orange backdrop.

    The Best Surround-Sound Systems Under $2,500

    by Brent Butterworth

    Stylish design and great sound make the Polk Signature Elite ES15, ES10, and ES30 combo our pick for the best surround-sound system.

  • Four of our picks for the best USB-C Video Cables and Adapters shown side by side next to two remote controls.

    The Best USB-C Video Cables and Adapters

    by Nick Guy and Dave Gershgorn

    We’ve found the best cables and adapters for connecting USB-C to HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA so you can use your computer with the video display you prefer.

  • A television mounted on a wall.

    The Best TV Wall Mount

    by Doug Mahoney

    If you want to hang your flat-panel TV on the wall, we recommend the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 or Sanus VLF728-B2, depending on how much motion you need in your mount.

  • A person floating in a pool on a green inflatable while watching Ursula from The Little Mermaid on an outdoor screen.

    The Best Outdoor Projector Screen

    by Adrienne Maxwell and Geoffrey Morrison

    If you want to get the cleanest, brightest picture for your outdoor movie night, use an outdoor projector screen like Elite Screens’s Yard Master Series.

  • 4K Blu-ray players tested for this review, shown with DVDs in them.

    The Best 4K Blu-ray Player

    by Chris Heinonen

    If you want the best AV presentation of your favorite films, we recommend 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, and the Panasonic DP-UB420 is the best player we’ve tested.

  • A large tv sitting on a wooden console, displaying lush greenery.

    TV Buying Guide

    by Wirecutter Staff

    For those who have no idea where to start in the TV buying process, we explain the tech terms and answer the big questions.

  • A person pointing a remote at a large TV.

    You Don’t Really Own the Digital Movies You Buy

    by Geoffrey Morrison

    No, you don’t really own the digital movies you buy, or the Spotify tunes you download. Digital media rights can be complicated. Here’s what you need to know.

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