The best gear for each job

AV Receivers

Best AV Receivers for Dolby Atmos

The best AV receivers for Dolby Atmos in 2026, from a budget 5.1 starting point to a 7.1.4-ready Denon with full pre-outs and Dirac Live.

3 picks

AV Receivers

Best Budget AV Receiver

The best budget AV receiver for a 5.1 room, plus the step-up that adds Atmos heights and better room correction for a modest premium.

2 picks

TVs

Best 65-Inch TV for a Dark Room

The best 65-inch TV for a dark home theater room: an OLED for perfect blacks, a Mini-LED for value, and the 85-inch step-up if you want bigger.

3 picks

TVs

Best TV for a Bright Room

The best TVs for a bright room in 2026: a very bright 85-inch Mini-LED, a value Mini-LED with a matte coating, and when an OLED still makes sense.

3 picks

Projectors

Best 4K Projector for Home Theater

The best 4K projectors for a home theater in 2026: an easy-to-place 3LCD value pick, a calibrated LED DLP for dedicated rooms, and a triple-laser UST.

3 picks

Projectors

Best Ultra Short Throw Projector

The best ultra-short-throw projector for a living room and the ceiling-light-rejecting screen that makes it look like a giant TV with the lights on.

2 picks

Subwoofers

Best Subwoofer for a Small Room

The best subwoofer for a small room: a compact sealed 12-inch with app EQ and 20 Hz extension, plus the ported step-up if you want more movie weight.

2 picks

Subwoofers

Best Subwoofer for a Large Room

The best subwoofer for a large room in 2026: a 1,200 watt ported 13-inch that reaches the mid-teens, and why two mid-size subs often beat one big one.

2 picks

Speakers

Best Floorstanding Speakers for Home Theater

The best floorstanding speakers for home theater: a measured three-way tower with real bass extension, plus the matching center that keeps dialogue seamless.

2 picks

Speakers

Best Bookshelf Speakers for Surrounds

The best bookshelf speakers for surround channels, measured for wide dispersion and easy load, plus the tower and center pairing for the front stage.

3 picks

Speakers

Best In-Ceiling Speakers for Atmos

The best in-ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos: a high-sensitivity pivoting Klipsch for the money and a KEF Uni-Q point source for premium installs.

2 picks

Seating

Best Home Theater Seating

The best home theater seating for a dedicated room: a premium single recliner that grows into a row and a space-saving three-seat row with power recline.

2 picks

Acoustic Treatment

Best Acoustic Panels and Bass Traps

The best acoustic panels and bass traps for a home theater, chosen for published absorption data, mineral wool or fiberglass cores, and fire ratings.

5 picks

Cables & Mounts

Best HDMI 2.1 Cables

The best HDMI 2.1 cables with real Ultra High Speed certification: a short rack cable, a 10 ft in-wall copper cable, and a 32 ft fiber optic for projectors.

3 picks