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 through Denon, Yamaha, and Onkyo 5.1.2 and 5.1.4 picks to a 7.1.4-ready Marantz with full pre-outs.

6 picks

AV Receivers

Best Budget AV Receiver

The best budget AV receiver for a 5.1 room, plus the Denon and Yamaha step-ups that add Atmos heights and better room correction for a modest premium.

3 picks

TVs

Best 65-Inch TV for a Dark Room

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

5 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, a budget 55-inch Roku Mini-LED, and when an OLED still makes sense.

4 picks

TVs

Best Mini-LED TV

The best Mini-LED TVs of 2026: TCL's bright QM8L, the best-value QM7L, Hisense's glare-fighting U7SG, and a budget Roku for a second room, with the trade-offs that separate them.

4 picks

TVs

Best OLED TV

The best OLED TVs of 2026: LG's all-round C6, Samsung's colorful S90F, and Sony's BRAVIA 8 II for the most refined picture. How they differ on color, HDR formats, gaming, and price.

3 picks

TVs

Best TV for PS5 and Xbox

The best gaming TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2026: the LG C6 OLED, Samsung's fast S90F, Hisense's four-port U7SG, a budget TCL QM7L, and an 85-inch QM8L, chosen on input lag, HDMI 2.1, and VRR.

5 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 laser DLP for gaming, a calibrated LED DLP for dedicated rooms, a triple-laser UST, and a motorized-lens Epson laser for big rooms.

5 picks

Projectors

Best Ultra Short Throw Projector

The best ultra-short-throw projector for a living room, a Samsung laser TV alternative with a built-in smart platform and speakers, and the ceiling-light-rejecting screen that makes either look like a giant TV with the lights on.

3 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, a narrow ported Polk, the ported SVS step-up for more movie weight, and a KEF sealed cube with placement presets.

4 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

Subwoofers

Best Subwoofer for Home Theater

The best home theater subwoofers of 2026, matched to room size: a ported 12-inch SVS for most rooms, a sealed SVS for small rooms and music, a 13-inch flagship for large theaters, a KEF that passes as furniture, and a narrow ported Polk.

5 picks

Speakers

Best Floorstanding Speakers for Home Theater

The best floorstanding speakers for home theater: a measured Polk three-way tower and its matching center, a high-sensitivity Klipsch for big rooms, and a KEF Uni-Q tower and center for imaging.

5 picks

Speakers

Best Bookshelf Speakers for Surrounds

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

4 picks

Powered Speakers

Best Powered Speakers for TV

The best powered speakers for a TV in 2026: Kanto's best-reviewed REN, Edifier's three-way value pick, Klipsch's Dirac-equipped Sevens II, Cambridge Audio's L/R M, and KEF's Coda W.

5 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, a space-saving three-seat row, and two Valencia power-headrest rows that bring real leather down in price.

4 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, plus a budget panel pair and a foam corner wedge for renters.

7 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 certified three-pack for a whole rack, a 10 ft in-wall copper cable, and a 32 ft fiber optic for projectors.

4 picks