Budget Picks

Mid Range: $500-$1,500

This is a broad area of speakers; you can find a system that will sound fantastic or crap depending on your choices. And choices are something you will not lack in this area, which brand do you want? What size speakers do you want? What will suit your room? It can be a bit scary when you look but once you find what you want, the options shrink significantly but the jump in quality from under $500 to around $1000 dollars is massive. You can find some great AV Receivers bundled that have HDMI and more inputs than you care to use.

Option 1

For the manliest of men out there who want the biggest system Sony have the answer for you. Their Mu.Te.Ki. system sure is one intimidating looking system, with 7.2 and 7.4 (OVERKILL!) configurations you will never have to worry about looking like a wuss in front of your mates. The two front towers are massive and look good sitting next to a 50” Plasma. The 4 surround speakers are just a 4” speaker with no tweeter in sight unfortunately. Let me say it again, 7.2 and 7.4 configurations. 2 or 4 FUCKING 10 inch subwoofers! You can have one in each corner of your room, now you really have a reason to dodge that grenade in COD4 otherwise your couch might vibrate to the other side of the room. It may not be the best sounding system but it sure looks cool. It also comes with a really good amplifier for the price, with Dual HDMI inputs making this system easily upgradeable. The main problem with this system is its aesthetics, it looks nice but you will soon grow tired of it and yearn for something more... subtle.

Option 2

As you may see through this article I like Yamaha, but there is a reason for that. They make some of the best value Home Theatre packages. A great example of this would be the YHT-692AU, a much more refined and pure audio experience over the harsh Mu.Te.Ki system. This is a system you could be proud to show off in your room for years to come. A style that lets the speakers blend into most backgrounds and only be noticed when the lovely sounding 5.1 is bounding out the sound of a helicopter shooting you down in Call of Duty 4. With HDMI inputs and Yamahas awesome build quality there is an Amp that should last you a lot longer than you will need it for.