Home Cinema
A home cinema is defined first by its sound, then by its seats and its screen. The choices worth getting right are the ones that are hard to change once the room is finished: where the speakers stand, how many channels the room can carry, and whether the system is meant for a room given over to films or one that also serves as a lounge.
Two Klipsch surround systems for a private cinema, compared
A private cinema asks something different of its speakers than a living room does. The seats are fixed, the room is built around the screen, and the sound can be voiced for one listening position. Klipsch answers both ways: the THX-5000, a six-piece set designed for cinema-grade playback, and the Reference pack, floorstanders with Dolby Atmos that arrive with their own receiver and suit a room that also lives as a lounge.
2 picks
Home cinema sound at three budgets
Cinema sound can be built in steps. A capable receiver brings Dolby Atmos and streaming to speakers already in the room; a matched speaker set with its own receiver changes the room outright; and a set designed for cinema-grade playback belongs to a room given over to films.
3 picks