9 products for building a great home theater setup

Living room home theater with cord covers on floor and wall - best home theater systems

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I love movies and TV, so a capable home theater system is a must-have for my living room.
After piecing together components for years, I finally completed my dream entertainment setup.
A huge OLED TV and surround sound speakers help me create a theater-like experience at home.

I'm a huge movie buff and TV watcher, so I love to enjoy entertainment at home on the biggest screen and best speakers I can get my hands on — and fit in my apartment. After reviewing home entertainment and audio products for nearly a decade, I've used my experience and expertise to piece together my own dream home theater setup.

If you're looking for recommendations for a killer entertainment system, these mid-range and high-end products are all excellent options. I've had my setup running for a few months now, and I couldn't be happier with how everything performs.&nbsp;

A an extra-large OLED 4K TV

LG 77-inch Class C1 Series OLED 4K TV, $2,899.99 on Best Buy

A good display is the centerpiece of any home theater and, as far as I'm concerned, the bigger the better. After seeing the distance between my couch and TV wall, I splurged on a 77-inch 4K OLED from LG to get that big movie theater feel. It's expensive, but I took advantage of the Best Buy credit card's handy 24-month financing. 48-, 55-, and 65-inch sizes are also available for more affordable prices.

Note: I own the 2020 CX model, but that's been phased out now for the nearly identical 2021 C1 model.

A mount to keep my display on the wall

Rocketfish Tilting TV Mount, $99.99 on Best Buy

To fix the massive display to my wall I opted for this simple Rocketfish mount. It offers some range to tilt the display and shift it horizontally, but it doesn't pull out for full flexibility. I also opted for Best Buy's mounting service so I didn't have to worry about dropping a 77-inch TV.

A complete Dolby Atmos speaker system

Jamo speakers and an LG OLED TV in a living room

Jamo S 5.1 speaker package, $1,346 on Adorama&nbsp;

Jamo S 8 ATM Dolby Atmos add-on speakers, $199 on Crutchfield

This Jamo speaker setup lets me hear sound from every direction, even from above my head. Special Dolby Atmos add-ons attach to the front and rear speakers to bounce sound off the ceiling, and the effect is really cool. These add-ons are often sold out, but new stock is added from time to time. Even without them, the Jamo speakers deliver fantastic performance.

Note: Jamo's 5.1 speaker package includes S801 bookshelf speakers, but I upgraded to the larger S803 model which has the necessary connections to pair with the Atmos add-ons.

A beefy A/V receiver to power and process my speakers

Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 Channel receiver, $1,599.99 on Amazon

This 9.2-channel Denon receiver has the specs to power all nine of my speakers and my subwoofer without any issues. It also has plenty of HDMI ports to connect other devices, like a Blu-ray player, to my TV. If you have fewer speakers, I recommend a cheaper receiver, like the 5.2-channel AVR-S540BT ($349) or Onkyo 7.2-channel TX-NR5100 ($599).

Note: I own the AVR-X3600H model, which has been replaced by the newer AVR-X3700H.

Sturdy stands to keep my rear speakers in place

Perlegear speaker stand holding a Jamo bookshelf speaker

Perlegear Universal Speaker Stands with Cable Management Holds, $79.99 on Amazon

I have two cats, and they love to knock into things. This was a problem with my old speakers and flimsy stands, so I decided to go with something heftier. These Perlegear stands feel sturdy and don't knock over easily. My speakers don't quite clamp in completely, but they're secured enough that I never worry about them falling off.

Lots of cables to easily connect everything

Monoprice speaker cables plugged into a Jamo speaker. — These Monoprice speaker cables have banana plugs that connect easily to speaker terminals.

These Monoprice speaker cables have banana plugs that connect easily to speaker terminals.

Amazon Basics High-Speed 4K HDMI Cable (6 foot), $8.17 on Amazon

Monoprice Premium Braided Speaker Wire (10 foot, 2-pack), $34.99 on Amazon

I've amassed a variety of HDMI cables over the years, but I find these Amazon Basics high-speed cables to be the most reliable for the money. I also love these Monoprice banana plug speaker cables. I hate having to cut speaker wire and then feed the threads into speaker terminals; these cables just let me plug everything right in with no hassle. I also have some handy cord covers to keep all my cables out of sight.

A reliable Roku to stream my favorite apps

Roku Ultra, $69 on Amazon

My smart TV has a good built-in platform for apps, but I still prefer to use a standalone streaming device to get the snappiest performance. The Roku Ultra gets the job done with support for all the services I watch, as well as all the video and audio formats I need. I also prefer Roku's simple interface over other options.

A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to watch movies in the best quality

Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player in a TV console

Panasonic 4K Blu-ray Player, $495.99 on Amazon

Though I stream a lot of content, I still prefer discs to get the very best video and audio quality. This Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player offers excellent performance with advanced image processing. It's also one of the few models out there that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

A gaming console to play the latest titles

Sony PS5, Xbox One X, and Nintendo Switch resting in an entertainment console — PS5 (top), Nintendo Switch (bottom left), Xbox One X (bottom right).

PS5 (top), Nintendo Switch (bottom left), Xbox One X (bottom right).

Nintendo Switch, $299 on Amazon

I somehow got lucky and was able to snag a PS5 last November during a random restock on Amazon. I'm a big fan of Sony's exclusive games, like "Spider-Man: Miles Morales," and new games look stunning in 4K HDR on my TV. I also own an Xbox One X, which is fantastic with Game Pass, and a Nintendo Switch so I can still play my favorite Nintendo franchises.

Steven Cohen

Tech Editor

Steven is a Tech Editor for the Insider Reviews team, where he oversees streaming and home entertainment product coverage. He previously served as High-Def Digest's Gear Editor from 2013 to 2019, and his work has appeared on Ben's Bargains, Steve's Digicams, Big Picture Big Sound, and Consequence of Sound.&nbsp; Over his nine years of experience covering the audiovisual industry, Steven has reviewed numerous TVs, headphones, speakers, monitors, streaming players, and more. He was one of a select number of journalists invited to get a hands-on first look at LG's first 8K OLED TV in 2019, and is always excited to check out the newest and biggest displays on the market.&nbsp;&nbsp; Based on his extensive experience in the home theater industry, Steven served as one of the expert judges for the 2018 TV Shootout, the premier annual display competition that crowns the best TVs of the year. Steven also has a background in film criticism, having reviewed over 400 movies and TV shows. He uses his movie industry knowledge to help inform his coverage of the streaming and home entertainment markets.&nbsp;&nbsp; Steven's own home theater setup makes his passion for entertainment clear, complete with a 65-inch HDR display and the biggest Dolby Atmos speaker system he can fit in his apartment. And though he often spends his free time binging new series on every streaming service under the sun, he remains proud of his huge collection of Blu-ray discs. See below for some of his work.

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