When setting up a home theater system, it’s easy to pick up the biggest, brightest screen and call it a day. However a fantastic audio set-up is just as, or even more, important than a screen, so it’s important to choose something that’s going to offer you the best.
What’s important here is making sure that you’re buying something with quality at the heart – as poor sound is something that will quickly grate if it’s not presenting your movies or music at the level you, or a loved one, might expect. Get it right and you can feel like you’re in a theater even if you’re at home – and you’ll get plenty of other software options and hardware optimizations for various gadgets.
Emotiva XMC-2+ 9.1.6 Discrete Cinema Processor
Emotiva / Emotiva
If you already own a few home theater gadgets and want something new, why not pick them up a processor, which will act as the brains of the operation? This piece of kit manages and enhances sound signals for various gadgets you plug into it, and selections like Emotiva’s have extra features for cinematic viewing.
Options like the XMC-2+ let you control and balance a range of inputs; it has 8 HDMI ports, 16 XLR connectors, 3 RCA plugs, 2 USB-A jacks, a Wi-Fi antenna, an ethernet port and more inputs. So you can connect various Hi-Fi gadgets and speakers into it, including 8K screens and Dolby Vision gadgets.
The full gamut of DTS features are enabled with the Emotiva, including DTS-HD Master Audio for high-quality music, DTS:X Pro for precision surround sound and DTS Neural:X for upmixing older content into a more cohesive sound spread. If you care about your home theater or Hi-Fi set-up, a gadget like a processor is a good addition to control and balance it all.
Insignia 5.1.2 Channel Home Theater Soundbar
Insignia / Insignia
As anyone who owns one can attest, soundbars are a fantastic addition to a home theater set-up, and that’s doubly true with kit like Insignia’s 5.1.2 channel option – a four-part bar with wireless connectivity between the main bar, the subwoofer and two extra rear speakers, so you can position each component around your room for immersive sound.
You can place each component of the soundbar wherever is convenient in your living room, and the soundbar’s internal tech will work to make your content feel like it’s all around you.
Insignia’s soundbar offers multiple audio modes for different types of content, so you can tweak the sound set-up at the push of a button, and can connect to your TV or screen in multiple ways including HDMI eARC, Bluetooth, 3.5mm jack and USB. It’s easy to use, and an absolute treat as a way to upgrade someone’s home theater set-up.
Insignia 75-inch Fire QLED UHD TV
Insignia / Insignia
Quantum Dot Technology on 4K TVs like this Insignia set offers realistic-looking colors and a high maximum brightness, letting you enjoy vibrant visuals. That’s just the technological highlight of this piece of Insignia kit but there’s a lot more to like: it’s huge at 75 inches diagonally, offers 4K viewing and comes running the Fire TV operating system. Plus, like other purchases from the company, it’s easy on the wallet.
On the audio side, the Insignia QLED also offers DTS:X and DTS Virtual:X, which help add improved audio to colorful screen technology. In a TV like this, these features can help you get something closer to theatrical surround sound audio experience, from the speakers on either side of the set.
NZXT Capsule Elite
NZXT / NZXT
While stellar listening experiences are something you’d expect from audio kit, another important consideration comes into play for people who want to record audio. How good does it sound when played out the other end?
That’s not something to worry about with the NZXT Capsule Elite, a USB-connected gaming microphone that’s designed for gamers and content creators. Not only does it capture 24-bit 192kHz audio, with a mic designed to isolate your voice and a built-in pop filter, but it offers DTS software to make sure your vocals are as well-tuned as possible.
The CAM app lets you balance sound with a customizable equalizer, amend your recordings with filters like noise suppression, limiters and gates, and check how you sound before you go live on the air.
XGIMI Horizon 20 Max
XGIMI / XGIMI
Projectors are a great way to give yourself a cinematic experience without taking up too much space in your home, as options like the Horizon 20 Max from XGIMI can be perched on a shelf or attached to your ceiling, yet in an instant will summon a screen up to 300 inches in size.
The Horizon 20 Max packs useful features like lens shifting and zooming to let you get the best picture quality possible. And one of its distinct additions is DTS-Virtual:X through the built-in speaker, a version of DTS:X which is designed to work if you’ve only got one speaker. It uses internal smarts to mimic the full audio range that DTS:X would allow, but without you needing to bring any other Hi-Fi tech to the mix.
That combines in the projector’s speaker with DTS-HD, an audio codec which supports high-resolution audio, so you can enjoy soundtracks and scores in greater detail than you’d expect with a single speaker, all condensed into a smaller package as a result of needing less tech.
Logitech G522 Gaming Headset
Logitech / Logitech
A good audio set up is vital in getting truly immersed in gaming. Whether you’re losing yourself in a fantastical world, hearing where enemies are lurking nearby, or communicating with your team, it’s important to have a headset that does justice to your game.
The Logitech G522 Lightspeed promises to be such a headset. It uses internal tech to enhance a 3D soundscape conjured around you – not just left and right like in typical surround sound, but up and down too. In fact, if you download the DTS Sound Unbound app, the headset supports 360-degree sound, so you can hear a battle raging around you or a monster on your trail.
The app also allows you to create customized soundscapes for each game to get the most out of a title, and tweak it between games.
With the G522, you’re also getting a built-in microphone, an RGB array and support for Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless which ensures delay-free audio without the need for wires.
Acer PREDATOR HELIOS 16 AI High-performance Intel Gaming Laptop
Acer / Acer
For gaming in general, the Predator Helios 16 from Acer is a… well, a beast. It packs a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage space, with a 16-inch OLED screen that supports 240Hz refresh rates.
Those are some cutting-edge specs, offering new internals and plenty of power, so the Acer will let you play any kinds of PC game while on the go or at home, with reviews praising the solid performance underneath.
Sonic customization is on offer through the DTS:X Ultra app, which lets you customize the audio experience for music, movies, calls or various genres of video game, whether you’re using the laptop’s built-in speakers or your own headphones.
65″ Sony BRAVIA 8 II QD-OLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV
Sony / Sony
Sony’s Bravia range of TVs are often among the most talked-about, especially at the high end, and it’s hard to deny that this 2025 model is packed to the rafters with amazing specs.
It has an IMAX Enhanced-certified OLED screen, so you can enjoy vibrant colors and deep darks, and has a 4K resolution for you to enjoy every pixel of what you watch. Sony’s XR OLED Motion tech adds clarity to fast-moving images, Dolby Vision and HDR10 bump up the color depth on images and a 120Hz refresh rate means you can plug in a console and enjoy smooth motion.
All of this means you can enjoy watching movies or binging TV shows with the best visuals possible, but the audio systems are in step. The TV supports a range of audio formats including DTS:X, DTS Digital Surround and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, enhancing the content automatically if you don’t have the space (or inclination) for adding a soundbar to your repertoire.
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