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Looking for advice on home theatre speakers. I like listening to music and watching movies. What are the things I should look for in home theatre speakers, towers, centre and sub? Are the Polk speakers at Best Buy good? Or should I be looking at more expensive ones from Extreme like Paradigms or other brand names? Thanks.  
 
Edited by mg, 2019-12-26 23:11:45

Centre channel is the most important...Sub woofer is second most important. If you're asking for advice then you're likely best sticking with something in a 5.1 channel (2 fronts, 2 rears, 1 centre and a subwoofer). Speakers will make no real difference for someone who isn't REALLY into it. Think of it like all those 20 year old Honda civics with tin can mufflers and carbon fibre hoods and 20 year old engines with 300,000kms on them. Unless you're going to buy a $1000 amplifier there's no point buying $2000 worth of speakers.  
 
I'd say go to Best Buy and buy an amplifier with these things  
1.) at least 4 HDMI inputs  
2.) 4K support  
3.) Wi Fi  
4.) 5.1 channels  
 
You'll be around $400 for a good one. Get the most affordable speakers you can get and buy a $150'ish sub woofer. Don't let them up sell you or make you think you need anything fancy. Doesn't matter what kind of Sub woofer you buy. Personal opinion but Extreme is going to sell you a lot of stuff you don't need, and Best Buy has next to know expertise in anything. Not their fault they just don't have 20 year stereo guys or people with any interest in electronics working there. I'd recommend Aurora actually, if I had to send you anywhere.

Also, what is your budget? I have polk front speakers and they are good for me. I started with smaller speakers and over the years added more speakers and now have a 7.1 system.  
Another thing to consider is the size of the room your home theatre system is located.

For home theater, I highly recommend you look at SVS. They do not sell them in stores locally. Electronic for less Canada has them online and you can find them on Amazon. If I was buying a system for movies, this is what I would go with.

I disagree with almost everything said. The speakers are THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of the system, and a $150 sub is going to be GARBAGE. I just purchased a $1250 subwoofer for my 2 channel listening system, so I might be a tad biased.  
 
We need to know a few things. What is your total budget, how big is the room, and are you going to piss anyone off with this system (apartment, neighbors etc).

What about my advice was wrong assuming this was just a regular joe wanting a fairly good home theatre?

I am assuming this is a higher end listening person. If they are asking about Polk speakers and such they are not looking for a $400 system. I agree with Mr. Smith. Buy the best speakers you can afford. Your towers alone will cost you way more than the $400 for a system. I will never again buy a small surround sound package from Best Buy or anyone. Sure it was 1000W but that means nothing. It doesn't pump like one would expect. I am slowly looking to upgrade my system and will be spending about $1200 easily on speakers. When I worked at Future Shop they had a hell of a deal for workers from a manufacturer and I'm kicking myself I didn't get it. For speakers the theatre guy basically said look at the power it takes. You shouldn't be running a speaker with wire the thickness of a thread. He used the battery analogy. Which packs more punch. 8-1.5V(12V total) AA batteries or 1-12V car battery. Of course car battery. Entry level good sound you will get decent results with Polk, Klipsch, etc. will give you some good sound and deep base. Don't skimp out on speaker wire either. Get some good thick gauge stuff. Then get best receiver you can to pump. When I was younger the neighbours across the street would know when my parents were out as they could hear the base in their basement. Sigh....I can't wait to upgrade.

I’m pretty sure it’s my 65 year old uncle Bill so I give the advice I’d give him. He wants to hear the helicopters fly over his head, hear the ghosts whispering behind him, feel the light sabers and not have to turn his tv up to 29 to hear it.  
 
He doesn’t have or understand that there’s no point having a 9.2 or 7.2 channel amp because almost no content supports it, he doesn’t know that he needs a 4K output to watch 4K content...or that his 4K amp doesn’t mean he can watch 4K on his 4K tv if he’s playing it off a 1080 Xbox or Roku. He doesn’t know that his tv will never look like my OLED, or that he’d need a receiver with Dolby Atmos and a source with Dolby Atmos to actually use it.  
 
98% of people are fine with a 5.1 channel amp with 4 hdmi inputs, 4K and wi fi just future proof it enough that their nephews or grand kids can use it. Any Centre, rear, front and sub you can buy at Best Buy will more than satisfy what this poster needs.

Dolby Vision...not Atmos.

I’m running a Onkyo receiver and Cerwin Vega speaker for front and mains ($1000/ main n $600 for center) Poke audio sub ($500)and Bose 301 for the rear. Sound great but still would like to upgrade receiver and purchase Cerwins for the rear. So far I’m fine with 5.1  
Just a idea of what you can spend. Good luck. Many options out there.

I have an 7.1 Onkyo reciever, with polk speakers. I am 5.1 channel setup. Front speakers are bi-amped. Your receiver is just as important, if not most important because it need to produce the power that the speakers are meant to handle. That is why I bi-amped my front speakers. This is sufficient enough for my family.  
 
Yes you can buy more expensive speakers. But a budget plays a big role. It took me a few years to buy everything. I started off with what are my rears now, then the subwoofer, then the front and last was the center channel.  
 
Klipsch also has great speakers as well.  
 
Speakers are Polk audio:  
Front are RTI-A9's  
Center: CSI-A6  
Rear: T300, i think  
Subwoofer: PSW-125  
 
Edited by Iceman14, 2019-12-28 11:38:59

Thanks for all the responses. It is for my basement system. I do not want bottom of the barrel or the upper high end. I doubt my ears could tell the difference from middle to upper end. I have a descent receiver already. My budget would be in the $1000-1500 range I guess. All of the responses were helpful. Thank you.  
 
One of the problems I am having is all the model numbers/letters so I can match up speakers. What I have learned is that I should probably buy as a set so the speakers work well together.  
 
The model numbers/letters on TV's is a whole other story.....  
 
Edited by mg, 2019-12-28 18:02:57

For example...I have a 7.2 system, Klipsch reference towers, center, rears, and multi directional plus 2 subs (one ground fire) I use an SC-55 Pioneer which isn’t top of the line but it’s up there, and the amp alone is/was $1500. I’ve got a 65 inch LG Oled and use an Xbox one S for most media because it supports Dolby Atmos and Vision (with an update) my system all in would have you around $9000.  
 
The minimum, low/mid level starter amp is $400 at Best Buy. I like klipsch and Polk are good too and you might squeak in under $1500 if you shop around but that’s just for speaks, sub, amp.  
 
Do Not buy the systems! DO NOT buy the grab bag Sony or Bose systems. Those are one and done systems. Same goes for soundbars, those are for aesthetics and married guys who have to give up proper sound but have been allowed a compromise. (Those big speakers are ugly, I want something nice and clean with no cords..what’s wrong with the tv speakers? Ohhhh fine! You can get a sound bar, but just the bar thingy not one with those boxes that sit on the floor!”)