It’s likely you’ve heard of these before, so it’s only appropriate that we address it now; what is a wide color gamut monitor?
Well for starters, you could say it’s the future. It takes everything we know about our current screens, and ramps it up to 11.
Now the concept of color is one of those little things in life that’s often taken for granted. I mean think about it, when was the last time you wondered how it’s possible that we can perceive color?
Exactly.
Unless you happen to be an artist or into digital photography, it’s just not something that would really cross the average person’s mind. But the reality is we’re one of the few lucky few beings on the planet capable of visualizing the entirety of the color spectrum.
With that being said, how much of the spectrum do you think current television sets and monitors are able to display? 90 percent?
80?
Surprisingly it’s a number much lower than that. The fact is, standard displays are only capable of producing 16,777,216 colors out of potential billions!
So it’s obvious that we’re missing out on a huge amount of visual information. Knowing this, industry leaders have managed to come out with displays that can reproduce a majority of those missing colors, giving a much more vibrant and life-like image. How exactly do these work though, and better yet, should you get one?
So to really understand these new displays, it would only make sense to understand how we see colors in the first place.
To start, a typical screen makes use of red green & blue pixels.
With that, and the interesting thing is, a variety of colors is able to be created from just those 3 which is pretty cool to think about.
For example by adding the right amount of red and blue together, it allows them create magenta. If you add them all together in a certain way, you could create a different color, and so on.
Due to this, manufacturers originally decided that using these 3 would make the most sense since our vision is based off of this trio. The rest as they say, is history.
How Do Standard Color Displays Work?
Now believe it or not, there are different color models in existence as well; ranging from things like CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, & black) used for printing, andAdobe RGB for digital editing which uses a greater variation between the primary colors.
But for the average monitor or display, sRGB is the widely accepted standard (with the s meaning standard) This is then implemented with what is known as 8 bit color depth.
Think of a bit as stored information, and depth as how many colors it can render.
The more bits you have, the more information you can store. So without making this too complicated (because it can get pretty in depth), if you have the standard 8 bit color, there’s 256 colors with regard to each red, green, & blue value, or 16,777,216 total possible colors overall.
Over 16 million colors sounds like a lot though right? Well the problem is, even with the potential of displaying that many, there are still millions more that aren’t represented.
That brings us to the next topic at hand..
How Do Wide Color Gamut Monitors Work?
Wide Color! Cool.. what is it?
Besides being commonly referred to as Rec.2020, think of wide color as any device capable of displaying more than the usual 16 million colors. They were introduced with the intention of improving overall the viewing experience by ways of offering colors unable to be shown prior.
Now it’s important to keep in mind that when the term wide color gamut is mentioned, what is typically being inferred is 10 bit color; more specifically DCI-P3. That’s the standard that wide gamut displays mainly use right now.
While Rec2020 is the golden standard technically, it’s also indicative of the entirety of the visible color spectrum, which is something that our current technology isn’t quite up to snuff with just yet at least widespread.
So when you see screens that tout 100 percent color accuracy, they’re often talking about within the DCI-P3 spectrum, not necessarily Rec2020. Though this may change as technology becomes more advanced.
But still, 10 bit is certainly nothing to scoff at. Remember how I previously said that 8 bit screens were capable of displaying 256 possible colors for each red, green, & blue pixel?
Well in the case of 10 bit, this is bumped up 64 times to 1024. So If there’s 1024 for each possible pixel, that means there’s a total of 1,073,741,824 colors. That’s over a billion, which is absolutely insane!
What’s even crazier is the fact that an even newer, lesser talked about format exists called 12 bit color.
With this, the total is bumped up to an even more impressive 68 billion.
Yeah, absolutely incredible.
By now, you’re probably wondering what the point of that many colors even is to begin with, so let’s get to the numerous advantages that a wide color monitor does have to offer.
The Advantages Of Wide Color
#1 More Overall Colors
Obviously the jump from 16 million to over a billion colors is an extremely big leap in terms of capability. So with this many to choose from, images are able to be much more vibrant and dynamic than they ever could be before.
Take it from somebody who has one already; if the TV is properly optimized, it can make a big difference visually.
#2 More Accurate Colors
Truth be told, I think this is the biggest draw when it comes to a wide gamut display; accuracy. With 10 or 12 bits of color as opposed to 8, the amount of visual information they can relay is improved tenfold.
In other words, the screens utilizing this technology are incredibly more accurate than before since there’s more hues and shades to choose from per pixel.
What do you get as a result of this?
Images that are much more realistic and true to life. So for example if there’s a scene with a rainforest, instead of using 100 shades of green, it might be able to use 1000 shades of green just for that particular tree.
Come to think of it, it’s actually similar to HDR in that regard; in that colors are much more nuanced and gradated.
That brings us to the next advantage..
#3 Less Banding Resulting In Smoother Images
It’s hard to convey what banding looks like without seeing it for yourself, but I’ll give you an idea by offering an analogy.
Let’s say you have a scene where there’s a blue sky that goes from light blue, to dark blue.
Now in person, that transition from light to dark would look gradual right?
Well imagine that instead of that smooth transition, there was a distinctive separation between each shade of blue. This is where the term banding comes from. Instead of one cohesive image, there are separate bands of a similar color that make up the picture.
This is actually what is happening on the average screen.
With wide color however, there are plenty more shades to choose from so that change has a lot more gradation and nuance.
It also happens to be why 4K and HDR pair so well together with it since that combination of additional pixels and additional color gives you a supremely clean image.
The Disadvantages Of Wide Color
Of course, there are certain drawbacks that you should aware of as well should you be interested in getting one for yourself.
#1 Sensitive Eyes May Find It Uncomfortable
Due to the fact there’s a lot more dynamism introduced, images will be dramatically more lifelike and colorful.
However that could be part of the problem for some people. If you have really sensitive eyes, or you’re not particularly used to it, chances are you may not like it.
For people with really sensitive eyes, it could run the risk of coming off as a bit too much so keep that in mind if that sounds like you.
This could also be exacerbated in relation to the amount of blue light exposure you’re getting as well.
#2 Things Originally Recorded With RGB In Mind May Look Odd On The New Format
This isn’t something of a certainty since it’ll honestly depend on the content, the display, and that individual’s eyes.
But do keep in mind that with one of these new displays, there is a chance that old content may look a little off or even odd.
I never personally noticed that at all, but again, everyone’s different.
What Is the Best Wide Color Computer Monitor?
Winner: LG 27MD5KB-B Ultrafine 27″
So with all of this, let’s say you were interested in getting a new extended color monitor (because even a quality desktop monitor is a part of home theater which I’ll be covering in later articles)
Which one would be the best to get?
If I had to recommend just one, it’d probably be the LG 27MD5KB-B Ultrafine 27″
I seriously couldn’t say enough good things about this one, it’s really that good. Besides supporting awesome picture clarity, it also has 10 bit support as well.
That means you’re getting over a billion colors and the support of a wide color gamut with this one; so movies, shows, etc. will be incredibly immersive and enjoyable.
It even has wide viewing angles, meaning people off to the side of the display won’t suffer from a degradation in picture quality.
It’s also 27 inches in total, which is pretty big for a computer screen.
Even for gamers, it has a fast response time which makes games feel much more responsive and fluid.
All of this makes for an all around amazing performer.
So after you’ve gotten you’re new screen, you’ll definitely want to calibrate it or at least optimize it. If you don’t, the colors will may be off, and it might not show the full capabilities of the display.
Now there are a few ways to do this, so if you’re on a PC, here’s a helpful guide detailing that.
If you plan on doing most of your watching on a television however, then this may help.
Hopefully with all of this being said, you now have an understanding of what a wide color gamut monitor actually is.
While it certainly hasn’t around for too long, they’ve undoubtedly left their mark as this technology is already being touted as the next eventual standard in video formatting.
It remains to be seen whether this will be the case though. But with all the ineffable benefits they do offer, I can’t see why they wouldn’t be at some point at least.
So with that, it’s exciting to think about what may come next when it comes to visual technology.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
I feel like TV technology is advancing at a rate that’s incredible honestly.
I mean think about it; just within the last 5 years even, we’ve seen the likes of 4K, High Dynamic Range, IMAX Enhanced andextended color go from publicly unknown, to essentially mainstream in the blink of an eye.
What’s more surprising is that these aren’t minor upgrades either; each one is a big advancement in their own right.
However when combined, together they provide for a visual experience that’s hard to describe.
So with that, you might think industry leaders have pretty much done it all when it comes to display technology right?
Well…..not exactly.. because here’s the thing; 8K TV is coming.
8K Resolution Development Actually Started In 1995
The thought of expanding to 8k resolution actually started as early as 1995 by the company NHK.
It used to be called Super-Hi Vision while in development until the name was changed to NHK BS8K when they launched their 8K television channel in 2018.
For those of you unaware, NHK is a Japanese company that values innovation and advances in tech.
Due to this, they’ve been at the forefront of technology for quite some time now.
Be it 3D audio, high resolution cameras, etc, they were always one of the firsts to conceptualize it.
Even though work started in 1995, it wasn’t until 2005 where it was first demoed (which is still really early)
2007 was the year where things really started to materialize as it was finally standardized as an official video format by SMPTE (Society Of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) with the interface later being standardized in 2010.
Here’s a full timeline on 8K pertaining to TVs and other devices if curious.
Well to put it simply, 8K is a resolution that consists of 7680 pixels horizontally, and 4320 pixels vertically.
With an 8K TV, it has 4 times the total pixels of current 4K TVs, and a whopping 16 times the resolution of HDTVs.
To give you an idea of how high of a resolution that is, you could hypothetically take an in 8K image, do a 2x zoom, and still have a 4K image.
It also commonly uses a 16:9 aspect ratio in content that’s shown on the display.
Why Is 8K Necessary?
If you haven’t witnessed 8K for yourself, it’s possible you might think of this high a resolution as a bit much.
While I certainly understand that perspective, there’s actually a surprising number of real world benefits where 8K would be a welcome addition.
Reason #1: Pixels Become Invisible Even Close Up
One really big advantage to having a screen resolution this high is the individual pixels become indecipherable to the human eye — even when viewed close up.
Something to know about larger displays is that the larger you go, the blurrier an image gets at the same distance & resolution.
That’s because the same ratio of pixels get spread over a much wider area as you go up in size.
What 8K would allow for is bigger screens having a much higher pixel density.
This improves picture clarity and detail since there’s more pixels to better represent the nuanced details in the image.
Reason #2: Better Quality 1080P/4K
Another thing that you may not be aware of is that 8K could give a measurable clarity boost to current 1080p and 4K resolutions.
How?
Through 2 ways, either down upscaling or down sampling.
To put it simply, upscaling is where the display takes the original lower resolution image, and processes it to fit the 8K screen.
This can result in that image looking better than before.
Down sampling is a method where something is recorded at a higher resolution and then formatted to be played at a lower one.
By doing this, a lot of the original information of that higher resolution is kept.
As a result, the final image, along with other small details, are made much clearer than they would be otherwise at that same resolution.
By recording content at 8K, 4K (and even 1080p) movies would look better than they already do.
The best part about it is you wouldn’t even need an 8K screen to benefit since film directors/engineers would be the ones to record it and format for current displays.
A prior restraint on VR technology used to be there wasn’t a high enough resolution to give a 1 for 1 likeness with real life.
That’s because the pixel density would be divided between both eyes with the headset on.
This is how it creates that sense of full immersion.
The problem with that was the potential image quality appearing grainy due to the lack in resolution; which could lead to what’s known as the screen door effect.
Like the name suggests, it’s an occurrence that sometimes affects VR headsets where it feels like you’re looking at things through a screen door.
Even with a bump to 4K VR, (which surprisingly exists) it still has to be divided between both eyes.
With a massive jump to 8K, true 4k virtual reality would be made, (for lack of a better term) a reality since you would be getting the full 3840×2160 per eye.
This would not only help mitigate the screen door effect, but also make the experience feel that much more immersive as a whole because of that increase in clarity.
As an interesting sidenote that shows this isn’t too far away, the company Intel even streamed the 2020 Olympics (delayed until 2021) in 8K VR over 5G.
Whether 8K resolution VR becomes more commonplace remains to be seen, but it just goes to show that 8K isn’t as far off as one might think.
Reason #4: The Resolution Improvement For Photography & Video Editing Allow More Detail In Movies
Something interesting to note is that 8K cameras have been available for a few years now.
While they aren’t as mainstream as 4K cameras as of right now, they’re more common than one might think, as even recent smart phones have them.
A major benefit for photographers is that 8K offers more true to life images with more visible detail that might be lost at a lower resolution.
This is especially helpful for those not only interested in editing photos, but in video editing as well since the increase in resolution helps with accuracy & bringing out additional details in the frame.
But this translates well for 8K tvs since movies shot with these cameras can showcase more detail due to there being more visual information in the source material.
Reason #5: More Realistic Content
Here’s something you may not have realized, humans can decipher image resolutions higher than 4K.
In fact, human vision has been said to be the equivalent of…(drum roll) 8K!
8K seems to be the upper echelon of what we can accurately distinguish; anything higher reaches a point of diminishing returns.
So with a resolution this high, content will finally be able to closely match our own visual acuity.
This would allow for content to feel even more immersive as it would closely mirror how we’d see things if we were actually there.
Reason #6: Better Color Accuracy When Watching Content
The dramatic increase in resolution that 8K provides also has increased benefits for color accuracy as well.
Due to there being more pixels to represent a given image on screen, scenes in content can be more more lifelike due to there being more pixels to better display subtle changes in color and hue.
Think about it; instead of having 1 pixel to display the color blue for example, you now have 4 pixels for that same color as opposed to one.
This allows for much more subtly in color gradiation and helps to minimize banding even when compared with a 4K resolution; thus giving a more vibrant and believable image.
Here’s the real question, when will it be available?! The answer to that is a little complicated since it technically is and isn’t available at the same time.
The reason I say that is because on one hand, there’s already companies like Dell and Nikon that sell 8K monitors & cameras available to the public right now.
Sonydemoed their own8K TV back in 2018, with Samsung also having their own commercial line of 8K televisions that year sporting their QLED technology.
Since then, LG & TCL have created their own televisions sporting that resolution.
Plus there’s even 8K projectors that’s exist.
The issue with all of that being said though, is that the mass switch from 1080p to 4k broadcasting hasn’t even happened yet (though that actually is in the works finally)
Until the switch to ATSC 3.0 is finalized (which is the name of the switch to 4K resolution cable) and they can then turn their attention to 8K, we won’t see it for quite a while.
The infrastructure has to be built for it, which will definitely take time to say the least.
Until that happens, it’s a far off concept but with a lot of promise.
Now the thing to keep in mind though, is that the availability of devices, and the availability of content are two completely different things.
If we’re talking about when you’ll be able to buy the first 8K TV or monitor, then you technically can right now since they’re available for purchase from quite a few makers now.
Even the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 gaming consoles have 8K support which is pretty incredible; especially from a gamer perspective.
But if you’re wondering when 8K will go mainstream with a good amount of content, then my honest estimation is at the very least a decade.
Some think it could happen sooner than that, but with the amount of things that would need to be done for that to happen, I don’t see that as a high probability.
I’d love to be wrong though, because it’s an amazing idea.
But the fact remains that the networks in most places still haven’t fully switched to even 4K.
There is content 8K content available, but it’s not as abundant yet.
So as much as I want it to be a major format sooner due to what it has to offer, it’s more likely than not that it won’t happen for a good 10 or so years in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
In any case, while it may not be as soon as we’d like, I feel like it will eventually become the de-facto standard at some point in the distant future.
When this does happen, the world of media will be drastically different from how it is today.
But the real question is, will this be for the better or worse?
Like most things in life, only time will tell.
Just remember, even though it’s not popular now, without a doubt, 8K TV is coming.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Here’s an interesting topic that I felt would be worth talking about today; QLED.
Whether it be introducing the world’s first bezel-less curved TV, or winning over 100 awards in a awards single show, Samsung aren’t strangers to breaking the mold.
So what is their QLED technology?
Let’s find out.
What’s The Name Mean?
QLED is actually an acronym, and stands for quantum dot light emitting diode.
The quantum dot part of it stems from Samsung’s own quantum dot technology from a few years back (meaning that it’s technically the next iteration of this)
So though this is still technically an LED TV; it’s their improved version.
But What’s A Quantum Dot?
I know by now you’re probably wondering what a quantum dot even is, so to put it simply, think of these as extremely tiny particles each capable of producing light.
Their small size is what also allows them to have greater color accuracy.
You see, in many televisions today, there are white LEDs that while bright, have trouble producing adequate saturated colors.
Quantum dots on the other hand utilize the blue LEDs from the backlight by transmuting the light those LEDs emit into either red, green, or blue, depending on the size of the dot.
This variation in size and precision at essentially the microscopic level is what allows quantum dot displays to be more colorful, brighter, and more accurate.
Technically it’s been around since about 2014, but was originally scrapped a little while later in lieu of working on other display technologies.
However in 2017, they resumed working on it again because they felt the current generation of TVs still had limitations.
That year, Samsung released the 3rd version of its signature series that brought with it some pretty important changes.
To appreciate those changes though, we would first need to understand how it works.
How Does QLED Work?
Remember that little tidbit earlier about quantum dots with how they change color depending on their respective size?
That’s exactly how.
They’re placed so closely together that they create a film that would then go in front of the backlight panel.
This film is what dictates how things look depending on how many of those dots are actually active.
Also each dot has a thinner aluminum inner & outer that lets more light pass through it.
This increase is what allows the screen to be brighter, as well as more colorful (very much so in person)
In fact, it’s able to display so many colors that it covers 100 percent of the DCI/P3 color spectrum; that’s over a billion for the unaware.
In other words, it’s able to display every color that the human eye can possibly see, becoming the first display technology capable of doing so.
Quite impressive to say the least.
What Are The Advantages?
A Higher Color Saturation
The first visual benefit QLED allows for is a higher saturation.
This is due to the fact it can cover the entire color spectrum which can make for images that are dramatically more vivid and intense.
Having a QLED TV myself, the colors and just how deep they looked was definitely one of the first thing I personally noticed.
Better Color Accuracy
The next advantage ties in with the previously mentioned one, in the form of its color accuracy.
By using quantum dots, the enhanced color accuracy allows for a more realistic image, and the benefit of that is pretty obvious.
You get scenes that can look closer to how they’d look in person, which further adds to the immersion.
A Brighter Image While Retaining Color Accuracy
Samsung’s QLED tech allows these TVs to get much brighter than they could previously, reaching a peak brightness of up to 1500 nits.
Think of nits as units of luminance; meaning the higher the number, the brighter the image.
For HDR, another prominent display technology, at least 1000 nits is recommended for an impactful picture quality.
So with more than that, HDR content will look downright amazing.
It doesn’t stop there either, as not only is it able to get brighter, but it’s able to retain color accuracy at a higher brightness as well.
Better Viewing Angles
Yet another plus for QLED is that because of the way it’s structured inside, it gives viewers much better viewing angles as well.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed, but if you try and look at your TV from the side, you’ll see that the picture quality fades the more off center you go.
This can sometimes make it hard to see certain details.
QLED helps with not having to sit directly dead center in front of the TV to get the best picture.
That also means the people watching with you off to the sides a better image as well; so it’s really a win win.
Given that I’ve had a QLED TV for a few years now, I haven’t noticed any dramatic shifts in how the colors or brightness looks.
The picture quality still looks great after all this time.
Of course I can’t speak for every TV since durability depends on the TV, whether there’s defects present, the conditions it’s placed in, and so on.
But from my experience, I haven’t had issues with it.
What Are The Disadvantages?
However with all of that being said, in this case, there aren’t too many drawbacks.
To be frank, only thing to mention would be that it still relies on a backlight so black levels may not be like say OLED, where individual pixels themselves produce light.
But even then it depends since lighting conditions in the room plays a role.
Actually, that perfectly segues into the next question…
QLED Versus OLED
If you don’t know,OLED is another competing display format that’s been around for quite some time now.
Its major draw is that it doesn’t rely on a backlight at all; instead opting for each pixel to have the ability to shut itself off completely.
The result of that speaks for itself, with black levels that are essentially infinite.
It’s also able to provide for more saturated colors as well, making the image look nothing short of breath taking.
So with that, is QLED better than OLED?
Well it depends on quite a few things like the capabilities of both particular displays, what settings are being used, how bright the lighting in the room is, and where you’re seated.
Speaking from experience of having seen both of these in action (and even side by side at that) the black levels of the OLED seemed slightly darker to my eyes.
While that tracks with the capabilities of the technologies themselves, it depends because in a bright room this may not be noticeable to some.
What I think complicates comparing them is that both technologies have come a long way in terms of improvements.
OLEDs are often capable of exceeding 1000 nits in HDR brightness now where this wasn’t the case prior.
On the flip side, QLED technology has done a great job in reaching incredible black levels.
Another benefit has to do with color accuracy.
In extremely bright scenes, OLEDs may slightly skew in the way of color accuracy, whereas QLED may not though it depends since again, both have improved in that aspect as well.
QLED TVs may have an advantage over the competition in the form of longevity.
Given the fact that OLED displays use special chemicals that react to electricity opposed to a dedicated backlight, the longevity of the image may depend on how often it’s used when it comes to burn in.
Burn in is an issue where an image essentially gets burned into the display that becomes visible during any viewing material.
This is most common with things like logos in the corner or dark text on a lighter background.
Since QLED is still technically an LED TV that uses a backlight, they don’t tend to be susceptible to burn in because of that.
Now mind you, that has been greatly mitigated in recent years due to advancements, and is much harder to happen now, though it’s still technically possible.
But even then that’s if things are left on screen for long extended periods of time without moving.
In any case, it’s just nice to know that manufactures are tackling this issue head on, and coming out with displays that don’t really have to worry about this as much.
I also noticed that OLEDs do happen to have a slightly better viewing angle as well, so that’s something else to think about.
Also because of their lack of a backlight, they provide less energy consumption too.
So for the original question as to which is better, you can see that it really depends.
In my opinon, just from what I’ve seen, I feel OLEDS strong suit is black levels, whereas QLEDs is its colors and brightness but that can and may vary.
Is it Better Than Their SUHD Range TVs?
In my opinion, I feel that QLED is an improvement over their previous flagship range SUHD TVs.
They are able to get brighter while remaining more colorful, providing for a better presentation overall.
The UHD part stands for Ultra High Definition, and the S stands for superb (not Samsung surprisingly).
So when you put it together, it stands for Superb Ultra High Definition. It also stands for 8 other things including smart, special, and striking.
The point is, the switch from SUHD to the “quantum dot” is more of a marketing thing if anything, with the difference between them being the upgrade on their already existent tech.
What Is The Best QLED TV?
Winner: Samsung 65-Inch Class QLED 4K Q80D Series
If you were curious on which one I would personally recommend, it’d have to be the Samsung 55-Inch Class QLED 4K Q80D Series.
Besides offering everything you’d expect from a high end TV like 4K, HDR, etc, It also utilizes the awesome quantum dot technology we talked about earlier that really makes things look incredible.
There’s also a newer version of Samsung’s QLED tech called NeoQLED. This version uses smaller LEDs called mini LEDs which can be controlled more accurately due to their size.
It also uses a more advanced picture processing engine with AI, as well as what’s called their Quantum Matrix Technology Pro which is what enables better control of the bulbs.
This helps improve black levels and contrast for better overall picture quality.
Plus this level of granular control can help with mitigating blooming of bright elements on a darker background that some TVs may experience.
More Brands Have Introduced Their Own Version Of QLED
What’s also interesting Is that in more recent years, more brands like Sony, Hisense, LG, and TCL have introduced their own versions of QLED technology.
I personally like that there’s innovation in that regard since the pushing of technology forward is how we’ve gotten this far to begin with.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this article on Samsung QLED TV technology explained, and that it helped in the way of actually understanding this innovative tech.
Having personally seen it up close myself, (considering I have one) it really is nothing short of mind blowing in my opinion.
It’s one of those things where you really have to see it to believe it.
What first started as a few TVs here and there has evolved into a point where a large portion of Samsung TVs now utilize this cool technology.
Plus with technologies like micro led & even 8K resolution, it seems like visual tech is always pushing forward in some way.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Physical Media Vs Digital Media, a clash of two multimedia titans. The first, having been around since what seems like forever, and the latter, somewhat of a newcomer in the entertainment world.
While things like records and CD’s dominated most of the industry for years, the advent of the digital age was nothing short of revolutionary.
This coupled with new services like streaming made content delivery effectively instant. In today’s day and age this is especially true.
Even in the music business, one of the largest industries in the world, digital media is absolutely crushing the physical format.
However, this in turn raises a few questions; the first revolving around staying power.
Will there be a day will come where the physical format is no more?
With how fast it’s seemingly become popular, it’s beginning to seem like an increasingly likely scenario. Now the second question sort of stems from the previous one.
Would there actually be any caveats if such a thing ever did happen?
This would obviously leave a lot of power to content providers, which could be a good or bad thing depending on their intent.
No doubt, there’d certainly be a great deal of variability at play there; further complicating things. So my answer to both of those questions lie with the very benefits that each provide.
I feel it’d be smart to first go over these to really get a good idea of whether this will ever come to pass.
The Benefits Of Streaming & Digital Media
#1 Ease Of Access
A huge benefit when it comes to streaming and digital media has to do with the very premise of the format itself. Being that users are able to simply log on and play a piece of content via desktop, tablet, or even smartphone; this introduces a certain level of accessibility that the physical variant simply can’t match.
I mean think about it, having the ability to play any of your favorite movies and shows without even having to leave the comfort of your own home definitely constitutes as a huge perk in my book.
If anything, even the need to get up just to change what you’re watching is mitigated, allowing you to change the channel via remote or even your smartphone.
It might sound like a simple advantage, but there’s no denying the level of convenience the digital format affords and over time, it certainly becomes appreciated.
Imagine you’re planning a vacation and you want to watch a few shows or movies while relaxing.
Well with digital, rather than having to lug around a bunch of cumbersome tapes that you could potentially lose, if you have say an iTunes or Disney Plus account, remote access to all of your favorite movies and shows are only a click away.
I really don’t think that level of access and ease of convenience with the digital format can be understated.
All of that, and you don’t have to go to the movie store either.. (remember those?)
#2 It’s A Space Saver!
In my opinion, I would consider it inconvenient with having a bunch of movies and random CD’s scattered all around the house especially if you’re looking for a particular one at the time. I can’t even recall the amount of times I was looking for a specific Blu-ray to put on for a movie night but couldn’t find it.
With digital media, you don’t have that issue; just press play and that’s it.
It’s a lot less clutter and more convenient.
Plus you end up having a much cleaner looking entertainment center overall since you don’t actually need to have those physical movies placed somewhere.
It might be a non factor when you only have a few physical tapes, but when your movie catalog starts to grow by a considerable amount, you really begin to appreciate the benefits that digital offers.
#3 You Can’t Lose It
I kind of touched on this one earlier and it’s kind of obvious but a huge advantage of digital media is that you really can’t misplace it. All of your stuff is in a central location, allowing a certain level of accessibility and even portability that the physical medium does not.
This is especially true of course when it comes to actually looking for your movie since you really can’t physically lose it.
It’s definitely not fun when everyone’s ready to watch a movie, and you happen to suddenly realize you have no idea where it is. So losing it since it’s digital isn’t really applicable.
Then again, you could of course always lose your phone or PC or something, but that’s another story for a different time.
The Disadvantages Of Streaming & Digital Media
Now everything in the world of digital media isn’t all sunshine and rainbows since there are definitely some real disadvantages present as well.
#1 Bandwidth Limitations
Well the first obvious drawback with streaming has to do with internet.
Not only is an internet connection often required, you also need one that’s fast enough. If you have a connection that doesn’t have sufficient bandwidth speed, the video might buffer for what seems like every 5 seconds, and in some cases, won’t even play at all.
Now of course you might be able to download the movie if the content provider allows it and to avoid this issue, but even then after a while that’ll add up in terms of considering storage space for those movies.
What proposes an even bigger issue though is that in many countries, there are still no internet connections at all; which effectively renders streaming anything there an impossibility.
However if you happen to be using using wifi, there are devices called wifi repeaters which work by extending your signal in a sense, so that you get a more uniform connection.
Here’s a good resource that goes into detail on those as well as one that shows you how to improve the wifi you have now.
With the wholenet neutrality topic becoming such a prevalent means for debate, this does lead to the possibility of companies deciding to throttle data at their discretion.
With companies having full control over internet speed, it’s very possible one could begin to notice slowdown that was not present before.
And with no certainty as to whether or not this may or may not happen, it’s definitely something that you’ll likely want to remain aware of.
Now whether this is definitively true or not is up for speculation, but it does further reinforce that sentiment that users aren’t as in control with their content when it comes to receiving it through this medium as they’d like to be.
Especially when the quality of the content itself could be changed before it’s available.
While things like that may not necessarily be as big a deal for some, for others who are cinema purists that want to view their content exactly as the director intended, it can be a little concerning; especially considering our inevitable move toward more streaming.
#3 Going Over Data Caps
Similar to throttling, another issue you may run into when streaming often (especially if you don’t have unlimited internet data) is going over the data caps of your internet provider.
Now different providers have different policies surrounding this so you’d have to check your respective provider, but if you have a certain amount of data allotted for a specific month and you go over this amount from watching a surplus of content, it could ultimately end up effecting your bill.
With physical media, you don’t ever have to worry about this and can pop in your favorite movie whenever.
With the possibility of data caps affecting things with more and more things becoming digital, this could be a ding against the digital space and is something you may want to keep mind.
#4 Storage
Sure being able to watch whatever you want is nice, but if you do decide to download them, it is likely you’ll still need somewhere to store all those movies.
You’ll typically get an allotted amount of storage that’s fine for the short term, but might not be enough down the road (especially higher bitrate content that might be encoded with higher resolutions like 4K and HDR)
When this happens, you might have the option of acquiring more storage on the platform, perhaps through some cloud solution, but there may be an added fee associated with this.
You could also use an external device like a USB hard drive or external SSD to store your movies too, but this is an extra step that’s not needed when compared with the physical medium.
#5 You Don’t Actually Own It
While there’s definitely a satisfying feeling of being able to physically hold a movie, it helps to further reaffirm the fact that you’re the owner of it.
With digital media, this simply isn’t the case. The company that you’re streaming from is the owner of the that piece of content.
If you cancel your membership, then you’ll no longer be able to view whatever it was that you were watching. Then, if they randomly decide to pull that show or movie for whatever reason, there’s no way to still view it there (it’s happened to me before on more than one occasion)
What’s more, digital movie releases often lack a lot of the extras that use to often come with a tangible release like extras, posters, memorabilia and behind the scenes looks at the show or movie.
These allow fans to learn even more about their favorite actors and shows, and connect with them even more.
Whether this changes remains to be seen, but this current trend of often omitting those may be somewhat of a disappointment to more hardcore fans.
Now when it comes to another entertainment medium, video games, even the physical tapes now a days utilize DRM, so even the physical version of the game you don’t technically own since the CD merely acts as the license to allow you to play.
But still, even just having it in your hands makes it all the more tangible and still makes you feel like you own it even if you technically don’t.
The Benefits Of Physical Media
Now with physical media meaning things like CD’s, Blu-rays, etc, there’s certainly a few noteworthy benefits over digital that’s worth pointing out as well.
#1 You’re The Real Owner Of It
Remember how with streaming I stated that you don’t really own that piece of content?
Well with the physical you do. You can watch it as many times as you want without worrying about any sort of subscription service or it magically disappearing.
You’re even able to give it to someone else down the road if you chose to do so.
There’s a certain sense of ownership you get with actually having a physical version that you just don’t get with the other format.
Plus let’s say you were creating a custom movie room in your home, having your entire catalog of tapes on display can really help with that feeling of authenticity and help give it that home cinema feel.
Furthermore, if you planned on giving someone a present for a holiday or birthday, rather than simply giving them a subscription, gifting them a Blu-ray would allow you to well for one wrap it, but two, actually allow them to be able to say they physically own it which is nice.
Of course video games are the exception to all of this like mentioned previously since it’s just a means for licensing, but you still at least get to have it in hand.
That’s not even mentioning the fact that many people have very fond memories of certain movies and being able to pass them down though generations and share those same memories with their loved ones can’t be understated.
It might be a momento from an important, time, moment, or even person in their life that they want to keep as a reminder.
There’s nostalgia involved sure, but for some, owning and watching a favorite physical movie that they’ve enjoyed for years isn’t just about watching it, but rather sharing an experience, and creating a long lasting memory.
#2 No Data Limitations
One of the major advantages of physical media is you don’t have to worry about any external factors like data restrictions preventing you from actually being able to play the movie as opposed to the digital format.
This is especially important for the people with slower internet connections since the content might run slowly or not at all if the internet connection isn’t able to keep up.
By purchasing physical multimedia, there aren’t any arbitrary data limitations imposed; meaning you’re able to play it anytime you want.
You won’t have to worry about hitting any data caps or throttled connections since it would be done the good ol fashioned way.
#3 Better Quality/Sound
Until data transfer is made so advanced that things like compression and artifacting (distortion) are minimized to the point where it’s similar, physical media will always be the better choice in terms of better picture quality and sound in my opinion.
Now how discernable that actually is depends on the person, but with physical there tends to be a better bitrate and less digital noise overall.
Now mind you, while digital technology is certainly improving and getting respectably close, it’s still not there. For now I think the better audio & video experience from a technological standpoint is on a disc, and serves as another reason as to why physical media is better in this regard.
Here’s an article that goes over this along with some of the newer formats.
There are of course drawbacks to going this route, so it’s only fair that we cover these as well.
#1 Breaking/Losing It
If you’re a clumsy person (I can be sometimes) then you do always run the risk of breaking it. Once it’s broken, that’s really it until you buy another one.
The same could be said for losing it. If you have a lot of movies, then it makes finding a particular one especially difficult if not organized in a way you can remember.
#2 Clutter
The more DVDs, CDs, and Blu-rays that you purchase, the more of them you’ll be tasked with finding space for.
Now at first this won’t be an issue of course, but as the years go by and your collection increases, you could potentially find it difficult to keep up. This is another reason people tend to go digital as it avoids this all together.
#3 Portability
Another disadvantage to physical media is the issue of portability. Watching a movie on the go becomes nearly impossible unless you have a dedicated device with a disc drive and screen.
That’s not considering the fact that having to carry all of those tapes around can unwieldy and inconvenient.
Will Physical Media Ever Become Obsolete?
Here is an interesting thought that really makes you wonder. Even though technology is advancing at breakneck speeds, will there ever come a day where things like CD’s are no more?
Now this is purely speculative since I can’t see into the future, but in my humble opinion I think it will.
However, the catch is I also think this won’t happen for a very long time.
With a good portion of the world still not even having access to basic internet, it would make no sense for companies to no longer support CD’s since they would likely lose sizeable portions of market share. This due to those same people not being able to really use it.
Couple this with the fact that as things like 4K andHDR become standard, data rates are likely to go up since it’ll take faster speeds to transfer these gigantic files over the network.
There’s enough trouble as is trying stream these newer formats with modern connections, so if we were left with this as the only option so soon, it just wouldn’t work logically.
Plus, with the better experience still technically on a disc, I don’t foresee it going away any time soon. Until industries figure out how to allow for better quality even on slower speeds, this switch is still at least quite a while away.
Now that’s not to say that this couldn’t also happen sooner than we think either since it seems like more people are already embracing streaming as their primary way they watch content — and if the current trend continues, it could lead to it becoming the only way to down the road.
What that means in terms of our entertainment culture as a whole remains to be seen, but it certainly seems like we are currently heading that way in my opinion.
Even with the recent announcement of WarnerMedia stating that for 2021 all of its movies would release simultaneously in theaters & HBO Max, and HBO Max’s recent deal with Roku, this all further makes it seem that way I feel.
Final Thoughts
So in terms of physical media vs digital media, the physical definitely wins, at least for now. It’s the most stable, and still offers the best picture quality all around.
However way down the road, this may change and perhaps we’ll be singing a different tune.
In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out and what dramatic changes the future holds for the entertainment space.
But that’s it for now, if you have any questions, you know I’m always there. Like always, make it easy, keep it simple.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Another day, another showdown; this time it’s DTS VS Dolby Digital 5.1.
It’s likely you’ve heard of these 2 formats considering they’re in pretty much everything these days, but there was a time when this wasn’t the case. Mono sound was the one that originally dominated the scene.
However once they were introduced, they revolutionized the industry forever.
Dolby came first, and can be credited with the popularization of surround sound; with the latter coming later as a variation of it.
So naturally, one might then wonder which one of the two is the better format?
Believe it or not, the Dolby format itself has been around for nearly 50 years now. It began in 1965 as a small company in London, and was founded by a man named Ray Milton Dolby.
Now Ray was an interesting man to say the least.
Not only was he an electrical engineer and physicist at a young age, but he was also a technical advisor of the United Nations in India. He’s even credited with helping invent the Video tape recorder.
This all before he even began the Dolby Company that obviously took off (talk about talented) But his inspiration stemmed from an innate all around passion for music and filmmaking.
But realizing that there was still much progress to be done, he would then go on to create what was known a noise reduction.
In most recordings prior, besides the original audio, there was often background noise and static that tended to muddy the sound. But since this was the standard, everyone pretty much accepted it as normal.
With his noise reduction technology, this cleaned up the sound dramatically; resulting in an unparalleled level of clarity never seen before.
As you could probably imagine, this was a pretty big deal.
But being the kind of person that he was, this was barely the start as he would then go on to patent Dolby with the eventual release of the first film incorporating that new technology which was A Clockwork Orange.
From there it would become standard in content moving forward; in music and movies alike.
The Start Of Dolby Stereo Sound
Later on This was markedly richer and clearer than mono sound, and they knew they immediately knew they had the next big thing on their hands.
In 1976 A Star Was Born was the first movie using this technology
On May 25, 1977 one of the biggest blockbusters of all time also came out touting the new technology. Any guesses to what that movie was?
Star Wars!
Star Wars along with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind were some of the early movies to be released in Dolby Stereo that really elevated things. People were blown away by the experience.
This was the point where movie theaters, and even sound itself, was changed forever.
But here’s the interesting part that many might not be aware of. The idea of surround sound isn’t new. It’s actually been around since about the 1940’s.
Walt Disney originally had plans to make the movie Fantasia able to be heard all around the audience. The complete vision never came to fruition due to costs however, and was scrapped.http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=337317
Even though it wasn’t commercialized until years later, right around the time Dolby was working on stereo, they were also already working on its successor — 5.1 surround sound!
By 1975, a rudimentary form of it was in development; dubbed quintaphonic sound.
The idea of course, was to be able provide a sense of realism where the sound would envelop the listener. The first film to actually use this experimental tech was Tommy.
Then In 1976, they made headway by managing to modify traditional film strips to use their format.
Finally, 1979 was the first year where separate surround speakers made their debut in the movie Apocalypse Now.
It was just upwards from there, with improvement upon improvement rolled out.
1983 saw the first release of commercial in home surround sound, and in 1986, he released an improved version of his noise reduction invention called Dolby SR (which is still revered to be the best even to this day)
The Arrival Of Dolby Digital 5.1
With the world quickly advancing in other areas of technology, they realized they needed something new to rejuvenate public interest. So by using compression technology to fit more information into a smaller space, they once again created something noteworthy.
In 1992, the groundbreaking Dolby Digital was first introduced, complete in full 5.1 surround sound (also called AC-3 for audio coding 3)
Once again filmmakers were flabbergasted, and everyone wanted in.
That summer, Batman Returns held the honor of being the first movie to officially use it (not to mention it was a good movie in general) By 1998, it was already being used in live HDTV broadcasts.
History Of DTS
But as luck would have it, not everyone was on the Dolby bandwagon.There were other engineers out there that had additional ideas, and so decided to realize them.
In 1990, a man by the name of Terry Beard decided that he would create his own company, which was called Digital Theater Systems Inc at the time (today it’s called Dedicated To Sound, DTS for short)
Terry felt that he had a genuinely unique spin on the idea of surround sound, and so pitched his new tech to none other than Steven Spielberg.
He managed to redo Spielberg’s movie, Encounters Of A Third Kind, entirely in DTS.
By managing to impress one of the most influential filmmakers at the time, he figured he’d be able to prove that his offering had real value in the industry.
Well it obviously worked, because not only did Spielberg completely endorse his idea, it was the featured standard of his next movie.
In 1993, Jurassic Park was released, fully mastered in the offering from Digital Theater Systems.
So two digital formatting titans, with two drastically different approaches to surround.
The question then becomes which is better?
Well the answer to that is a little complicated. On paper, DTS technically has the advantage since it’s able to stream data at a higher amount.
With less compression than Dolby, combined with a higher bitrate (the amount of information it can stream at any given time) it only makes sense.
However Dolby raises a valid counterpoint by stating that because their format is more efficient, it doesn’t need to run at a higher bitrate to get the same quality of sound.
Both of these points are debatable due the fact that there’s currently multiple versions of each.
It doesn’t help either, that both companies seem to constantly update their codecs as well. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that everyone perceives sound differently.
To further complicate things, movies are typically only mixed with one format or the other so it’s almost impossible for a direct head to head comparison.
So for me to objectively say that one is irrefutably better than the other is also impossible.
What is possible and what I can speak on is what I’ve personally noticed.
Now I’ll just be covering the audio difference I experienced, but if you’re curious about more of the technical, nitty gritty differences between the two, then this is a fantastic article to read.http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/dolby-vs-dts.html
Comparing both Dolby Digital & DTS, both seemed to have a similar dynamic range all around at least in my opinion.
Whether it be explosions, dialogue, etc., it always seemed as though it that they were really similar comparatively.
Even in the surround speakers, I didn’t happen to notice any large differences. Ambient noises like rainfall and chirping birds seemed to be well represented in both formats.
So to answer the original question about which one is better, in general I didn’t really notice any major differences that stuck out to me and felt that they both sounded really great.
But again this is over the course of viewing many different movies that were all mixed differently, and considering that we as the end user don’t really have a choice on which movie uses, this could have a big impact on things as well.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this helps when it comes to DTS VS Dolby Digital 5.1, as far as the better format is concerned.
However, even though these two are the de-facto standard for now, this could always change with new innovations from them as well.
With the advent of Dolby Atmos and DTS X, the competition between the two industry leaders once again rages on.
In any case, due to their continued desire for constant innovation, we’re the ones that win in the end.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Oh boy it’s showdown time; it’s Dolby Atmos VS DTS:X. I never would have dreamed that there would one day be something to supersede traditional surround sound, but hey, here we are.
I’ve personally experienced both of these wonderful formats, so I want to first give you a little background on them before I share my take on if one was better than the other.
More importantly, this might help with deciding whether or not it’s time to upgrade.
Dolby Atmos started out as a format strictly for theaters, since consumers didn’t have commercial access to it. With it still being worked on, and in its’ infancy, Dolby Laboratories (its creator) wanted to drum up excitement surrounding the new technology. The first movie given the greenlight to actually utilize it was in 2012; that movie being Brave(great film by the way)
This wasn’t a mass release either, since only about 25 theaters total had it. But this tactic certainly worked because not even a year later, that number dramatically increased to about 300. By this time, the hype was real.
Everyonestarted singing its praises in regards to how it would revolutionize not only theater, but eventually home theater as well. Then sure enough in 2014, it was announced that it would soon be making its way to home theaters.
From there it was a runaway success, with about 2100 theaters sporting it in the beginning of 2015, and it then becoming commercially available a short time after.
What Is Dolby Atmos, and Why Was It Introduced?
But the real question is, what exactly is it, and why was it introduced? Well the answer to that actually stems from the limitations of current surround sound. Typically, when a sound engineer has to develop a mix for content, they’re tasked with making sure that the audio pans from each channel seamlessly. To do this, they use what are known as faders.
Just think of those as individual volume controls for each speaker. The problem with this is that it can take a lot of time and effort to pull off, and if they’re not skilled, it can be really easy to mess up. If the panning effects are not properly in phase, then the illusion of an moving object is lost; not too dissimilar to the subject of timbre matching.
If mismatching speakers from different manufacturers are used, then what happens? The immersion of surround sound is lost due to the different sound signatures, so it’s a similar principle. This is where Atmos comes in.
Atmos is revolutionary in that it’s object based. Rather than simply manipulating the sound to go through a specific channel, they’re able to take that individual object making the sound, through a 3D space as if it were real.
They’re able to do this for every object travelling in any direction. If it isn’t sinking in how groundbreaking that is, let me put it to you this way in the form of a question.
What’s the highest channel sound you’ve ever watched a movie in? 7.2, 9.2, hey maybe even 11.2?
How was it, probably incredible right?
Well Dolby Atmos absolves the idea of channels all together, at least in the digital sense.
That technically means it’s capable of producing audio that comes from anywhere. Yes anywhere.
Now when it’s raining in a scene, each raindrop would be treated as an object travelling through a 3D space hitting the floor.
If someone in a movie throws something, that object would act as though it were really flying through the air. You get the idea. It makes things feel super real, and incredibly immersive.
The particularly interesting part is that this doesn’t just apply to movies either, as the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X & S actually support it in some of their games as well. This even makes gaming feel like something entirely different and exciting.
What Do You need for it?
So all of that sounds great, but do you need anything special for it?
Well yes and no. The interesting thing is there’s 2 ways to actually implement Dolby Atmos in your own home.
The first way is through height and ceiling speakers.
Height speakers, like their name would suggest, are specially designed speakers that are meant to be placed up high so that they can direct their sounds overhead.
Typically for the full experience, you would want 4 of these up above, angled slightly downwards towards the listening area. This would help to better disperse the audio.
Ceiling speakers are also like their name suggests, designed to be placed on, or even inside the ceiling.
Now obviously you could probably see the issue with this. Chances are the average person likely won’t want to run wires through their ceiling unless they were truly serious about their audio.
Realizing this, Dolby managed to come up with a more user friendly option; modules!
These modules are smaller angled speakers that can be placed on top of your current speakers.
From there, their unique design allows them to project the audio upwards at your ceiling, thus reflecting it back to your listening position. It’s a way to get the same effect, but in a much more streamlined way.
Some speakers even have drivers built into the top of them so you don’t even need those. How convenient is that?
Do keep in mind though that you’ll need a receiver that states its capable, but that’s not hard to find since most modern ones do.
History Of DTS:X
DTS:X on the other hand, got its start as an inspiration of the competing platform Atmos. Being that their biggest competitor is Dolby Digital, they weren’t about to allow their rival to upstage them.
In 2015, Digital Theater Systems (DTS) stated that they would also be introducing their own object based sound format called DTS:X.
By the end of the year, 350 already supported it. It was based off of the same premise, providing an impeccable sense of realism through 3D audio.
Support for it was nearly immediate as well, with receivers and game consoles alike announcing their endorsement behind it.
What Do You Need For It?
DTS:X works much less the same in terms of the things you’ll need and such. You have the choice of using height speakers, or the small modules since they typically include cross support for both formats.
Obviously, you’ll also need the receiver that mentions it can do this a well; along with HDMI cables and a Blu-Ray player. Besides that, there’s nothing else special that you need for it honestly.
Which Is Better?
Now here’s what you’re really wondering, and it’s probably the reason you clicked on this article, which one is better? Well I’ll give you the on-paper answer, then the personal experience-real world answer.
So on paper, while being extremely similar, there are 2 key advantages the offering from Digital Sound Labs has over Dolby Digital’s Atmos; the first being customization. DTS:X allows you to customize any portion of the sound at any given time.
Say for example, you’re watching a movie and the character’s voices seem low in comparison with everything else. What you can do in this instance, is raise the dialogue above the sound effects so that it’s more audible.
This level of customization in combination with a receiver’s EQ settings would provide for a big sense of personalization.
The other benefit has to do with mixing.
With Atmos, an engineer is required to create separate sound mixes for the same content in a movie theater that’s also released for the consumer commercially.
With DTS:X however, they’re able to create one universal mix across the board.
This not only cuts down on costs, but also saves a lot of time and effort. This makes it an enticing choice for content creators to work with.
But in regards to what I noticed when I first tried the two, honestly, besides the excellent customization that DTS:X offered, I didn’t particularly notice any profound differences.
Now mind you, even though the ability to have that level of control was nice, when talking about the actual sound of the two formats, they were virtually the same.
Be it movies, games, etc, that sentiment remained. I do personally think that’s a good thing though, because at least if a certain piece of content only supported one or the other, you really wouldn’t be missing out on anything either way in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
So when it comes down to Dolby Atmos VS DTS:X in terms of which is better, the latter offers a considerable amount of tweaking, but equals it in auditory performance.
Overall though, they’re both revolutionary platforms, and really something you need to experience for yourself to truly appreciate. I’d highly recommend them.
Once you do, you might not want to go back.
If you don’t have the equipment to support it currently, then I’d say don’t worry about it, and upgrade when you can. Just know that it’ll be a completely different experience with the content that supports when you do.
Luckily, most receivers today support those formats, so that won’t be a big deal either.
Long story short, chances are you’ll be blown away when you experience true 3D audio for the first time. It’s really amazing.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Keeping in mind best is subjective, I wanted to go over some the best home theater receivers for 2024-2025 in my opinion.
It can certainly be hard to choose given the amount of great options out there, so I wrote this guide as way to simplify that.
These will be some of the top receivers that in my opinion, provide a great home theater experience, while some listed are particularly for listening to music in stereo.
I also took the liberty of creating a guide below the list as well for further information on some of the things to consider when it comes to actually choosing a proficient receiver.
The Best For Stereo & Bluetooth Support – Yamaha R – S202BL Stereo
If your focus is specifically setting up a great stereo system for only listening to music, then the Yamaha R-S202BL is great for that.
It looks awesome with a dark brushed metal look on the outside that adds a premium look.
With Bluetooth capabilities too, that means you’ll be able to play all of your favorite music and media straight from your smartphone or Bluetooth enabled device.
A big thing that this receiver prides itself in is the ability to reproduce a very natural yet rich sound due to the special way the internal circuitry is set up.
Through the special positioning of the components inside, things like signal noise and interference are mitigated, resulting in a great level of clarity.
With a total harmonic distortion of .2% & a 100db signal to noise ratio, it can allow for incredible audio quality with less of the unwanted background noise in music.
Also great is the fact this receiver has 100 watts per channel providing an awesome amount of power.
Interestingly, there’s also a 40 station AM/FM radio inside with an auto preset setting. This allows you to automatically look for radio stations without having to manually do so.
You’re then able to store up to 40 of your favorite ones.
What’s really peculiar about this particular offering is the ability to hook up two different stereo systems to the same receiver.
That means if you were trying to decide if a particular set of speakers were better, you could simply hook both of them up and switch between them.
I think that’s really cool personally.
The great thing about this choice also is that it’s really energy efficient; only consuming about .5 watts in standby.
As for dimensions, it measures 12.6 x 17.1 x 5.5 inches.
Pros
Looks really great in person
Bluetooth capability
100 watts per channel
AM and FM radio allows you to store up to 40 personal stations
The ability to connect two different speaker systems to it and toggle between them
Energy efficient
Cons
Slightly heavy at 15 pounds
No support for a sub
Overall, this is a great choice for stereo owners.
The Best For Powerful Stereo Sound & Bluetooth – Sony STRDH190
If specifically listening to music with 2 speakers in stereo sound is what you’re looking for, then you might like this choice since it’s a 2 channel receiver with good power.
It has an awesome 100-watt power supply for both of your speakers, meaning there’s lots of power to adequately drive them.
It’s not just output though, as the fidelity it allows for in terms of audio itself incredible.
One thing to note is that there’s an AM/FM radio here, allowing you to store up to 30 of your favorite stations.
Then via preset scan, you access a specific station at the press of a button.
It also has Bluetooth abilities as well, meaning you’ll be able to play any songs off your smartphone wirelessly.
Another thing that’s interesting about the STRDH190 is its design.
It has a brushed metal and slim profile design that adds to its aesthetic look.
There’s also bass and treble settings that allow you to customize the sound to your liking.
Rounding out the feature list are 3 audio inputs, 2 audio outputs, and a phono input.
Phono inputs are used for analog turntables, so if you’re into mixing sound or listening to old records, this would be yet another reason to go with this one.
The dimensions are also 11 x 17 x 5.2 inches.
Pros
Awesome design gives it an aesthetic look.
An impressive 100 watts means there’s lots of power
Great sound capabilities
BBluetooth capable
AM/FM radio that allows you to store up to 30 different station for quick access.
Multiple inputs and a phono input for analog turntables
Cons
Slightly heavy at a little over 17 pounds
No support for a separate subwoofer
Still, if your interest is getting a great receiver for stereo sound with a lot of power, then this is an awesome choice.
Now let’s say you were interested a more traditional 5.1 setup, and wanted something that would give you enough power to rock the house.
Well the Yamaha RX-V385 might be the one for you.
First off, this thing is awesome, as it supports all the display technologies you’d expect from a quality device.
There’s support for 4k, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, expanded color gamuts, etc.
The fact that it supports so many is absolutely crucial in a receiver because if you were to play sound through one that didn’t support these on a TV playing.. say 4k or HDR, it wouldn’t function at all surprisingly and you’d need to use an optical cable to make things work.
So with support for all these recent technologies, you can rest assured that whatever new TV or device you plan on using it with will work.
There’s even support for Dolby Atmos via HDMI eARC, making setup an absolute breeze.
If you just so happen to use a smart home voice assistant, you’ll be happy to find that there’s full support for those too, meaning you could technically use the voice assistant to control your receiver.
Just imagine the ease of use of controlling everything, simply by using your voice. It’s a level of convenience that makes you feel on top of the world.
Bluetooth and wifi connectivity also make an appearance, so if you wanted to control things from your smartphone you completely have the option to so.
There’s also Cinema DSP 3D which is based of years of research and allows you to customize sound even further to make it sound like different venues around the world. For example you could set it to concert and it’ll actually sound like you’re there.
It’s this level of customization that’ll really let you make the sound all your own.
Even when it comes to power, this thing is no slouch with 70 watts per channel at 8 ohms, meaning your speakers will be able to get loud and clear with no problems.
To top it all off, this receiver can even automatically calibrate your speakers for help with getting a more accurate sound.
The dimensions are also 17 ⅛ x 6 ¾ x 12 ³/⁸ inches while weighing 17 pounds.
Pros
Support for all the newest formats such as 4K at 60 frames per second, expanded color & HDR
4 HDMI Slots
70 watts per channel at 8 ohms, and 145 watts at 6 ohms means that you’ll have plenty of power
Bluetooth & wifi connectivity
Automatic speaker calibration with included mic
Compatible with voice assistants
Support for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and even Atmos provides insane amounts of clarity
Cinema DSP 3D lets you further customize your sound
Cons
Fairly Heavy at close to 17 pounds
As a whole, this thing has an impressive amount of features, and not really much to dislike.
What if you were interested in connecting 2 subwoofers?
Better yet, why would someone want to do that?
Well I’ve covered the benefits before, put simply put, it allows you to fill in dead spots around the room, resulting in a better bass response overall.
Anyway, if your focus is two subs in conjunction with 5 channel surround sound, then this is definitely the one you’d want to go with.
First off, this thing supports a lot of power, 725 watts overall to be exact. So you’ll have plenty of legroom for your system.
The next thing to note is that there’s support for 4k. That means that you won’t have to worry about compatibility if you happen to get a new 4k TV. What’s really cool about this one though is the DSP modes it has to offer.
DSP stands for digital signal processing, and you can think of these as EQ presets that alter the sound.
One of the best ones is called S Force Pro Front Surround that makes sounds seem as though they’re coming from everywhere, including above you.
It really allows movies to take on an entirely different dimension of exciting since you’ll actually feel like you’re a part of the action.
What’s even more impressive is that it actually allows you to experience surround sound even if you’re only using 2 speakers.
By utilizing special internal algorithms, it’s able to deliver a virtual surround sound experience that makes it feel like you physically have speakers placed around the room, offering an entirely new level of immersion.
That means you get the benefits of surround sound while also saving space making it a win win. Definitely helps that its implementation actually works really well here.
There’s 4 HDMIs included as well that also support HDMI passthrough meaning you won’t have to use an optical cable just to watch HDR content which is certainly nice.
In terms of looks, even though it’s a pretty simple design, it still looks nice; especially the display. It certainly has the subtle yet sophisticated look going for it so it’ll definitely look good wherever you decide to place it.
It even has automatic speaker calibration via the included mic so you can achieve a more accurate sound.
The dimensions are 11.75 x 17 x 5.25 inches.
Pros
Supports 4K & HDR via 4 HDMI passthrough ports
Bluetooth & wifi support
Support for 2 subwoofers
Sound Force Pro provides virtual surround sound using only 2 speakers
Automatic speaker calibration
Different DSP modes for sound customization
725 watts of power & support for 6 ohm speakers
Cons
No eARC
Heavy at 19 pounds
In short, if you’re looking for a powerful receiver to support 2 subwoofers, then this would be a great choice to go with.
If you’re interested in a receiver that can support 7 speakers as well 2 subwoofers, then the RX-V6A is a solid choice.
As a successor to the TSR 700, the RX-V6A is also powerful.
At 100 watts per channel, movies, music, etc will be more than capable of getting as loud.
There’s 7 HDMI slots with 1 HDMI in, so there’s ample support for all of your devices. Plus they all support for 4k/60 Hz, HDR, and expanded color so you can use it with any TV in confidence knowing they’ll be compatible.
There’s support for essentially every sound format as well including Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, and so on.
Luckily, this model also has Bluetooth meaning auxiliary cords won’t be necessary.
The interesting thing here is that it also supports multi room audio. That allows you to play speakers connected to it in the other room.
It even has an incredible amount of DSP settings which will let you be able to make the sound all your own.
That’s not even to mention that it’s also capable of calibrating your speakers for you; meaning you’ll get accurate sound with none of the work.
That’s not even mentioning the fact that you’re able to EQ your speakers even further with the downloadable app, allowing you to tailor them exactly the way you want.
Even support for voice assistants is offered here. So you’ll be able to control your receiver with simply your voice. I can tell you first hand that voice control is a new level of convenient, so the fact that it’s offered here is pretty awesome.
The dimensions are 16.87 x 13.12 x 6.75 inches.
Pros
100 watts
4k support & HDR support
Automatic speaker calibration
Dolby Atmos support
Compatible with voice assistants like Alexa
7 HDMI slots
Bluetooth & wifi connectivity
Various different sound modes
Has an app for EQ
Cons
Heavy at 21.6 pounds
This thing just has so many features, it’s almost hard to even cover all of them. The suprising thing is, there’s still more believe it or not.
The Best For 4K & HDR (7.2 Channel) – Denon AVR-X1700H
Even though a lot of the choices on this list could technically be a good choice for 4K & HDR content, I feel like the Denon X1700H is a solid choice to go with.
The first thing to note is that it’s a 7.2 receiver, meaning you’re able to use 2 subwoofers with it which is awesome.
Power certainly isn’t an issue either, sporting 95 watts. Complete support at 8K resolutions is also available too.
HDR lovers worry not, as this along with expanded color is one of this one’s biggest features. From HLG (hybrid log gamma) to Dolby Vision, it’s all supported here.
An interesting feature that’s also supported here is Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology. What this essentially does is provide surround sound from above you, even without any speakers physically being there.
The funny thing is, that I can tell you from experience that it actually works really well, especially in action movies.
So if something on screen happened to be changing height like say a helicopter, then it’d feel like you were actually there. It really is an incredible feature truthfully.
There were actually a few times where I paused the movie because I couldn’t tell if it was coming from my speakers or not. That’s a testament to how effective it was.
Bluetooth and NFC are available as well, allowing you to wirelessly stream music from any Bluetooth enabled device.
Luckily, there’s even an included automatic calibration mic so you can just plug it in, and let it take care of the rest.
In terms of dimensions, it measures 17.1” x 6.6” x 13.4” along with an additional 3 inches in height for the antenna.
Pros
Full range 4K, HDR, and expanded color support
Bluetooth and NFC support
7.2 channel receiver that supports 2 subwoofers
95 watts per channel giving you plenty of power
Height virtualization feature makes the audio seem truly 3D, even above you
Works with voice assistants
7 HDMI & support for eARC
Cons
Pretty heavy at 20.9 pounds
It’s hard to really fault this receiver on anything really. It’s truly a great performer that’s an amazing performer in my opinion.
The Best For Voice Activated/ Smart Home Integration – Denon AVR S960H 7.2 Channel
For some people, voice activated & smart home integrated devices are a major priority.
With that, and as luck would have it, there’s actually a receiver out there that offers exactly that.
Meet the Denon AVRS960H, a receiver that’s fully controllable by your voice via smart assistant
You’ll feel like a boss when you can just kick back and say turn the input to PS4, dim the lights, and turn the volume to 34. It really feels like the future.
In terms of the overall package, this one offers 7.2 channels of surround sound goodness. That means you could add an additional 2 speakers in the back along with a subwoofer to really make all your content feel incredible.
It also has an impressive 90 watts per channel
It’s incredibly powerful, so you’ll be able to confidently use any speaker you want knowing it’ll be utilized to its fullest potential.
There’s also the world renowned Audyssey room correction program included as well.
For those that aren’t aware, Audyssey is one of the most accurate and effective room correcting softwares out there, so the fact that it’s here is amazing.
It definitely makes a difference from my experience.
Even better, the process is extremely simple; all you have to do is plug it in and press enter. From there, everything is automatically done for you.
Another really cool thing that this allows you to do is use your smartphone like a remote.
By downloading the Denon app, you can use your smartphone or tablet just like a remote, you know just in case you lose the real one.
This app also allows you to EQ the sound to your liking. There’s support for all the major sound formats, including the newer ones like Dolby Atmos and DTS X.
One of the best features about this one though has to be its multi room ability. Basically, this allows you to play multiple speakers in different rooms separately, or even all at the same time.
Denon even offers an eco mode that allows you to see the amount of power it’s saving you in real time.
Not too shabby at all.
In terms of dimensions, it measures 13 x 17.1 x 6.6 inches.
Pros
Supports all the major video formats like 8K, 4K, HDR, and expanded color
Support for all the major audio formats like Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, etc
7.2 channel with support for dual subwoofers
Impressive 90 Watt
Smart assistant compatible
Support for speakers rated at 6 Ohms
8 HDMI slots
Cons
Heavy at about 21 pounds.
Again here’s another one where it was really hard to find anything wrong with honestly. It does what it’s supposed to and does it well making it a solid choice.
If you’ve recently been introduced to or experienced Dolby Atmos, then you’d know first hand how amazing it can be.
But if the time has come where you want a receiver of your very own capable of that very thing, then a solid one to go with would be the Pioneer VSX-LX305.
So besides the obvious Atmos support, it also supports DTS:X.
They’re very similar in terms of being object based sound formats, but DTS:X lets you boost individual elements like voices or specific effects. It’s certainly something you’d have to experience in person to really appreciate.
It’s able to do 9.2, 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 surround sound, with the ability to even do 5.2.2 in one room simultaneously with stereo speakers playing in 2 other rooms. It’s this level of customizability that allots you the ability to really have an awesome entertainment system.
For those of you that are big proponents of Chromecast, this is even included. Bluetooth and dual band WIFI are also big features that are touted with this one.
For those that don’t know, dual band WIFI is the fastest iteration of the current format.
What that means for you is a greater range for music playback, and less dropped connections. Pioneer also offers their unique multiroom feature; allowing you to play multiple speakers in different rooms simultaneously, all connected to the same receiver.
It also works with Sonos speakers as well, allowing you to connect with those in an instant.
In terms of more general specs, it’s a 9.2 receiver that delivers 100 watts per channel meaning power won’t be an issue here at all.
There’s also 8 HDMIs, so there’s more than enough support for all of your devices. Oh yeah and almost forgot to mention, there’s even support for all the newest video formats too like Dolby vision & HLG!
The dimensions are 14.59 x 17.13 x 6.81 inches.
Pros
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support
Chromecast and Bluetooth support
4K and HDR compatible
100 watts per channel
Able to play speakers in different rooms simultaneously
9.2 channels
8 HDMI ports
Cons
Heavy at 27.69 pounds
As a whole, this is a great all around receiver that’s especially amazing for those looking for complete Atmos compatibility.
The One To Get For Automatic Speaker Calibration – Denon AVR S760H
There’s been multiple receivers mentioned that employ room correction software, and In the case of the AVR S760H, that still very much holds true.
Through its use of highly advanced software, the included microphone is able to automatically calibrate your speakers with ease — and this can make a big difference when it comes to sound quality.
If you take the time to listen to your speakers beforehand, and then listen to the same material after you’ve calibrated them, you may notice the difference in terms of detail and overall clarity. It also supports something called Dynamic volume.
Have you ever watched a show at night that was at a low volume, and then a commercial came on that was super loud?
Well what this feature does is flattens out the highs and lows so that everything remains the same volume. This feature is especially perfect if you happen to be a nighttime viewer and plan to primarily use this in something like a bedroom since there won’t be any massive jumps in volume when you’re relaxing.
I’m sure many out there can appreciate that.
What’s really cool is the support for virtual height surround sound, which basically makes it seem as though sound effects are coming from above you too. This brings the immersion factor to 11 to be honest. It’s hard to describe but it’s definitely something you’d need to try to understand what I’m taking about.
It’s incredible.
In terms of power, this thing has a good amount at 75 watts
Music lovers rejoice, as this has support for everything you can think of. Dual band WIFI, Bluetooth, Pandora, Sirius XM, Spotify, you get the point.
That means you’ll be able to listen to all of your favorite music without any worry of compatibility issues, even with your smartphone.
There’s support for all the usual features you’d expect of a quality receiver like support for Dolby Atmos and 4K.
But the most interesting thing I think exists with this receiver is the amount of HDMI slots it has.
This one has 7, meaning you’ll be able to use all of your HDMI enabled devices easily. There’s even eARC support for easy passthrough with Atmos content.
The dimensions measure 13.3 x 17.1 x 6 inches
Pros
Incredibly fast automatic speaker calibration
Support for all major Audio and Video formats like Dolby Atmos, 4K, and HDR including Dolby Vision
7.2 channels allows you to use dual subwoofers
75 Watts
Bluetooth and Wifi
Dynamic volume control for a consistent volume with movie watching at night
Compatible with voice assistants
Looks good
Cons
Heavy at 19 pounds
Long story short, this is definitely one of my favorite receivers because of all the things on offer here, and how well it does it. It’s really hard to go wrong with this one.
The Best High End Model – Denon X8500HA 13.2 Channel
Now here’s one for the dedicated out there with bigger setups and want the top of the line with all the bells and whistles.
In terms of the best high end, you’d be hard pressed to find a better choice than the X8500HA
To go into detail about all the features this thing has would be extremely hard (it has a TON), so I’ll only be covering a few of the major ones.
The first thing to note about this receiver is how many speakers it supports; it’s the world’s first 13.2 channel receiver at 150 watts per channel!
Now I’ll be honest and just say that the highest I have personal experience with is 11.2, so the fact it can even do 2 more than that is insane.
That’s enough to do 7.1.6 or 9.1.4 surround sound.
Of course every video and sound format you could even think of is included as well, so it’ll support even the most cutting edge of TV’s, speakers, and devices available today.
It has the full suite of wireless capabilities like Bluetooth, WIFI, etc so you’ll be more than capable of playing all your favorite songs straight from your phone to the receiver.
It has 8 HDMI ins, and 3 HDMI outs making it an amazing choice for those of you with a lot of things to connect.
It’s fully smart assistant compatible too, so controlling it while lounging is very much a reality.
There’s also a mobile app should you want to control it that way. I think the biggest feature it touts though is its high-end room calibration software.
It’s one of the most accurate ones out there, so the difference it’ll make with your speakers will be undoubtedly massive.
Even when it comes to looks, the small blue illuminated display looks striking in contrast with the black enclosure that sits atop 4 aluminum feet.
Everything manages to come together for an extremely impressive presentation overall. This is truly the apex of home theater design.
In terms of dimensions, it comes in at 17.1 x 18.6 x 7.7 inches
Pros
13.2 channel receiver capable of also doing 7.1.6 or 9.1.4 surround sound
8 HDMI ins and 3 HDMI outs with eARC support
Supports every video and audio format under the sun from Dolby Atmos, 8K, 4K, HDR, IMAX Enhanced, you name it
Incredible room correction software
Bluetooth and Dual band WIFI support
Support for Smart Assistant
Cons
Being that it’s high end, it may not be the most accessible for every person
Very heavy at close to 59.9 pounds
At the end of the day though, if you’re looking for a truly high-end receiver that really does it all, then no doubt this is a fantastic choice.
Well you can think of a receiver as the head honcho of pretty much everything. It’s the hub that not only powers your speakers, but also lets you switch between all the devices connected to it.
Without it, nothing else would function. It controls the volume, EQ settings, you name it.
You’ll commonly see them as cable box sized metal enclosures with a myriad of controls on the front; and an impressive amount of connections on the back.
How Do They Work?
Here’s a good question how do they actually work?
Put simply, inside each receiver is a preamplifier, amplifier, and a decoder.
The receiver is going to be the one to decide how loud your system can go, and to some degree, even how it sounds (I know that “sounds” outlandish, but I’ve personally noticed a difference using the same speakers with different receivers)
So with that, obviously getting a quality one is rather important; but therein lies the very problem.
What constitutes a quality receiver?
Better yet, how do you choose the one that’s right for you?
Well since I’m not a psychic, (that’d be awesome) I can’t exactly tell you that you need this or that since everyone will have different systems and room setups.
What I can do is go over some of the most common features that you’ll run into so you have an idea of what you might specifically want.
Different Channel Numbers
One of the biggest factors that’ll influence what you end up choosing, is keeping in mind the number of speakers and subwoofers you plan on using.
Just as a little refresher, when referring to channels, the first number stands for the amount of individual speakers, and the second stands for the number of subwoofers.
So in a 2.1 system, that means you’ll have a left speaker, a right one, and a subwoofer. In a 5.1 system (the most common) you’ll have a center speaker, the left, right, and two surround speakers plus the sub.
In a 7.1 there’s two additional speakers behind you, and so on.
Now there’s two parts to this though.
On one hand, the more speakers that you have in your setup, the more immersive and engaging it’ll be.
On the other hand, the receivers that support setups like 9.1 or even 13.1 are likely to be more expensive (they’re pretty fantastic though honestly)
So in the end, it’ll really boil down to what you personally plan on doing.
I’d certainly say that going for a receiver that naturally supports 2 subwoofers is a solid choice since the benefits of 2 are pretty incredible.
But even if you have a receiver that only supports 1, it’s still technically possible to use 2.
Think of Ohms as the resistance an audio component has to produce an output (often referred to as impedance).
The lower the Ohm rating, the easier it’ll be to power. Ideally, you’d want a receiver that supports multiple Ohm ratings.
Why?
Well by doing so that gives you a lot more variability in what can use.
Like let’s say for example you got a receiver that supported an 8,6, and 4 rating, while your speakers supported 8.
Then you bought more speakers down the line rated at 4.
The great thing is that because that receiver still supports a rating that low, you wouldn’t have to go out and get a new one; thus saving you money.
Who doesn’t love that?
Wattage Per Channel
This is a huge one as well.
This is essentially how much power it’s capable of providing to your system.
Now usually people will say that focusing on the speakers and then the receiver is your best bet, but I’d argue the opposite.
What good is a fantastic set of speakers if you get a so-so unit that’s underpowered?
I’d say that the receiver is much more important because it’s the thing capable of actually manipulating the sound.
My advice to you would be to get a receiver that’s capable of producing at the very least 75 watts per channel.
That way you’ll get adequate power for most rooms.
4K Support
4k is a relatively new format with 4 times the resolution of current high defintion. It really is unbelievable in person if you haven’t seen it already.
But If you plan on using a 4k TV with your new speakers, then I’d highly suggest looking into a receiver that supports the format.
Now there are workarounds for ones that don’t like using an optical cable, but the problem with this is you end up losing precious audio quality in the process.
So if 4k is a really big factor for you, then just remember you’ll want one that states it supports it.
HDR is pretty sweet. It stands for high dynamic range and basically displays all of the light and dark elements usually lost in standard range, on screen at the same time. It’s pretty hard to explain without seeing it for yourself, but just know that it makes a huge difference visually.
But here’s a really interesting tidbit that should help you out. If you have a TV that’s capable of producing HDR, a normal receiver from a few years back won’t work via HDMI with it.. (say what?)
I know. This was something I found out the hard way, leading me to having to buy yet another one. I just wanted to let you know beforehand that unless use an optical cable (subsequently losing audio quality in the process), then look for a receiver that supports this.
However luckily, since the format is becoming much more common, there are quite a few out there now that do support it.
Admittedly, there are a ton of connection options on any given receiver, but the ones you’re likely to use most are the HDMI slots.
Even though I can’t tell how many devices or game systems you plan on using, realistically you’ll want a receiver with at least 4.
That should give you just enough wiggle room to last for a while.
The thing is though, you’re likely to buy more devices later down the line as well, so getting one that sports more than even that wouldn’t hurt either.
Newer receivers also use something called HDMI 2.1 which is a further iteration on current HDMI standards.
What does that mean exactly though?
Well a bunch of things.
HDMI 2.1 allows for 8K resolutions, high frame rate & low latency gaming, expanded color reproduction, basically a lot.
Of course a display that takes advantage of this by being HDMI 2.1 compliant is helpful too, but newer TVs and monitors typically include this newest version.
If you’re one that likes technology to do all the work, then it might be a great idea to invest in a receiver that automatically calibrates your speakers.
The way this is done is via a small microphone that you plug into the jack labeled mic on the unit.
Then all you have to do is press enter on your remote, and boom that’s it; It’ll do everything for you.
This is awesome because what you end up getting is a more accurate sound while doing a fraction of the work.
Bluetooth
If you’re someone who plans on playing a lot of music rather than movies, then getting a receiver with Bluetooth capabilities is paramount.
By doing so, it’ll enable you to play all your favorite songs from your smartphone with just the press of a button.
That, and you won’t have to worry about constantly being tethered to it with an auxiliary cord; leaving you to dance freely to your heart’s content.
Dolby Atmos
This is a very new technology relative to the audio world that’s just starting to be incorporated more and more.
Now I won’t go too in depth with this one since I’ve done a full article on it, but here’s what you should at least know about it right now; it might be the best thing since sliced bread.
No but really, it’s pretty darn cool.
So with typical surround sound audio, while the sound does in fact envelop you, there’s still a certain lack of directionality that’s lacking when compared with real life.
Dolby Atmos aims to end that issue.
The main draw here is that sounds are not only more realistic, but 3 dimensional as well.
How so?
Well let’s say for example you’re watching a movie and a helicopter suddenly flies over head.
With Atmos, it’ll genuinely sound like a helicopter is actually flying overhead. Or if you’re watching a thriller and something in the movie is sneaking up on the main character from behind them, it’ll sound like something really is.
In my opinion, it’s a complete game changer.
What’s interesting though is that before in order to achieve this, you had to install what are known as ceiling speakers. This obviously wasn’t something most people were keen on doing.
But now there exists specialized speakers out there that sit on top of your current ones to reflect the sound upwards, achieving the same effect.
The result is something I can’t even put into words. It’s really that profound of a difference.
Of course the flipside of this though is that it’ll probably cost more and it might be a little scary with scary movies lol.
But in my humble opinion at least, I truly think it’s worth it and something to at least consider.
Also when it comes to Atmos, a good way to know what the receiver you’re looking at supports is by noticing the amount of channels it supports. Instead of 2 just numbers, there’ll actually be a third denoting what it’s actually capable of.
The first number tells you how many speakers it supports, the second number describes how many subwoofers it’s able to work with, and the third depicts the amount of height surround speakers it’s compatible with; which are the ones that actually handle Atmos.
So for example if the receiver says it supports 7.2.4, that means that it has support for 7 speakers, 2 subwoofers, and 4 height surround speakers.
For the best surround effect, I honestly recommend going with one that at least supports 5.2.4, and ideally 7.2.4 because the level of immersion when watching a movie is a lot more convincing the more speakers you have.
This is a more recent addition that’s included in some units. If you’re a big proponent on voice activated devices, then you’ll be happy to know that some receivers actually include integration with this too.
This would mean you’d technically be able to control your entire home theater with simply your voice. Pretty cool stuff.
But that’s pretty much it as far as the main things to look for in quality receiver though. Obviously you’ll want to put in some thought since the receiver acts as the brains of it all; making it extremely important.
Luckily, the receivers I’ve listed here have a lot of these same features, as well as a bunch more.
So with that, I hope you enjoyed this article on the best home theater receivers for 2024-2025.
As you can see, there’s a ludicrous amount of information out there, so I know firsthand how hard it can be to really understand what to look for.
But hopefully this helps you narrow down your search just a little so you can be on your way to enjoying some surround sound goodness. 😉
Almost forgot. If you run into trouble with your new receiver, I did an article on some common issues you might encounter, why a current receiver might be turning off, and a guide you can use to get the most out of your new toy.
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
This will be an article covering, like the title suggests, the best bookshelf speakers for 2023. It’ll be a list of the top ones you’ll want to consider this year into the next.
However since there might be a few out there with questions, I also wrote a guide below that goes over what a bookshelf speaker actually is, what to look for in one, and why I chose the ones on this list.
The Best For a Very Small Room (8×10 feet) – Yamaha NS-333 2-Way Bass Reflex
The Yamaha NS-333 can actually work great in a variety of room sizes, and in a smaller room, it still performs well without being overpowering. Besides being an attractive looking speaker, there’s a lot offered here as well.
The speaker has a bass reflex design which basically means it has a port to minimize distortion which gives it a much clearer sound even at higher volumes.
There’s two 5 inch woofers here that are made of a polymer- injected mica diaphragm (PMD) and a 1 inch aluminum dome tweeter for exceptional high and low sounds.
But to further help this along, the NS-333 also has Yamaha’s exclusive wave guide horns which basically allows more of the sound to reach your ears without reflecting, resulting in a much clearer and accurate sound overall.
This is especially helpful if you don’t have a lot of sound-absorbing or plush material in the room as this can essentially compensate for that which is really cool.
It can also be wall mounted if you wanted to set things up that way, and includes a 5 way binding post that gives you a plethora of connection options.
Plus there’s a removable grille that gives the speaker an either bold or subdued look.
In terms of measurements, it measures 7 x 8 x 12 inches, and weighs 25.6 pounds.
Pros
Attractive looking exterior
Great sound that doesn’t distort at higher volumes
Dual woofers provides a rich fulfilling sound
Can be wall mounted
5 way binding posts provides a lot of ways to connect it
Cons
6 Ohms so you have to make sure your receiver states that it supports that.
Heavy at 25.6 pounds
At the end of the day, if you don’t mind a heavier speaker, then this one is certainly a great choice.
The Best For a Small Room (10×12 feet) – Dayton Audio B452
This is one that’s right at home in smaller rooms. The all black vinyl finish gives credence to its professional look. What’s cool about this one is the fact that its wall mountable. This dramatically increases the amount of places it can go.
There’s a keyhole wall hanging bracket in the back that makes doing so a cinch. There’s a 4 ½ polypropylene woofer in front that gives a very full and rich sound. Polypropylene is an interesting material because it acts as both a plastic and a fibrous material.
There also happens to be 5/8 inch tweeter that’s ideal for reproducing those higher ranged frequencies that adds to immersion. Dayton also prides itself in the quality of this speaker with its all wood design.
I’ve talked about the benefits of an all wood cabinet many a time, but basically the takeaway here is that it gives you a warm sound that makes listening that much more enjoyable. That’s certainly true here.
There’s a 60-watt max here, and it weighs about 8 pounds. The Ohm rating comes in at 6, and there’s a frequency rating of 85-20,000Hz. That’s a really good rating because this will allow you to cross your subwoofer at the 80-90 Hz range.
That’s the ideal range for a sub to be set at because that’s the point where bass becomes more dispersed and omnipresent.
Overall, it’s a quality speaker that does quite well in smaller rooms.
Pros
Looks great
Wall mountable
4 ½ woofer provides a smooth and satisfying sound
Tweeter for intricate details
Wood cabinet
Cons
Not the greatest for larger sized rooms
5/8 inch tweeter is a little on the smaller side
6 Ohms means you’ll have to be certain you pair this with a receiver that can handle that
Lower sensitivity at 83 means it’ll be a little harder to get this thing to go loud
But besides all that, don’t get the impression that this is a bad speaker, quite the contrary. Like I said before, for smaller to maybe medium(ish) sized rooms, this’ll be one that works great.
The Best For a Medium Room (14×16 feet) – Klipsch R-15M
Klipsch is another reputable brand in the audio industry that really prides itself in everything they do. This is made evident by the quality of the products that they continuously put out.
In the case of the Klipsch R-15M, this absolutely holds true. But why exactly? Well the big thing about this one that makes it so different from other speakers is it uses something called a Tractrix horn loaded tweeter.
To make it simple, traditional tweeters can only go to a certain size before they become too heavy and unwieldy for the user. But with a horn variant, what they are able to do is recess the actual diaphragm itself and build a flared casing around it.
What that does is amplify any audio that then gets output. Basically think of what happens when you use a megaphone, your voice is able to go louder because of that flared design. Same kind of idea here.
The real benefit here is that this allows it to be extremely accurate, letting you hear every single little detail.
The R-15M comes with a copper injection molded graphite (IMG) woofer that while looks amazing of course, manages to pump out some serious sound. What’s particularly interesting as well is the port in the back.
This port is tuned to the enclosure itself and acts as way to minimize unwanted noise; meaning you get less distortion and a clearer sound.
A 5-way binding post in the back is included luckily, which means that you can use any connection type with it.
In terms of looks, the copper driver is a striking difference from the brushed, all black outer and makes for a good looking presentation for sure.
In terms of measurements it comes in at 8.2 x 7 x 12.5 inches and weighs about 10.3 pounds.
Pros
Aesthetically pleasing
Horn loaded tweeter for more accurate sound
5.25 inch copper drivers offer respectable output
Port in the back minimizes unwanted noise
Cons
Not wall mountable
Other than that slight drawback, in terms of quality, this is an excellent speaker.
The Best For a Medium-Large Room (16×20 feet) – Klipsch RB-51 II Black (Pr)
This is a larger speaker than the R-14M, and so is right at home in the medium to large room range. So bearing that in mind, that would mean it is capable of getting pretty loud. This can be attributed to its high efficiency design.
This means that it has the capability to go louder at a lower volume when compared with a similar speaker. Not only that, but it can do so with less distortion to boot. Pretty cool honestly.
It has a keyhole mounting bracket so you can place this on a shelf, or on the wall. Even better is that it has dual threaded inserts for use with any type of stand.
The woofer is also bigger at 5.25 inches. It has a copper exterior, and really does look nice in person. There’s also the inclusion of what Klipsch calls their linear travel suspension horn loaded tweeter (wow that’s a mouthful!)
But what you should know about that is that it offers an increased clarity over what’s normally possible. As a result, your movies and shows will really come to life with all of the additional detail available.
There’s also a port in the back that helps to reduce chuffing (that’s when unwanted noise muddies the original sound) The cabinet itself is a beautiful black wood grain that really feels premium to the touch.
They’re also on the heavier side at 10 pounds each. You should also be aware beforehand that they aren’t the smallest things in the world though at 11.4 inches high and 10.75 inches deep, hence their medium to large room rating.
Thus you’ll definitely want a little space for them.
Pros
Fantastic sound
Wall mountable
Looks Great
Linear travel suspension tweeter offers unparalleled clarity
5-way binding post offers a variety of ways to connect wire
Able to get louder at a lower volume
Cons
Not the smallest thing in the world at almost a foot tall.
On the heavier side at 10 pounds each.
You would really be hard pressed to find a lot actually wrong with this offering. For a medium or average sized room, this thing will excel, no doubt about that. I’d highly recommend it in general.
The Best For a Large Room (22×25 feet) – Yamaha NS-6490
Now we’re getting into to the big boys capable of some serious power. Now for those with larger rooms, the Yamaha NS-6490 is going to be the one you’ll want to go with. Let’s take a look at exactly why though.
So the first thing that separates this offering from the previous speakers mentioned is how it produces it’s sound. Rather than just have 1 mid-range driver and 1 tweeter, the inclusion of a woofer as well is apparent.
But it’s not just any woofer, it’s an 8 inch pearl white heavy duty woofer. That’s pretty unusual because typically speakers only include the mid-range, not a dedicated bass module all together.
But this is an awesome thing for you because what you get is not only more power, but more effortless power at that. What you’ll immediately notice is how rich the sound is.
But upon closer inspection, you’ll also notice how many intricate details it can reproduce as well thanks to its .75 inch tweeter.
The mid-range is 4 inches and will do an admirable job with things like voices and sound effects. To put it into perspective of just how powerful this thing is though, normally I’d recommend getting a speaker that can at least go down to the 80 Hz range.
Well this one can go down to 45! If you don’t realize what that means for you, that means that you can actually use these without a subwoofer! Pretty crazy right?
They’re capable of outputting up to 140 watts as well. Its looks are another plus about this speaker with an angled grille that definitely distinguishes itself from the pack.
Speaking of which, the grille is also removable so you can leave it on or off; really up to you. It’s magnetically shielded as well luckily meaning your electronics will be fine around it.
Pros
Rich Sound
Can be used without a subwoofer because of low frequency response
Looks nice
Can reproduce the higher range sounds as well thanks to its .75 inch tweeter
Cons
Rather heavy at 15 pounds each
Very big at 16.2 x 13.2 x 10.5 inches so you will certainly need to set up the space beforehand
Only accepts banana plugs; would have been nice to see a 5-way binding post to give more options
Still if you have a large room, these would be the ones to get, there’s no doubt about that.
They’re able to produce a very full and clear sound that makes them extremely hard to resist.
The Best For a Very Large (22x 28 feet) – JBL Stage 120
This is going to be one for those of you with the largest of rooms. JBL is another really great brand in the audio industry where their equipment continuously speaks volumes about their attention to quality overall.
It has the capability to go as low as 60 Hz which means it’s entirely possible to use it without a subwoofer all together.
But it’s not just the lows that get this emphasis on incredible output. There’s a 1-inch soft dome tweeter here as well that is capable of producing some extremely clear sound effects.
It truly is incredible in that regard. When you head over to the spec sheet it makes sense with an ability to play up to 40 kHz. To give you an idea of just how good that is, most speakers tend to only go up to about 25k kHz, so that’s way above the norm.
It uses what they call HDI (High Definition Imaging) to produce a sound-stage that almost seems surreal at times. It also has a wattage of about 125, so it can go plenty loud if you needed it to.
It also measures 6.69 x 6.69 x 11.22 inches and weighs 8.40 pounds.
Pros
Superb sound quality
Capable of some serious output with the ability to go down 60 Hz
Can be used as a stereo system without a subwoofer
1-inch tweeter combined with signature HDI technology allows you to hear an incredible range of details
Looks great
Cons
Low sensitivity of 86 means you’ll need a somewhat powerful receiver
Not wall mountable
Besides those 2 things, the stage 130 is certainly an amazing speaker.
So I don’t normally place an emphasis on how good a speaker looks, but in this case I had to. The Klipsch RP-160M is no doubt one of, if not the best looking one I’ve personally come across.
Whether you choose it in piano black, cherry, ebony, or walnut one things for sure; it looks gorgeous regardless. Luckily it’s not all looks with this one either as this thing is a serious performer.
There’s a 6.5-inch copper woofer that looks amazing sure, it manages to sound just as good. 6.5 is pretty big for a driver, so this lets it reach frequencies that typical speakers don’t usually go to. How low you might wonder? Try 45 Hz.
That’s good enough to not need a subwoofer all together which is really impressive. Klipsch’s signature linear travel suspension tweeter also makes an appearance.
For those of you not sure what that means, let’s just sum it up by saying it offers improved clarity over what you may be used to. The benefits of that are of course obvious; much more immersion.
But on top of that, their signature tractrix horn is included as well. This further disperses the sound resulting in a much wider sound-stage overall. They come with a base at the bottom as well that can be unscrewed if you chose to wallmount them.
There’s also a large dedicated port in the back to reduce chuffing (that’s unwanted noise) There’s a removable grill as well though to be honest with you, I personally think it looks better without one (but that’s just me)
Pros
Incredible sound
Can go down to 45 Hz thanks to its large 6.5-inch woofer
Tractrix horn loaded tweeter allows it to reproduce a wide range of detail
Dedicated port adds to the purity of the sound
Beautiful outer cabinet regardless of the color
Cons
Pretty heavy at 25 pounds each
Nearly 17 inches tall and 13 inches deep so they’re pretty big
Other than how impressively big they are, these would be right at home in larger rooms. Yes, they’re beautiful, but what they’re capable of is just as amazing.
The ELAC Uni-fi UB5 would have to be the best higher end model speaker I’ve tried honestly. To say that it looks nice in person would be an understatement. But to state that it sounds great would be even more so.
So what makes it great?
Well one thing that could attribute to that would be the way it’s built all together. It happens to implement what’s called a 3-way design in the audio world.
To simplify what that means, just think of it as a fancy way of saying it has a separate driver for each the bass, treble, and mid-range. By doing it this way, what you are then able to do essentially is reproduce more detail all around. http://www.proaudioland.com/news/2-way-versus-3-way-speaker-systems/
There’s a 5 ¼ inch aluminum woofer that is able to do an exceptional job handling bass. By using aluminum, they are able to go lower without the trouble of additional unwanted resonance.
A 1 inch soft dome tweeter is placed inside a 4 inch mid-range driver. This is called a concentric design. Now I have to admit that this is the first instance I’ve ever seen this. But obviously it works because the result is just incredible.
Another benefit of this design is an improved sound-stage for off axis listening. Obviously not everyone sits directly in front of their speakers, so the fact that ELAC was able to take this into account as well is truly awesome.
That means a better listening experience for everybody. There’s even a 5-way binding post that makes the promise of providing clearer connections between the connector and the terminal.
Pros
High end sound provides an experience like no other
5-way binding posts for a plethora of connection options
Gorgeous cabinet
Unique tweeter inside the mid-range design allows for more articulation and better off axis listening.
3-way build provides for much more accuracy
Cons
Heavy at nearly 18 pounds each
Rather large at nearly 13 inches tall and nearly 11 inches deep
Still, if you’re in the market for a higher end option, this is a solid choice.
Well to put it simply, it’s a speaker that’s not quite large enough to be placed on the floor, that instead is designed with the idea of resting it upon a desk or bookshelf (hence the name)
But keep in mind that that’s not the only difference from the other types out there.
When you have something like let’s say a computer speaker, there’s typically only one driver for the sound. But with a bookshelf variant, there’s usually a tweeter for the treble, and a woofer for the mid-range.
There may even be a port that filters out unwanted noise (you’ll often see these types called a bass reflex design). The drivers are separated like this because it allows for a lot more accuracy, and a better quality overall.
Now believe it or not, home theater didn’t start out with these though. It actually started out with the larger floor-standing models. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t the most home friendly either due to their sheer size and weight.
It wasn’t until the early 1960’s when a man by the name of Edgar Villchur realized that progress could be made in the way of this, and thus created a speaker that while small, still retained a lot of the full range sound the bigger one had.https://www.stereophile.com/interviews/105villchur/index.html
As you could probably imagine, this was not an easy thing to do. Basically, what he did was manage create an enclosure that was nearly airtight. What this did was pressurize the inside, creating additional force against the driver that allowed for a lot of output in a small space.
Today there are of course many different variations on that formula, but this was the original that started it all. So, with all of these designs that exist, what do you look for in a good bookshelf speaker?
Try To Look For A Speaker Cabinet Made Of MDF Wood
Well the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure the one you’re getting is made of MDF wood. MDF stands for medium density fibreboard, and is created by essentially compressing wood fibers and resin into a solid object. This is beneficial because it dramatically decreases the amount of unwanted noise that can occur normally.
For those that don’t know, whenever you get a sound that travels through something, it causes that object to vibrate. This vibration can cause additional noise. This fact becomes especially problematic if you’re a manufacturer attempting to create a speaker that sounds as good as possible.
The next thing you’ll want to do is be cognizant of the wattage and Ohm rating. Wattage is simply a measure of how much power it may consume to produce audio. Ohms is a measure of the resistance an audio component has to produce an output.
Here’s the thing, while there’s no set in stone wattage number you should be shooting for, what you will want to do is make sure that the receiver that you pair it with supports it’s Ohm rating. For example, you might see a receiver that states that it supports 80 watts per channel at 8 Ohms.
What that means is that for each speaker, it can give it up to 80 watts of power. But what happens if you use that same receiver with a speaker that’s rated at say 4 Ohms? Well at normal volumes you technically should be fine, but what will end up happening at even slightly higher volumes is something called clipping.
This is where sonic fidelity is reduced, and distortion starts to occur because the receiver is too under powered for the speaker, or vice versa. Besides a worse quality sound, there’s a good chance it could break both of them all together, so it’s a pretty important subject.
What you should ultimately keep in mind is that you want to make sure that whatever receiver you get supports that speaker’s Ohm rating.
So if you see one rated at 6 Ohms, you want to make sure that the receiver states that it has support for that number.
You may even see ones that state it supports multiple Ohms ratings, and that’s even better because it’s less that you’ll have to worry about. Pretty simple so far right?
Passive & Active Speakers
Another interesting fact that you’ll want to keep in mind is the fact that when deciding upon a good bookshelf speaker, you’ll run into two different types, passive and active.
What’s the difference?
Well an active speaker has what is known as an amplifier which is basically a device that is designed to amplify the sound produced by the speakers from the original audio source. This type of speaker doesn’t need any external sources of power such as a receiver to function since it does the job by itself.
On the other hand a passive speaker is one that does require an external receiver to function. They’re also the one you’re most likely to run into since they’re a lot more common. The advantage of an active speaker is that you won’t need to pair a receiver with them, but the disadvantage is that they aren’t upgradable; meaning if it isn’t capable of going loud enough for a particular room then you’re out of luck.
Also if the amplifier inside dies, then the speaker itself becomes unusable. A passive variant doesn’t have this issue. The advantage of a passive speaker is that if it isn’t loud enough, you can always pair it with a different amplifier or receiver so it can go louder, making it much more versatile. The disadvantage of course, is that you’d need receiver for them to work.
I personally prefer passive speakers because of that versatility, but it really is up to you honestly.
Sensitivity
Now the last thing you’ll want to keep in mind is a speaker’s sensitivity rating.
Think of the sensitivity as a measurement of how easy it is to get to a certain volume. You’ll typically see it referenced in decibels. The higher this number, the louder it’ll get with less power. This is important because if you get a speaker with a really low sensitivity, you’ll end up clipping the sound just to get it to a reasonable listening level.
The opposite is true too.
If you get one that’s too high, you’ll end up blowing the internals. I’ve personally found a good sensitivity rating to be between 83-96db. I feel like that’s the sweet spot to choose between.
Oh yeah, and one quick bonus thing before we wrap up —while nowhere near as important as with subwoofers, the frequency response is also something you may want to at least be aware of. This is the sound range it’s capable of producing.
Now while there’s no real high or low you need this to be at, you will be better of getting one that can at least go down to 80 Hz. Why?
Well if you’re using a subwoofer, this is the cutoff point where sound is localize-able (where you can tell where it’s coming from) and this is where you’ll set your crossover (the setting that tells your subwoofer when to take over)
By getting one that can go at least that low, you’ll be able to set your sub at 80 so you won’t be able to tell where the lower frequencies are coming from (that’s a good thing, you don’t want to be able to tell where the bass is specifically coming from since that’ll add to the immersion factor)
Whew! Hopefully all of that helps in regards on how to actually choose the right bookshelf speaker. So the ones on this list adhere to all those things we talked about, while being fantastic choices overall.
But I really do hope you enjoyed this article on the best bookshelf speakers for 2023. I realize that there’s a lot of options out there, but from my experience thus far, these will be the ones you’ll certainly want to check out.
Also as a little side note, just in case you have any trouble with your new toys, I did an article covering a lot of the typical issues that you may potentially run into; along with some tips on how to fix them. https://easyhometheater.net/common-home-theater-problems
Hopefully all of that helps. But hey if you still have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me since you know I’m there for you. Until next time guys. Make it easy, keep it simple!
Hey everyone it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jay, writer & founder of the site Easy Home Theater. I’ve been with the hobby of home entertainment for many years now. I decided to create this site to be a helpful resource, and share everything that I’ve learned from personal experience with you. I also happen to be a huge gamer, lover of all things tech related, and a major fitness buff (love weightlifting)
