SPEAKER PACKAGES

A surround-sound set-up is an investment and a commitment, but the pay off of immersive home cinema is well worth it. Here are our recommendations

The first thing to consider when building a home cinema system is the number of channels. A 5.1 system is most common and comprises five speakers (two pairs of either floor-standing or stand-mount speakers and one centre speaker) and one subwoofer. 7.1 adds two surround back speakers directly behind your seating position. Beyond that there are immersive sound formats such as Dolby Atmos that add ceiling speakers (if you can) or upward firing modules that bounce their sound off the ceiling (if you can't cut holes in your ceiling). These kinds of systems put the listener in a wonderful bubble of sound if set up properly.

More speakers usually mean more convincing surround sound, although they can take up quite a bit of space. You will also need to factor in the cost (and positioning) of speaker cable. Keeping your selection of speakers to one brand will help keep the sonic balance. This is especially the case with the centre speaker, which should be from the same brand and ideally the same range as the rest of your system to ensure the best sound possible.

All the speaker packages recommended here have been through our thorough testing process and they have passed with flying colours. So whether you are after a budget set-up or the kind of home cinema system that would make Bruce Wayne green with envy, we should have something for you.

WHARFEDALE DX-2

MOVIE MAGIC WITH A TEMPTING PRICE TAG

₹TBA

It's easy to baulk at the thought of introducing a full 5.1 surround sound package into your home when you have limited space - but Wharfedale has just the solution.