Top 10 Best Home Theaters in India 2021 (Sony, Yamaha, and more)

For many of us, the term home theater refers to a set of speakers that provides surround sound when placed all around you. Well, it's not completely incorrect. In reality, home theater refers to a combination of electronics that provides a theater-like experience inside a room at your home.

Of course, it includes speakers. But the rest of the components could be a large screen TV, projector, AV receiver, Bluray player, or even a media player like Chromecast. If you see a company marketing their product as a home theater, make sure that the package also has an AV receiver or a Bluray player along with the speakers.

You should also remember that 2.1 speakers (left and right speakers with a subwoofer) cannot be called a home theater, as it doesn't provide surround sound. Real home theaters have a 5.1 and above speaker setup. Since sound is one of the major aspects, we have included information about speaker setups, placements, and more in the sections below.

Buying a home theater shouldn't be on a whim. Even if you opt for the most expensive one in the market, you may not get the experience you want if certain factors like speaker placement, type, and room size aren't taken into consideration. Keep reading to know more.

The term channel refers to a speaker. A typical 5.1 setup includes a center, front left, front right, and left and right speakers, and a subwoofer. 5.1 is the minimum requirement to qualify as a home theater setup. But there is an exception. 

If you choose not to have a center speaker, the setup will become 4.1, which still provides surround sound. But you need a center speaker for clearer dialogues. Depending on the extent of surround sound effect you want, there are 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, and even 13.1 speaker setups. Here is the meaning of these numbers. 

In 7.1, "7" refers to the number of speakers, while "1" refers to the subwoofer. You may even come across a 7.1.2 surround sound system. The extra "2" refers to the overhead speakers or up-firing speakers providing Dolby Atmos surround sound.

This is the technology that gives the effect of jets flying over our heads in movies. The more speakers you have, the better the surround sound effect. An example of a typical 7.1 setup is center, front left, front right, left, right, rear left, and rear right. If you don't want rear left and rear right, you can move them overhead for the Dolby Atmos effect.

You can look at two factors to determine how loud your speakers can play—sensitivity (denoted in dB) and wattage. The relation between them can be a bit confusing, so let us explain with an example. Imagine you have two speakers with 80 dB and 100dB sensitivities set at level 3 volumes. And if you are sitting 5 meters away from them, the 100dB speaker will sound louder.

Here comes the wattage part. If both the speakers are 50 watts and the volume is maximum, the 100dB speaker will be louder. But most companies only use wattage while marketing their products because it is easier for the public to understand—an increase in wattage means more loudness.

Consider the estimated room sizes in feet below. These are approximate values.

• 12 x 18 - Small
• 16 x 20 - Medium
• 22 x 28 - Large

Home theater systems specify the combined wattage of all speakers. For small to medium-size rooms, 400 to 600 W speakers would be adequate; large rooms may need more than that. You can use a 400 W speaker system in a large room—you only need to turn the volume knob more for more loudness, making them play at higher powers, which will damage them in the long run.

You have three options to experience surround sound—soundbar, conventional speaker setup, and a combination of both. Let's look at the benefits of each of them.

Setting up speakers all around you need space and proper electrical connections. Otherwise, you will have wires running all over the place. If your room doesn't have space or facilities for a conventional speaker setup, a soundbar is the best option. 

But soundbars only "simulate" surround sound using certain algorithms and speakers angled at specific directions, which may not be up to the mark. You will get a surround sound effect when sound bounces off the wall and the ceilings and reaches your ears. 

But soundbars make Dolby Atmos possible without the need to install height channels or ceiling speakers. Sony's 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos soundbar is one such product. They have up-firing speakers that reflect sound off the ceiling to add height to the audio.

There are combinations of soundbars and surround sound speakers as well. In such products, the soundbar will have the subwoofer, center, front left, and front right speakers, and the left and right speakers will be separate for you to place on both sides of your listening position.

Conventional setup involves placing separate speakers in specific positions for experiencing surround sound. You may already know how to set up a 5.1 system from the sections above. But there is an exception for the left and right speakers in that setup. 

Some people use them as rear left and rear right, which is a personal preference and not wrong. If you buy a 7.1 system, you will have three speakers in the front, two on the sides, and two behind you. A 9.1 setup will allow you to add two height speakers for experiencing Dolby Atmos. 

A conventional speaker setup provides a more immersive experience compared to a soundbar. Make sure to place the speakers at ear level or a little above for optimum quality.

There are multiple ways of relaying audio from your TV, Bluray player, or AV receiver. You may use analog cables (red and white or red and black), HDMI, or optical cables, with the latter two being the advanced ones. 

Most modern surround sound systems will have HDMI or optical connectivity, or both. These can relay high-quality audio compared to analog cables. Both HDMI and optical can pass high-resolution audio formats like Dolby Digital. But only HDMI can pass higher-resolution formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. 

Don't worry, the difference between them is so subtle that you may not even notice them. If your large screen TV only has HDMI, make sure the home theater system or soundbar you buy also supports HDMI connectivity.

Three different types of speakers are satellite, bookshelf, and floor-standing. Satellite speakers are small and best suited for living rooms. You can place them on your TV unit and on a platform fixed to the wall to experience surround sound. 

Bookshelf and floor-standing speakers suit your living room too, but if you have a theater room in your house, these are better options. If you don't want to drill holes on the wall for fixing satellite speakers, go for floor-standing ones. 

Since they are tall, the audio is played at ear level, giving you maximum surround sound quality. Speakers can also add to the aesthetics of your living room. If you want to give your living room or theater room a premium look, try to go for a bookshelf or floor-standing speakers.

As we have mentioned, a home theater system will only become complete if it has a device that handles the video aspect. An AV receiver is a device to which you have to connect everything that sends audio and video signals like cable TV, Chromecast, and Bluray player. The device will then sort the signals and pass the video signals to your TV or projector and audio signals to the respective channels.

You can buy AV receivers with Dolby Atmos that support as many as 13 speakers and two subwoofers (13.2 surround sound). If you plan to build a dedicated home theater room, choose an AV receiver that supports the number of speakers you want and can pass video formats like 4K, 4K Bluray, and 3D.

Some Bluray players in the market have the capability to upscale the video. If you have a full HD video, it can upscale it to 4K or even 3D.

This curated list comprises the best home theaters you can buy online. Don't forget to consider the points in the buying guide to determine which home theater is best for your house. We have included more home theater products with only speaker systems, as the demand is more for surround sound audio. Make your chouce from top brands like JBL, Samsung, Sony, Yamaha, and more.

Now that you have selected your desired home theater, it's time to decide the viewing experience you want. Our articles about the top ten best smart TVs and home projectors in India will help you with just that. What if you are watching a movie or playing video games while other family members are in the room? 

You don't want to disturb them nor put headphones on as you won't be able to hear if they say anything. A wearable speaker is a convenient solution for that. Click on the links below to learn more about these electronics and buy from our Top 10 recommendations too.

When buying a home theater, make sure that it is adequate for your room size and setup. Reflective surfaces like tiled floors and glass windows may make the sound seem muddy. So, if you have a large living room or a dedicated home theater room, try to carpet the floors and shutter the glass windows.

If you want to design your room in advance for optimum sound quality, try to make it rectangular. The TV or projector should be placed on the wall with the least length. You can place the surround speakers on the sides or the rear, depending on the number of channels you have.

Author - Arun F Xaviour