5 of the Best Audio Upgrades for Your Setup, According to Home Theater Enthusiasts

Building a home theater system shouldn’t be a stressful process that puts you out of business. If you’re tired of bad sound from your TV speakers, you can always invest in a soundbar for an immediate improvement, and there are many that cost less than $200. But if your end goal is to have an Atmos 9.1.2 system that swallows up every square inch of your living room with sound, you can rest assured that you don’t have to buy all of your home theater equipment at once.

An AV receiver is one of the most important parts of an immersive surround sound system, but other audio investments can also make a huge difference. Yes, everyone knows that adding a subwoofer to your setup is one of the best ways to boost bass, but we’re on a mission to think outside the box when it comes to home theater audio enhancements. To that end, we’ve come up with five audio enhancements that we think are worth your hard-earned money.

No two home theaters are the same, so some of the recommendations we share may not apply to you and yours. Luckily, you can really take your time building the theater of your dreams, so don’t worry about treating yourself to the biggest, baddest speakers you can find; We have many other upgrade suggestions that a.) might be less expensive, and b.) will have just as significant an impact.

A center speaker is the unsung hero of many surround sound systems. This is the part of your home theater setup that is primarily responsible for delivering dialogue and vocals, and is usually located just above or below your television screen. Movies and TV shows featuring a 5.1 or higher surround sound mix, whether Dolby Digital or DTS, use the front three channels to direct the sound at you. If you don’t have a center speaker connected, your AV receiver will automatically mix the center channel audio to your front left and right speakers.

However, this is not preferable, as most center speakers are specifically designed to handle the higher frequencies of human voices. Relegating this part of the soundstage to other speakers can result in garbled dialogue and vocals, but thanks to the modular expandability of many home theaters, you don’t need to buy a center speaker right away. In fact, your best bet is to try to evenly match the size and brand of the front three channels of your surround sound; this way the overall sound profile remains consistent from left to right.

This process is called “voice matching” and is one of the best ways to develop the front of your speaker setup. You’ll also want to know the speaker materials your center speaker uses; Soft dome tweeters are great for smoother sound, while the hard dome style is often preferred for dialogue clarity.

We’re starting to see fewer Blu-ray players on the market as most households continue to choose streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+. Fortunately, there are still a handful of players that will let you play 4K Blu-rays, as well as standard Blu-rays, DVDs, and even CDs. But there are also a small number of UHD players that can be used for high-resolution audio playback. A good example is the $550 Panasonic DP-UB820:

Not only can this 4K player decode Dolby Digital, DTS, and spatial audio via Atmos and DTS:X, but it also supports playback up to 32-bit/192 kHz when using an external USB device (it supports PCM up to 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD up to 11.2 MHz). This means that if you want to indulge in an archive of FLAC, WAV, and other high-resolution files, you can use your UB820 to decode these premium formats.

Another advantage of the UB820 is that it has line-level analog outputs for up to 7.1 surround sound setup. This is especially handy if you prefer the 4K player’s internal DAC over your AV receiver’s audio processing. Line-level outputs will also allow you to interface your UHD player with most dedicated preamps and amplifiers, which tend to prioritize analog connections over HDMI.

One of the last major audio advancements for home theater fans was the introduction of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to the consumer market. Unlike a traditional 5.1, 7.1, or even 9.2 surround sound setup, Atmos and DTS:X take it a step further by introducing verticality to your home theater audio. Many mid-range and high-end AV receivers support Atmos and DTS:X, but if you don’t want to rely on “virtualized” spatial audio (a fancy way of saying that your receiver will simulate Atmos and/or DTS:X), you should invest in a few spatial audio speakers.

For setups where money is no object, you can use in-ceiling speakers to drive your Atmos/DTS:X sound. This is the ideal setup because you’ll be able to direct drivers directly to your seating area, creating your best 360-degree full-immersion photo. The reality is that not every homeowner can afford to start tearing out drywall, which is why it’s good that several speaker manufacturers have found a way to split the difference.

A good example is the $150 Klipsch Reference R-41SA, a pair of surround speakers designed to sit on top of Klipsch floor-standing speakers. The driver’s light sounds toward the ceiling, relying on audio reflection to bring the decibels back toward your seat. You can also mount these speakers on a flat wall for a similar effect.

An active subwoofer is one of the best ways to add punchy, rumbling sounds to your speaker system. This also takes the pressure off the rest of your speakers, allowing them to focus on delivering clearer mids and highs. However, not every home has the space for a big square woofer, which is why we’re glad bass shakers exist. Of course, they are a little unconventional, but above all we want to defend new ideas.

Bass shakers are made by several companies, and the $55 Dayton Audio BST-1 is a good example of what you get with this type of product. Essentially, it’s just a small woofer encased in a metal chassis, which attaches to the frame of a chair, sofa, etc. When bass sounds in your movies and shows, the frequencies are directed to the BST-1, which responds by “shaking” your furniture. It’s a pretty cool experience, but it requires additional equipment to operate; primarily, a subwoofer amplifier.

Unlike the LFE port you’ll find on most AV receivers and subwoofers, most bass vibrators are wired using regular speaker terminals. Unless you have an older receiver that interfaces with a subwoofer via speaker wire, you will need to purchase a separate subwoofer amp. Luckily, there are tons of compatible amps on the market, but you’ll need to make sure they have enough power per channel for the shakers you plan to install.

Walls, floors, ceilings and windows are the building blocks of every home. Each type of surface reacts differently to sound waves, and a space that isn’t acoustically optimized tends to create muddy mixes. If you’ve been experiencing dull sound when watching movies or listening to music, it may be time to consider an acoustic panel pack. These are relatively inexpensive and quite simple to fit and secure.

If low frequencies seem too emphasized, placing bass traps in the corners of your room can help you focus and concentrate your bass. Any type of hard flooring reflects sound waves, which is why many home theaters use wall-to-wall carpeting. Aim for thicker, cut-pile carpet, as the dense fibers will also help balance the higher frequencies in your system. Even everyday furniture and decor can help you perfect your home theater sound.

For home theaters with lots of windows, you’d be surprised how effective a few sets of blackout curtains are at a.) reducing ambient light (which bodes well for projector owners) and b.) lassoing higher frequencies that would normally just be reflected in a random direction. And like many of the recommendations we’ve discussed, you don’t have to buy all acoustic treatment products at once. Start with a few pairs of curtains and a handful of acoustic panels; we bet you’ll be shocked by the improvement.