Top Best 4 Home Theater Systems For Small Rooms in December 2021

Above all I would like to rate this product on the sound it offers and it is simply put amazing! Why not 5 stars - I had to separately purchase wall mount brackets for all of the speakers and an in-wall wiring kit (BTW in-wall wiring kit had an issue with incorrect wire labels that was a pain to figure out, thanks to support blog posts). At this price one would expect that these would be included. Also, the set up process is not as easy/simple as Bose wants you to believe. I would recommend a professional to help with the installation and configuration in order to achieve best results on the sound.

I am a huge fan of Bose products and have purchased numerous products over the years, including headphones, SoundTouch speakers and a 3-2-1 AV system that produced excellent sound for over 10 years. We purchased a new LG OLED 65" 4K TV and decided to upgrade our 3-2-1 to the Lifestyle 650 at the same time. I purchase the L650 system for 3 reasons: (1) Sound quality; (2) single integration of external HD devices through 1 HDMI cable to the TV; and (3) combining all remotes into the single Lifestyle 650 smart remote.

(1) Sound quality: when we were able to get the system working initially, the sound was incredible. It filled the room fully, and the 5.1 surround sound processing created a dramatic effect, particularly for true 4k inputs (Blue Ray and 4k streaming). It's hard to believe that the sound is coming from the tiny speakers. Set up with the ADAPTiQ was quite easy. I remain convinced that Bose is one of the best sound technology companies in the world. Sound quality review: 5 stars.

(2) Video integration: This is where the problems start. The system has a lot of software issues attempting to deal with the ARC HDMI connection (which lets signals run both ways through the cable) and the HDCP 2.2 anti-piracy encryption. Unfortunately (in my experience), it frequently fails in the handshake with the counter device (4kTV, digital cable box, Blue-Ray, etc.), even when previously recognized. The net effect is there can be no picture, a flawed picture, or no sound. Our system worked well for a few minutes after set-up, but then lost sound. I spent the better part of 2 days on the phone with customer service, who acknowledged the issues and ran me through various reboots, configuration changes, re-connecting cables to avoid the ARC input, turning all CEC smart connections off, etc. This required me to remove and re-add the same devices in the software several times, and to eventually complete hard factory resets and start over from scratch on the whole set up. We also tried hard wiring optical audio from the TV to the Bose and from the inputs (cable, Blue Ray) to the Bose. In the end, none of it worked. You could unplug and replug the HDMI and it would work initially, but then fail again after a few minutes. Since all other devices and cables were new, Bose concluded the unit had software issues and that they would replace it. This could be true; however, in the process of troubleshooting, I came across numerous postings of similar issues -- both the ARC connection and particularly the HDCP 2.2 handshake failure. It does not seem that the problem is unique to me. Video integration review: 1 star.

(3) Unified remote: Before the handshake issues started, I spent 90 minutes with customer service in the initial setup trying to get the remote to recognize my 3 devices: a new LG 4K TV, a new Sony Blue-Ray, and a current digital cable TV box. In the auto set-up, it said each device was recognized, but did not operate any successfully. We then did the manual set-up based on each specific product model number; it indicated that the product was found and paired, but the remote never worked for any of the devices -- not even a simple power on/off. We tried various combinations of CEC on and off without success. Bose ultimately recommended that we continue to use each of the manufacturers' remotes, rendering the 650 remote of little value and just a 4th remote on the table. Unified Remote review: 1 star.

Conclusion:

As much as I respect and admire Bose for sound, I think they are out of their sweet spot when they venture into video. (This was even true with the old 3-2-1 System (the Lifestyle 600/650 predecessor). The built in DVD player was buggy from the day we bought it, often skipping or just timing out and unable to display DVDs that a $30 replacement DVD player rendered perfectly. The sound was beautiful so we just avoided the DVD player...) In working through the troubleshooting for the 650, it was very frustrating as each individual fix caused other software failures to appear. (Hard reset caused the speaker connections to be lost from the unit. Factory reset caused the remote pairing to be lost.) All of these procedures were quite mysterious as there is virtually no substantive troubleshooting documentation available online -- only through customer service. Community blogs are very spotty, illuminating the issues but with few solutions. I would note that customer service was very friendly and patient, but also had wait times well in excess of an hour each time I called.

In the end, the 650 system is marketed for elegance and simplicity. It is a well-constructed, beautiful product, yet is anything but simple. New technologies like the ARC and HDCP 2.2 do not seem to have the kinks worked out yet. I am returning the unit and will revert to a more traditional receiver setup. If you are looking for a simple, turn-key solution, a soundbar with wireless subwoofer and a direct optical audio connection may be the better bet. If you don't mind tinkering with various setup configurations and have good technical working knowledge, it may be the right product with excellent sound.

THIS IS WORTH THE MONEY FOR SURE! WE HAVE A THEATER EXPERIENCE, EVERY TIME WE WATCH A MOVIE.

The most quality electronics ever bought, I like this product so much, great technology.

Above all I would like to rate this product on the sound it offers and it is simply put amazing! Why not 5 stars - I had to separately purchase wall mount brackets for all of the speakers and an in-wall wiring kit (BTW in-wall wiring kit had an issue with incorrect wire labels that was a pain to figure out, thanks to support blog posts). At this price one would expect that these would be included. Also, the set up process is not as easy/simple as Bose wants you to believe. I would recommend a professional to help with the installation and configuration in order to achieve best results on the sound.

This was an upgrade from my 20-year-old Bose Lifestyle 25 surround system. The unit is beautiful to look at and the sound produced by the small surround speakers is very impressive. A clear upgrade from the 25 is the streaming options...both through wi-fi and Bluetooth. The remote is a little bulky (is actually taller than the speaker cubes!), but not difficult to use. Connections to various media through the console are easy to attach and Bose provides ample HDMI ports. Although the rear speakers can be connected wirelessly, three different Bose techs I talked with suggested wiring them for optimal sound. Plus, the heavy "bricks" needed to connect wirelessly also require two electrical outlets. Note the 650 does not have a CD player or AM/FM tuner, but there are simple ways to add those if you want. To be honest, I do not hear a dramatic improvement is the overall surround sound, compared with my older Lifestyle 25, but I attribute that more toward the overall quality of the Bose products over the years than any perceived problems. The 650 is not cheap, but none of the Bose line of products are. I also am impressed with the Bose customer service techs who have helped me tweak the system over the past few weeks. They are quite patient and have helped me better understand "best practices" for the system. One significant downside to my experience was the terrible service I received from the Best Buy Geek Squad. From my first meeting with them, I experienced misleading promises, missed deadlines and delays. Much, but not all, of that disappoint was offset by the wonderful, excellent work of the Geek Squad installer who dismantled by old 25 and connected the 650. It was a four-hour process and he did a superb job. Too bad my initial experience with this group was so problematic. That said, a month in, I am happy with the performance and love the new system. I just hope the Geek Squad does a serious examination of their practices so the overall Best Buy/Bose experience in the future improves.

This being the central core to my home entertainment system, I didn't want to scrimp. I mean, everything else is piped through this, right? So, I spent the money.

At first I was underwhelmed by the sound quality. I thought, "I paid 4K for this?!" Then, I hooked my turntable to it. WOW! It's as though they are sitting in my living room! I realized that my first impression was due to the signal that I get from my cable company. Money well spent.!!!

The best surround sound it's amazing buy you will love it and enjoy it you feel like you are in the movies

Just purchased last week and so far - so good. I have a one bedroom apartment and the unit it PLENTY loud. I'm not a super audiophile but the system has a deep, rich sound out of the box and the surround sound is really great and makes you feel like you're in a movie theatre.

You WILL spend 2 - 3 days tweaking settings to your liking and there are A LOT of variables that will effect how this sounds in your personal space. The YPAO microphone (included) will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you but I still found myself futzing with the speaker levels to suit my liking even after running the speaker balancing set up program.

I can verify that this does, indeed, offer 4k UHD HDR pass through @ 60hz. Of course, your TV has to support this as well in order for it to work and don't forget to adjust your TVs HDMI input manager so that it allows it to accept the passthrough. This took me a couple days to figure out.

I watched John Carpenter's "The Thing" and "Blade Runner" on physical 4k UHD discs and can attest the 5.1 surround sound is pretty great. Felt like I was sitting in the movie theatre. No - it does not decode Dolby Atmos but unless you have a 9.1 Atmos speaker set up - you're not getting Dolby Atmos anyway no matter what your TV / Streaming service says.

It has all your major AV inputs - HDMI x 4, EARC x 1, Coaxial, Optical, and RCA. Very nice considering many amps are fading RCA and Optical.

A heads up that while, yes, this is a "Home Theatre In A Box" it is not "plug and play" like a sound bar. You will spend a good a few hours getting the speakers where you want them and dressing the wires. I would really recommend picking up an extra spool of speaker wire because they give you JUST ENOUGH for all the included ones. If you miscalculate a wire measurement or have a really big room you're setting this up in, you will probably need the extra. Then - once you get it set up - you will dive down the rabbit hole of tweaking the settings and getting the sound to where you like it. If you don't have a passing knowledge of home audio set up - this will most likely be a frustrating, but not insurmountable, experience for you.

Overall I am happy with this purchase and it does what I wanted it to do. Four stars for now. I will change to five stars once the promised HDMI 2.1 / 4K 120hz passthrough hardware upgrade is released.

Great system but beware of buying open box. Mine was listed as "open box excellent" and it was full of cockroaches when it arrived. As a result we got a German cockroach infestation. The system itself sounds great for a theater in a box system. I recommend this setup.

I bought this system for my apartment and it was $650 before taxes. The main thing to note is it has 3 front speakers and 2 SIDE speakers, so the sound will be from the sides not the rear, which was in the description, just emphasizing. I am in love with it and I'm sure if I maximized it's potential I could rack up some complaint.

It’s a great product but this was the first time I ever buy a home theater system with wires that I have to clip and measure to install. I didn’t even have wire cutters or anything around me. I used scissors and it was very annoying.

The product itself is cool. Installation was the annoying part. I’ve never been so annoyed before. But after I cut and measured out the wires, I was able to install and it was done. There was also a lag in audio/video that corrected itself because this system comes with a mic that also listens to the room’s tone and auto-tunes itself. Overall, good buy. Just the whole wire thing. Made a 5 star go to 3 for sure.

Works very well with my tv, my Blue-ray player, and for the surround for my music (all different brand names). The sub-woofer works great, and the speakers were easy to hook up and adjust with the receiver. The system also features a remote that is easy to use. The sound is awesome. I was impressed with this theater system for the price, as I had tried others.

I love the sound and how easy it was to install. I would highly recommend.

I enjoy the speaker clarity resulting from the 725 rms power rating resulting in not needing a high db level sound level for comfortably listening.

I just bought this last night so I haven't had a chance to really review it

The sound and immersion are great - huge step up from any soundbar. Be prepared for frequent trips into the setup menu to re-calibrate the wireless connection between the speakers. It seems like I need to do this every time I use it, but once done it typically gets me 3-4 hours of uninterrupted movie watching/music listening before it needs to be done again. Seems that Sony is aware of these issues, since they included an insert that is the first thing you see when you unbox (see attached photo).

Like a lot of people here, I am having the same issue with sound drop out through this system. When it does work it's very impressive but having to reset the system half way through a movie is, the opposite, of immersive. It's a shame because this is very difficult to recommend based on the current experience and I hope Sony does something to make these expensive, high-end item, more reliable.

I've been using the system for a few weeks now. I was one of the unlucky ones that had 1 speaker that wouldn't pair so I had to return the first system and get a new one. The second system was able to be setup successfully and I've been very pleased with the sound. It's one of the best sound bubbles that I've experienced, though the system is a bit bright for my ears and could benefit from manual EQ options. When the system is stable I think it competes with a dedicated mid range speaker setup and beats any soundbar I've heard. However the instability leads into some of my complaints about the system:

-I don't think I've gone a day where I haven't had audio drop outs and I've followed all of Sony's recommendations. This is fixed by switching RF On and Off, and it's usually stable for most of the day afterwards, but I usually have to touch this option at least once a day. My recommendation is to let people choose the 5GHz wireless channel themselves. For me, it often auto-selects DFS channels that might be uncongested but aren't very stable, at least in my area.

-The speaker and sub configuration options are too basic. Yes it auto-calibrates your room space, but you can't fine tune this by setting exact distance measurements and individual speaker levels. Just about all of the options are a range like, "1-5 ft/slightly to your left or right", instead of specifics like "3.25 ft. from main listening area". My older HT-Z9F has these options. This section is labeled "Advanced Settings", but lacks many settings an advanced user might want to tweak.

-It has an option to use Dolby's own speaker virtualization mode instead of Sony's sound modes. Some may find this mode preferable, but this mode does not work with 5.1/7.1 LPCM, only 2.1 LPCM or a Dolby signal. This may be of concern to someone that uses an Apple TV or game console that outputs multi-channel LPCM. This wasn't a problem with my HT-Z9F.

I'm hoping there's at least one update that will address these issues while I'm testing out the system. In perfect conditions, I don't think anyone would be disappointed with the sound quality, but it's hard to recommend to most people with its current firmware. It's very close to getting my recommendation, but it's not quite there yet.

Fantastic sound beyond what a soundbar can provide BUT… this system suffers audio drop outs. You may not have them right away but you WILL have them at some point and time which quite frankly is unacceptable at this price point.

I had a fully stable system for a good week or so and then suddenly it would start dropping audio at random. To be clear, I’ve placed my speakers within direct line of sight of the A9 control box and also moved my WiFi router at least 5-6ft away yet I’m still having issues at random.

I have HomePods that maintain audio just fine and from what I’ve heard Sonos systems are pretty rock solid as well so I’m not sure why this higher priced system from Sony is so buggy.

Hoping for a firmware fix from Sony soon otherwise I’ll be taking it back.

I’d summarize it by saying outside of a traditional receiver and speaker set up this is the most immersive system you are going to find BUT it’s not worth it when it breaks the immersion and enjoyment with audio drop outs. Wait until Sony figures this out.

If you have sound-drops. Try to connect your streaming devices straight to the Sony Hub.

I have the system for about 2 weeks now. I had the Nakamichi 9.2.4 soundbar system before, and this Sony system totally out perform the Nakamichi. I pair the Sony system with the SW5 subwoofer, and I think it is a must.

I use Nvidia Shield TV as my streaming devices. When I connect the Shield TV to my Vizio Tv and connect Arc Hdmi to Sony A9, I have sound drops every often. I dont think it is the connection issues between the Sony hub and the speakers because the light on speakers still green. I have other devices (ps5, Nintendo Switch) connect to Vizio Tv and using Arc Hdmi back Sony hub, but the sound-drops only happen when I used the Shield TV. So, I connect Shield TV straight to Sony hub, and it works flawlessly. I assume that my Vizio TV is the problem. I may need a TV that has eArc instead of Arc. I know that all streaming services like Netflix only has compressed Dolby Atmos, so technically, I dont need eArc for it. A firmware update in near future may also fix my initial problem when I use the Arc connection for my Shield TV.

Now, because Sony Hub only has 1 hdmi in, so I need a HDMI switch. Because I have a 4k blu ray player, which will play un-compressed Dolby Atmos, so I need to connect 4k player straight to Sony Hub (Arc Hdmi will not work will un-compressed dolby atmos, but eArc will)

The bottom line is, if your TV does not have eArc, try to connect your streaming devices straight to Sony Hub. It may fix the sound-drops issues. Keep in mind, you can buy a Hdmi switch if you have multiple devices that need to be connected straight to Sony hub.

My expectations for this system were high...and boy was I NOT disappointed. We are re-doing our family room and our goal was to clean up the mess from our existing, traditional 5.1 surround system. Our room is 20X20 and this system had no problem filling up the room (with the larger sub.) Even with 20 FT ceilings the sound was fantastic.

It pains me to say it, but I am returning the system. While working its amazing, however, the drop outs are way too prevalent.

I have an Apple TV4k connected to it, and the base connected directly to my Sony A80J 77".

Searched the web, saw lots of the same problems and an army of troopers trying to solve it with different fixes. I really do not want to spend my time manufacturing the perfect environment to, hopefully, make these work.

I'll continue to follow along for updates, perhaps V 2.0 will be more stable.

Although this system provided transformative sound with just four speakers; I could deal with having to troubleshoot connection issues every couple of hours in order to get it to work. If these connectivity issues are resolved with the second generation I will be sure to revisit this product, but as it stands I had to return it sadly.

Easy to set up but takes some tinkering in the settings once everything’s all set up to get the sound profile you like. You have to be patient and do the optimization and manual settings and switch back and forth between sound modes to get that perfect balance for YOUR ears. Once everything is dialed in, this system is impeccable. The separation and surround sound is amazing and on par with dedicated home theater systems.. almost. It’s better than a soundbar by a mile but not as good as some top of the line home theater systems. It’s a nice middle ground and very unique and one of a kind. Sony is going to make a killing with these until another company creates something similar. Worth the money for those that don’t want to do the whole in ceiling speakers and home theater crap with wire everywhere.

its okay product

its okay product

its okay product