How to choose a home cinema system

Soundbar or separates? 5.1 or Atmos? A plain-English walk-through for every room and budget.

Start with your room

Measure your room and note where the TV and sofa sit. Small rooms (under 15m²) suit a soundbar or compact 5.1 system; larger rooms benefit from floorstanding front speakers and a separate subwoofer.

Soundbar or separates?

A soundbar is one box, one cable and tidy. Separates — an AV receiver plus individual speakers — cost more and take more space, but sound bigger and can be upgraded one piece at a time.

What does 5.1 or 7.1.2 mean?

The first number is the speakers around you, the second is subwoofers, the third is height (Dolby Atmos) speakers. 5.1 is a great starting point; add height speakers later for overhead effects.