Affordable 5.1 Home Cinema Surround Sound Systems and 5.1 Sound Bars
All-in-one Blu-ray and DVD home cinema systems with 5.1 channel surround sound systems are a dying breed. Still, we found a few of these and some sound bar options offering just that. If you are in the market for an affordable 5.1 home cinema surround sound system, you’ve come to the right place.
It is worth noting that all-in-one cinema surround sound systems with Blu-ray players in our list supports only Full HD resolution and not the higher resolution 4K Blu-Ray discs. If you have a big Quad HD or 4K resolution TV, you might consider a 4K Blu-Ray player and one of the affordable 5.1 sound bar home cinema systems below.
What Are They Good For
So why would one still consider these slightly out of date all-in-one home cinema surround sound systems? One word, cost. The price for putting together speakers (all 5.1 channel), AV receiver and wiring can easily double or triple the cost of getting one of these systems. Even when you hardly watch Blu-Ray or can’t play 4K Blu-Ray discs, chances are you won’t be or don’t have to as most 4K movies are available to stream direct to your TV. New Smart TV lets you access streaming services such as Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and Apple+ directly. All these multi-point home cinema surround sound system will do is give your TV the sound boost it needs. With dedicated 5.1 surround channels, you can kick back and enjoy immersive surround sound experienc with plenty of bass and low range to boot.
What If You Already Have a 4K Blu-Ray Player
If you already have a 4K Blu-Ray player or game console such as the Xbox One S or Xbox One X that supports playback of Blu-Ray content in 4K then look for an affordable 5.1 cinema surround sound systems based on a sound bar. We have a few of these listed and more in our other posts. Typically, these are mainly based on compact speakers, with both front and center channels integrated into a sound bar. A separate subwoofer and two compact satellite speakers are included. We did find a surround sound system with tall boy for rear channels in SONY HT-RT4.
Top 5 Best Affordable 5.1 Home Cinema Surround Sound Systems and Sound Bars
- SONY BDVE4100 5.1 Smart 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
- LG LHB645N 5.1 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
- SONY HT-RT4 5.1 Sound Bar Home Cinema System
- SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar Home Cinema System
- SONY BDVE2100 5.1 Smart 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
BONUS: SONY HT-S20R 5.1 Sound Bar
1. SONY BDVE4100 5.1 Smart 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
One of two Blu-Ray Home Cinema System with tall boy speakers for front channels, this Sony BDV-E4100 is one of the few remaining all-in-one Blu-Ray player (Full HD only) with 5.1 channel surround sound for an affordable home cinema system. Apart from the two tall boys, it comes with a pair of compact surround speakers, compact center speaker and a decent size subwoofer. Together, they pump out up to 1000W of sound.
For network connectivity, it supports both Bluetooth and WiFi. Use the one-touch listening function with compatible devices via NFC to connect and stream music instantly with a simple tap. The built-in WiFi connects to the Internet and access streaming services such as YouTube, Sony Entertainment Network and on demand TV and movies. While it does not upscale to 4K, it does upscale classic DVDs to near standard Blu-Ray quality. That’s Full HD which is 5 times higher resolution than DVD. For sound,
2. LG LHB645N 5.1 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
The second all-in-one Blu-Ray and DVD player home cinema system with tall boy speakers for front channel is the LG LHB645N. These are accompanied by compact rear channel satellite speakers, compact center channel and compact subwoofer with a narrow footprint. If you are after all tall boy speakers both front and back channels choose the LHB655N instead. Together they pump out 1000W of sound.
The Blu-Ray disc player is again Full HD and does not support QHD or 4K. WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity is available to connect to the Internet for streaming services and to your mobile device to stream music, respectively. Don’t expect blazing speed browsing from the format as these systems tend to be limited by on board processor, memory and the software used in this case, LG Smart for catch-up TV, movies, sport and music services.
Lastly, a feature not found on Sony system is private sound mode. This allows the user to stream sound from the Blu-Ray player to smartphone or mobile devices via WiFi for private listening. It means if you can enjoy your favourite movie or TV show without disturbing the rest of the family.
3. SONY HT-RT4 5.1 Sound Bar Home Cinema System
The first 5.1 home cinema system based on a sound bar, the HT-RT4 is an affordable option for those looking for a quick home theatre setup. It is the highest of the three similar offerings from Sony below. With a total of 600W of power output from its S-Master digital amplifier, it will pump out refined, clear sound be it from USB audio playback, Bluetooth and NFC or via the HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) port that connects to the TV. Pick one of six sound modes to suit your listening style – ClearAudio+, GAME, Movie, Music, SPORTS or Standard. For cinema quality sound, the sound bar supports both DTS and Dolby (Dolby Digital and Dolby Dual Mono). If you think you are going to find it difficult to mount or place the satellite speakers, the RT4 comes with a pair of tall boys for the rear channels.
Sound Bar Size: 900x52x70 mm
4. SONY HT-RT3 5.1 Sound Bar Home Cinema System
Now, if tall boys aren’t your thing, check out the Sony HT-RT3. This sound bar based home cinema system comes with two compact wall mountable satellite speakers, one sound bar carrying all three channels (front and center) and a separate subwoofer. Together the speakers pump out a total of 600W of power output, the same as HT-RT4. In fact, both model shares the same subwoofer and main unit (sound bar). However, only Dolby audio format (Dolby Digital and Dolby Dual Mono) is supported, DTS support is not present. Still, you can pick one of 6 sound modes to suit your listening style (ClearAudio+, Game, Sports, Movie, Music, Standard) and hook up your own mobile players (tablet or smartphone) with Bluetooth via NFC.
Sound Bar Size: 900x52x70mm
5. SONY BDV-E2100 5.1 Smart 3D Blu-ray & DVD Home Cinema System
Towards the budget end of home cinema system is this Sony BDV-E2100, based on a Blu-ray player, the system supports Full HD 3D resolution, triluminos colour and Blu-ray and DVD playback. But what we are most interested in is the 5.1 surround sound. It consists of 4 compact speakers for front and rear channels, one compact center channel and decent size subwoofer. Together with the onboard amplifier, it pushes 800W of power.
The onboard streaming system may not be super fast but it does connect via Wifi to the Internet to access on-demand movies, catch-up TV, streaming services and YouTube. It also supports Bluetooth connectivity one with one-touch listening via NFC to connect and play music from mobile devices such as the smartphone or tablet. Just note that if you have a Quad HD or 4K big screen telly, you may want a system that supports up-scaling from Full HD that this unit does not support.
BONUS: SONY HT-S20R 5.1 Sound Bar
A budget entry from Sony, the Sony HT-S20R 5.1 real surround sound is based on 5 separate speakers. The main unit, the sound bar carries all three channels for front and center. Other speakers include compact wall mountable satellite speakers and floor standing subwoofer. Together they deliver full frequency sound and bass from the subwoofer for a total of 400W of power output. The subwoofer also comes with an easy access USB port for plug and play music from a USB flash drive or you can connect to the speakers wirelessly and stream your music from your mobile devices via Bluetooth. For cinema sound, the unit supports Dolby Digital and Dolby Dual mono via optical input. Use the HDMI CEC/ARC connector of Optical input to connect to your TV and pick from one of the sound modes to enjoy your movie or TV show. Sound modes include auto sound, cinema, music, standard. Sound effect includes night mode, voice mode with option to control voice level.
Sound Bar Size: 760x52x86mm
