Bookshelf Speaker Reviews

10 Great Home Theater Speaker Systems Under $3K

Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 17, 2015

One thing you want to get absolutely right when assembling a home theater rig is the speakers. Pick the wrong ones and music will sound dull and movie soundtracks will lack dimension and excitement. Sure, you can fiddle with crossover and EQ settings and move speakers around but it’s not going to help. A bad speaker is a bad speaker.

At Sound & Vision, we’re constantly on the lookout for speakers that rise above the pack and possess that magical quality of bringing music and movies to life. If space is at a premium, here are 10 compact speaker systems you can’t go wrong with, broken into three price categories: $1,000 or Less, $1,000 to $2,000, and $2,000 and up.


GREAT HOME THEATER SPEAKERS: $1,000 OR LESS


Pioneer SP-PK22BS Speaker System: $450


Performance
Build Quality
Value
Summary: Engineered by world-renowned designer Andrew Jones, the SP-PK22BS is one of the best compact speaker packages you can buy for less than $500. So good that reviewer Mark Fleischmann called the system a gift to enthusiasts on a budget.

Plus: Excellent sound for the money • Robust bass performance • Good for movies and music
Minus: They won’t win any beauty contests


SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Speaker System: $1,000


Performance
Build Quality
Value
Summary: Honest full-range sound delivered with surprising authority from handsome satellite speakers (plus sub) that stand only 5 inches tall.

Plus: Accurate full-range sound • Painless sub/sat blending • Nice gloss black finish • 45-day free in-home trial
Minus: Can’t match the volume levels of larger systems

COMMENTS
BuzzMan's picture
Submitted by BuzzMan on February 18, 2015 - 4:00pm

A small point ... but I believe that you have published for the third time now that you can obtain a SVS Prime system in gloss black finish for $1000.00 when it would appear from their WEB Site the gloss black finish is $1200.00 or so dollars.

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