Unboxing Home Theater-in-a-Box Systems

A home theater-in-a-box is an integrated, all-in-one home theater system designed to give you immersive surround sound home entertainment. This affordable sound system won't occupy a lot of space in your living room or den. It's also quick and easy to install without the need for much technical know-how. Simply plug in the theater-in-a-box to your TV, add a turntable, iPod, game console, or Blu-ray player and you're good to go.

What's in a Home Theater-in-a-Box?

A typical package comes with an A/V receiver, a center channel speaker, left and right front speakers, left and right satellite surround speakers, and powered subwoofers. The A/V receiver works as the control center, amplifier, and preamplifier of the whole system. It also encodes the sound from your TV, DVD, or any other multichannel audio source. The center channel speaker produces the main soundtrack audio of whatever you're watching or listening to. The front and surround speakers create realistic sound effects to immerse you in the music or movie.

You can use speaker stands to hold these speakers at equal distances from the center channel for best results. The powered home theater subwoofers offer better bass response to boost the listening experience. The package also comes with color-coded cables to connect your speakers to the A/V receiver. Most of these systems come with universal remote controls, putting your home entertainment system in the palm of your hands.

What to Look for in a Home Theater-in-a-Box

The amplifier power gives you some guidance on how capably the system can fill your room with immersive sound. The bigger your space, the more amplifier power you'll need from your system. If you have limited room, you may want to consider something with built-in subwoofers. You can also go for models with wireless subwoofers, which you can use with wall and ceiling speaker mounts to save on space and achieve more immersive sound.