A reasonable alternative for people who want 5.1 and already have a DVD player. It comes at a budget price but there are better options.

An attractive package for converting just one or two devices to surround. It looks great and offers wonderful sound, but for combining the control of four or five devices, there are better alternatives.

A disappointingly ordinary home theatre system. Onkyo's 6.1 offering does things reasonably well, but fails to impress in any really important areas.

Ideal for smaller environments, the Sharp HT-M700H delivers impressive (and inexpensive) 5.1 audio, however the lack of digital video output and a sparse feature-set make it unsuitable for DVD playback

The best looking home theatre system currently on the market, but it is let down by having a mass of components and not have the substance to match its style.

As a 2.1 system the S-101 performs well, but the virtual 5.1 capability is not as good as having more speakers.

A solid though unspectacular model that makes a good choice for those who are new to Home Theatre

While it is a little too costly, the FXG9K is a solid home theatre package, offering good quality audio and combining it with a five disc changer and a HDMI connection.

A decent offering from LG that has some minor limitations.

While it's a good entry-level home theatre system, the Samsung HT-XQ100 isn't ideal for bass-hungry users.

The Philips HTS8100 is a great option for those without the space for a full 5.1 surround sound setup, but its relatively average performance in other areas prevents it from being an outstanding product.