As a surround system the HTIS100 works well — positional audio sounds great. Treble is an equally strong point, but the system is let down by bloated, muddy sounding mid-range and bass from the subwoofer.

B&W’s VM6 speakers are surprisingly capable speakers for music and movies, but their thin size impacts upon their performance.

The PT8051 is an impressive integrated unit. It handles movie audio well, despite not having a subwoofer and relying on flat-panel speaker technology. It's also easy to set up and can decode digital signals from DVD and Blu-ray players.

If you have the spare time to set it up, Pioneer’s HTiB817S is a competent home theatre system.

Sharp's HT-DV40H is a home theatre system that delivers good DVD playback and sound quality, but users looking for surround sound will be disappointed.

The HT-CN650DVW is a well-priced home theatre system, which has a very musical sound and plenty of punch.