Best virtual surround speakers
While a full 5.1 speaker system sounds great, not everyone is crazy about having five speakers and the accompanying wires all over their home theater. If you want the surround-sound experience with none of the mess, check out these virtual surround speakers. While we won't say they deliver the same experience as a true 5.1 system--they don't--they can do a pretty decent job of faking it when you consider the sound's only coming from one or two speakers. These should all work with existing A/V receivers and amps, but you can opt for an all-in-one virtual surround home theater system instead.
Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 (aluminum)
8.3 Excellent (reviewed 6/27/08)
The Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 raises the bar for soundbar speakers' design and sound quality.
Read review of the Definitive Technology Mythos SSA-50 (aluminum)
Soundmatters MainstageHD
8.3 Excellent (reviewed 3/16/06)
Soundmatters' fully featured virtual surround speaker system delivers home-theater thrills in a supercompact design.
Read review of the Soundmatters MainstageHD
KEF FiveTwo Series Model 11
8.3 Excellent (reviewed 1/29/07)
While their surround effects fall a bit short of the best we've heard, KEF's beautifully crafted FiveTwo Series Model 11 speakers produce five channels of sound with exceptional audiophile-grade clarity.
Read review of the KEF FiveTwo Series Model 11
Zvox 425
7.9 Very good (reviewed 12/19/07)
The single-speaker Zvox 425 TV speaker system delivers excellent overall sound on movies and music and pumps out ample bass from its built-in twin subwoofers--but at this price, we'd like to see more inputs and some digital connections as well.
Read review of the Zvox 425
KEF FiveTwo Series Model 7
7.8 Very good (reviewed 1/24/07)
KEF's FiveTwo Series Model 7 system produces audiophile-grade surround sound from two speakers--that's a rare compliment for a virtual-surround system.
Read review of the KEF FiveTwo Series Model 7
Polk Audio SurroundBar 50 (titanium)
8.1 Excellent (reviewed 6/27/08)
The Polk SurroundBar 50 sounds great with music and movies, making it a worthwhile improvement over the company's earlier single-speaker surround offering.
Read review of the Polk Audio SurroundBar 50 (titanium)
Zvox 325
7.7 Very good (reviewed 10/10/06)
Capable of producing better bass than its single-speaker competition, the Zvox 325 is a solid choice for faux-surround sound on music and movies.
Read review of the Zvox 325
Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector
7.7 Very good (reviewed 1/17/06)
Yamaha's second-generation single-speaker YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector is more affordable and easier to set up, and it sounds better than last year's model.
Read review of the Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector
Zvox Mini surround-sound speaker system
7.4 Very good (reviewed 3/13/06)
The transportable Zvox Mini one-box speaker system delivers room-filling sound from any source--for just $200.
Read review of the Zvox Mini surround-sound speaker system
Polk Audio SurroundBar
7.3 Very good (reviewed 12/14/05)
A single-speaker surround system, the Polk Audio SurroundBar works best as a home-theater solution for small rooms.
Read review of the Polk Audio SurroundBar
