Home theater on a shelf

Updated January 31, 2006

Just about everyone has some sort of small stereo in the kitchen, the bedroom, or the home office. You want quick and easy access to radio and CDs and maybe an impromptu speaker system for your iPod or the computer, and these little systems do the job without putting too much strain on the credit card. But for the same price that many are paying for such audio-only systems, you can actually get one that plays DVDs as well--some of them with five-disc changers. Pair one up with an old TV--or with one of those smaller LCD flat-screens that are becoming ever more affordable--and you've got a compact stereo home-theater system for any room of the house. We've compared the benefits and drawbacks of four of the leading models from JVC, Panasonic, Onkyo, and Sony. Three of the four are widely available for less than $200 (the Onkyo is more expensive but packs quite a few impressive bells and whistles into its tiny frame). And while none of them will compete with more sophisticated home-theater systems for sound quality, their ability to play back DVDs makes them a better value than their similarly priced CD-only competition.

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