All Separate Speakers

The Bottom Line: 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.

The Bottom Line: The Klipsch Synergy Sub-12, the company's most affordable 12-inch subwoofer, sounds great on music and movies.

Specs: subwoofer, 15 in x 19.9 in x 18 in, Black, Active, 300 Watt

The Bottom Line: Zvox's "sound console" is a virtual home-theater speaker system in a box.

Specs: 17 in x 14 in x 4.5 in, Black, Active

The Bottom Line: Soundmatters' fully featured virtual surround speaker system delivers home-theater thrills in a supercompact design.

Specs: 16.7 in x 9.1 in x 2.6 in, Charcoal gray, Active, 104 dB, 80 Watt

The Bottom Line: Aperion's big bookshelf speaker, the Intimus 632-LR, has the muscle of a tower speaker.

Specs: bookshelf, 7.8 in x 12.8 in x 15 in, Medium cherry, 2-way Passive, 8 Ohm, 86 dB

The Bottom Line: Aperion's big bookshelf speaker, the Intimus 632-LR, has the muscle of a tower speaker.

Specs: bookshelf, 7.8 in x 12.8 in x 15 in, High-gloss black, 2-way Passive, 8 Ohm, 86 dB

The Bottom Line: This big Aperion Intimus 633-T speaker makes the sort of full-size sound that satellite/subwoofer-based systems can only dream about.

Specs: floor-standing, 10.2 in x 18.3 in x 41.5 in, Medium cherry, 2-way Passive, 6 Ohm, 90 dB

The Bottom Line: The Aperion S-10 subwoofer is a winning combination of rock-solid construction, impeccable furniture-grade finish, and seismic, room-shaking performance.

Specs: subwoofer, 13.3 in x 19 in x 17.5 in, Cherry, Active, 200 Watt

The Bottom Line: Yamaha's pint-size YST-FSW100 subwoofer is the ideal partner for its Digital Sound Projector virtual surround speakers.

Specs: subwoofer, 15.7 in x 6.2 in x 14.8 in, Silver, Active, 75 Watt

The Bottom Line: Yamaha's pint-size YST-FSW100 subwoofer is the ideal partner for its Digital Sound Projector virtual surround speakers.

Specs: subwoofer, 15.7 in x 6.2 in x 14.8 in, Piano black, Active, 130 Watt