$400 - $500 Surround Speaker Systems

The Bottom Line: Mirage's gorgeous Nanosat 5.1 Home Theater System may be small, but it produces a huge, room-filling sound for music and movies.

Specs: home theater speaker system, Active subwoofer, passive satellites, 75 Watt

The Bottom Line: Highly detailed sound is the key strength of Boston Acoustics' CS2310 system, but it lacks the muscle to make home theater come alive.

Specs: home theater speaker system, 5.0 in x 25.9 in x 7.7 in, Black walnut, 2-way Active subwoofer, passive satellites, 89 dB, 100 Watt

The Bottom Line: Denon's compact and affordable DHT-FS5 soundbar is a worthwhile improvement over standard TV speakers.

Specs: wall-mountable, home theater speaker system, 29.5 in x 4.6 in x 5.4 in, Black, Active

The Bottom Line: If you don't need the HDMI connections found on the step-up model, the Yamaha YSP-900 single-speaker surround system delivers exactly the same overall sound quality for less money.

Specs: five channel speaker, 31.5 in x 4.5 in x 6 in, Black, Active, 82 Watt

The Bottom Line: Despite their tiny size, the speakers of the Mirage Nanosat 5.1 System offered positively huge sound on CDs and DVDs, with only a few minor shortcomings.

Specs: home theater speaker system, 87 dB, 10 Watt, 75 Watt

The Bottom Line: 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.

Specs: five channel speaker, 31.5 in x 4.5 in x 6 in, Silver, Active, 82 Watt

The Bottom Line: A single-speaker surround system, the Polk Audio SurroundBar works best as a home-theater solution for small rooms.

Specs: five channel speaker, 42.6 in x 5.1 in x 4.4 in, Active, 8 Ohm, 89 dB

Specs: speaker system, Graphite gray, Active

Specs: home theater speaker system, Active subwoofer, passive satellites, 200 Watt

Specs: home theater speaker system, Black, Passive