The common definition of a home theater assumes you’ve got decent external speakers. You could have an 85-inch OLED TV, smart lights, and a top-flight Blu-ray player, but I doubt most people would consider it a “theater” if you were stuck with weak internal audio. Is that arbitrary? To a degree, but it’s what helps distinguish a space from being just another room with a TV.
A great home theater, then, demands speakers to match. I’m not here to pressure anyone into buying something new, knowing how expensive speakers can be. But if you can check off one of the items on this list, you may want to add new gear to your long-term shopping plans.
You’re still using an optical, 3.5mm, or Bluetooth connection
Convenience more than anything
Of the formats here, optical is the least problematic. It does have performance limitations — one of which I’ll cover in the next section — but it has enough bandwidth for 5.1-channel digital surround, and compatible speakers can sound fantastic. Indeed I’ve got an optically-connected Sonos Ray in my home, and for what I bought it for, it’s astounding.
The main issue with these connection types is convenience. Without HDMI, speakers can’t take advantage of ARC or eARC, which simplify audio sharing among your TV’s devices. More importantly, you don’t get CEC, which allows you to control power and volume on speakers using your regular remote control. I had to “train” my Ray on my remote’s infrared signals. Other products might require a separate remote. Neither is a huge hassle in the grand scheme of things, but they’re backwards by 2026 standards.
3.5mm speakers compound these limitations by being limited to analog stereo. Bluetooth is better in some regards, being wireless, digital, and even virtual surround-capable, but it offers less bandwidth than optical while risking a dealkiller: audio delay. If that delay is bad enough, onscreen images can fall completely out of sync. There may be some sort of software option to fix this, yet given Bluetooth’s other limitations, it’s probably time to move on if you can afford to.
Your speakers don’t support spatial audio
A luxury, but a common one
If you’re not familiar, spatial audio refers to formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which simulate the positions of objects in 3D space rather than just spreading them across multiple channels. A properly equipped system can even project sounds over your head.
You don’t need spatial audio to enjoy a home theater. As I’m fond of pointing out, many of my favorite movies predate it, and what I care most about with newer movies and shows is whether the audio sounds clean with plenty of punch. I’d rather watch Dune with my 2.1-channel Sonos Ray than a bargain-basement Atmos system.
That said, Atmos support is so commonplace in 2026 that its absence may be a sign your gear is outdated. Decent multi-speaker Atmos systems can be surprisingly affordable, and the better all-in-one soundbars approximate the vertical axis by bouncing sounds off your ceiling. If you want a one-and-done purchase that will last for many years, Atmos should (probably) be on the agenda.
A note on DTS:X — it’s nice to have, but nothing more than that. While you will find some compatible titles on streaming services and Blu-ray, Atmos has effectively won the battle for spatial supremacy. Some speaker makers don’t even bother including DTS:X support.
Your woofer is weak or non-existent
Bang for the buck
The sort of dual-subwoofer setup you see in the image above is overkill. If you actually exploited its power, you’d risk overwhelming the highs and mids in your audio. And unless you live far away from anyone, the shaking might result in some understandably angry neighbors.
Without some sort of tangible bass, however, you’re missing out. It’s not just about making music and sound effects more impressive, either. Some filmmakers rely on deep bass for storytelling. The best example of this may be Oppenheimer, in which stomping feet are meant to evoke the rumble of a nuclear bomb.
If you live in an apartment or otherwise share walls with someone, it’s probably best to stick to small or speaker-integrated woofers. It’s actually not much of a compromise — your space may be small enough that even a soundbar will rattle things at high volume. Consider stepping up to a large dedicated subwoofer only if there’s zero risk of bothering anyone.
One scenario in which you should definitely upgrade (budget-permitting, naturally) is if all you have is a 2.0-channel soundbar. No matter how good you think it sounds, I guarantee that even a 2.1-channel bar will step things up.
You’re still dependent on a receiver or multiple remotes
The days of receivers are numbered
Receivers used to be essential for a home theater, and for some people, they still are. They process media codecs, amplify passive speakers, and make it possible to join multiple devices to a TV through a single cable. If you’ve got a cinema-style Dolby Atmos configuration with separate speakers for every channel, there may be no alternative.
For the rest of us, though, receivers are increasingly irrelevant. Many TVs and speaker systems can already process necessary codecs on their own, and a lot of multi-unit systems are partly or fully wireless apart from their power cables. HDMI-based equipment is potentially equipped for daisy-chaining, and will at least share audio via ARC or eARC.
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