Best 5 home audio products
Denon AVR-1912 
Best midrange AV receiver
The Denon AVR-1912 is the most complete midrange AV receiver we've seen in 2011 so far. It's one of the only two receivers in its class with built-in support for Apple's AirPlay, a feature that lets you use any iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad as a wireless music source. While the Pioneer VSX-1021-K has a nicer interface, the Denon outdoes it with slightly better sound quality, a sixth HDMI input, a two-year warranty, and onboard support for Pandora, Rhapsody, and Napster.
Price: $449.99 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Energy Take Classic 5.1
Best budget speakers for the money
The Energy Take Classic 5.1 is our Editors' Choice and the hands-down best overall speaker system we tested in this price range. While most of the systems we've reviewed have trade-offs, the Energy is seemingly without compromise, with excellent sound quality, a compact and elegant design, and a $400 street price. It's one of the best home theater values we've ever seen and it's an investment likely to last you at least 10 years--much longer than your average gadget purchase.
Price: $399.00 - $997.00 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD (medium cherry)
Best midsize speakers for the money
If you're serious about surround sound, you need to invest in a speaker system with some real gravitas--but most people just don't want the living room overrun with giant tower speakers. But the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD package manages to downsize the towers without sacrificing the sound. At just 34 inches tall and only 5 inches wide, these gorgeous minitowers will fit into smaller rooms with no problems. And you can choose an 8-inch (shown), 10-inch, or 12-inch subwoofer, depending on your bass (and size) requirements. But if they're still too big, there are some worthwhile alternatives: KEF KHT-3005, KEF KHT5005.2, and the Mirage Nanosat Home Theater System all offer great sound from even smaller speakers, and they're all available for less than $2,000.
Price: $1,349.00 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Sony HT-CT150
Best sound bar home theater system for less than $300
Surround sound is a hot commodity, but many just can't handle the aesthetic compromises that come from having a full 5.1-channel speaker system in the living room--and the speaker cables that go along with it. That's prompted an expanded "single speaker" home audio category. The best budget system we've seen is the Sony HT-CT150. With its included subwoofer, the system packs quite a sonic wallop without taking up a lot of space--and its built-in amplification and support for up to three HDMI sources means you can get away without using an AV receiver.
Price: $216.49 - $299.99 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
Logitech Squeezebox Radio (black)
Best budget streaming music gadget
Digital audio used to be all about streaming music off your PC, but with the rise of streaming music services like Pandora, Last.fm, and Rhapsody, most people just want to stream music from "the cloud." The Squeezebox Radio can handle it all and at $150 it's the slickest way to stream music to a secondary room, like a kitchen, bedroom, or den. Even better, you can buy an additional battery pack for $50, so you can carry your Squeezebox Radio anywhere you get a Wi-Fi signal.
Price: $139.99 - $218.15 (check prices)
4 stars Read full review
