11 Products for Building a Dream Setup

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As the home entertainment tech editor for Insider Reviews, it should come as no surprise that I’m a huge home theater nerd. When I watch movies in my living room, I want to experience them on the biggest screen I can get my hands on and with as many speakers as I can fit in my apartment. After reviewing AV (audio-visual) products for more than a decade, I’ve used my expertise to build my own dream home theater system.

Over the years, I’ve pieced together these components to fit within my budget and space. From a big-screen OLED and affordable TV stand to a powerful Dolby Atmos receiver and reliable streaming device, these products deliver the movie-watching experience I’ve always wanted. 

If you’re looking for recommendations for a killer entertainment system, these items are all great options that continue to deliver excellent performance in my daily use. 

An extra-large OLED 4K TV

A good display is the centerpiece of any home theater, and, as far as I’m concerned, the bigger, the better. After seeing the distance between my couch and the living room wall, I splurged on a 77-inch 4K OLED to get that big movie theater feel. The best OLED TVs are pricier than QLED and LED options, but they offer a big jump in black-level performance, which leads to a top-notch movie-watching experience in a dark room.

I own LG’s CX OLED from 2020, but that model has been replaced by the company’s newer 2023 C3 and 2024 C4, which offer a brighter picture and improved image processing. If you’re willing to pay a little extra, I also recommend the 77-inch Samsung S90C OLED as an alternative. The S90C costs a bit more but has an edge in color performance. Samsung didn’t sell OLEDs when I bought my TV, but if the S90 series was around back then, it would have been a top contender for my setup. 

For even more big-screen display recommendations from other brands, check out our guides to the best TVs, best 4K TVs, and best 75-inch TVs.

This affordable Walker Edison media console has everything I need. It’s one of the best TV stands for larger displays and offers an understated look with a wide 70-inch surface. I also love its six storage cubbies which are large enough to house all my components and open enough to offer solid airflow. Many TV consoles have closed cabinets (which aren’t good for storing electronics that can overheat) or smaller shelves that can’t fit big devices like an AV receiver. Build quality isn’t on par with pricier pieces of furniture, but it gets the job done for my needs without any issues.  

A mount to keep my display on the wall

To fix LG’s massive display on my living room wall, I opted for this simple Rocketfish mount. It offers some range to tilt the TV and shift it horizontally, but it doesn’t pull out for full flexibility. I also opted for Best Buy’s mounting service so I didn’t have to worry about dropping a 77-inch TV.

A complete Dolby Atmos speaker system

This Jamo speaker setup that I pieced together lets me hear sound from every direction, even from above my head. My configuration includes left and right tower speakers, a center speaker, two rear satellite speakers, a subwoofer, and four Dolby Atmos speaker modules. The Atmos modules attach directly to the tops of my front and rear speakers. They use angled audio drivers to bounce sound off the ceiling, which adds an extra level of immersion to certain scenes, like during sequences where rain is falling from the sky.  Check out our “What is Dolby Atmos?” explainer for more details about the audio format. 

Though this setup is a great fit for my living room, not everyone has the space for a full-sized speaker rig. If that’s the case for you, I recommend visiting our guides to the best soundbars and the best Dolby Atmos soundbars for more compact audio setups. 

A beefy A/V receiver to power and process my speakers

This 9.4-channel Denon receiver has the specs to power all nine of my speakers and my subwoofer without any issues. It also has plenty of HDMI ports to connect other devices, like my Blu-ray player and cable box, to my TV. If you have fewer speakers, I recommend a cheaper receiver, like the 7.2-channel Denon AVR-S760H.

I own Denon’s older AVR-X3600H, but that model has now been replaced by the brand’s newer AVR-X3800H. The X3800H adds HDMI 2.1 passthrough for connected devices and support for two additional subwoofers.

Sturdy stands to keep my rear speakers in place

I have pets, and they love to knock into things. This was a problem with some flimsy speaker stands I used to own, so I decided to go with something heftier for my current setup. These Perlegear stands feel sturdy and don’t knock over easily. My speakers don’t quite clamp in completely, but they’re secured enough that I never worry about them falling off.

Lots of HDMI cables to easily connect everything

I’ve amassed multiple drawers full of HDMI cables over the years, but I find these Amazon Basics ultra-high-speed ones to be the most reliable for the money. The six-foot option costs less than $10 and offers support for full 48Gbps bandwidth to transmit HDMI 2.1 features like 4K/120Hz, variable refresh rate (VRR), and auto low latency mode (ALLM). These inexpensive cords should be enough for most needs, but if you want something longer or more durable check out our guide to all the best HDMI cables for more recommendations. 

Speaker wires with banana plugs for hassle-free setup

I know many home theater enthusiasts consider it a simple task, but I hate stripping speaker wire and feeding the threads into audio terminals. Dealing with stripped wire is especially annoying if you ever need to relocate speakers or swap in a new AV receiver. That’s why I love these Monoprice banana plug speaker cables.

They cost more than typical wires but come with plugs attached, so you can simply pop them into your speakers and receiver (as long as they have banana plug ports) to get a secure connection without any cutting or twisting. I also run some handy cord covers across my floor and under my rug to feed these cables to my rear speakers for a clean, tidy look.

A reliable Roku to stream my favorite apps

LG’s smart TVs have a decent built-in platform for apps, but I like using a dedicated streaming player to get the snappiest performance. The Roku Ultra gets the job done with support for all the best streaming services and all the video and audio formats I need. I also prefer Roku’s simple interface over other options, which can get a bit cluttered and overwhelming. The Ultra is my pick for the best streaming device overall, but there are great Apple TV, Fire TV, and Google TV alternatives if you prefer those systems. 

A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to watch movies in the best quality

Yes, I’m one of those people who still buy Blu-rays. Though I also stream plenty of content, I prefer discs to get the very best video and audio quality. And with a shelf full of discs, I never need to worry about my favorite movies suddenly getting pulled from streaming services. This Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player offers excellent performance, and it’s one of the few models out there that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Check out our “What is HDR?” guide for more details on the pros and cons of different high-dynamic-range formats.

A gaming console to play the latest titles

My go-to gaming system right now is the PS5. I went with the disc version versus the digital edition since it lets me play used copies of games, and it’s nice to have an extra 4K Blu-ray player handy if I ever want to bring one into another room.

I’m also a huge Zelda and Mario fan, so I own a Nintendo Switch to ensure I never miss the latest entries in those franchises. And though I’ve yet to invest in an Xbox Series X or S, I do have an older Xbox One X that I use with Game Pass.