UltimateAVmag.com: Buyer's Guide: Speaker Systems

Unless you're into headphones, this is where the sound meets the room. Without a speaker system, your home theater is only good for movies made before The Jazz Singer. Not the Barbra Streisand version.

For a complete list of every speaker system reviewed by UAV, click here.
For a complete list of every subwoofer reviewed by UAV, click here.

UAV's Current Top Picks. These components offer the Ultimate in pure performance in each product category.

	Aerial Acoustics LR5 System $24,700
	Pioneer EX Series Surround Speaker System $22,200
	Revel Performa F52 System $14,495
	Triad InRoom Platinum Speaker System $29,850

UAV Recommends. These components offer outstanding performance that is just short of the Ultimate, but still worthy of consideration for your system.

	Atlantic Technology 6200 System $8,000
	B&W 703 System $6,850
	Dynaudio Contour 5.4 $13,150
	Energy Reference Connoisseur RC-70 System $4,000
	Focal-JMlab Diva Utopia Be System $28,500
	Focal Profile 918 System $10,970
	Genesis 7.1c Speaker System $14,250
	Genesis 6.1 System $27,050
	Magnepan 3.6 System $7,090
	Mirage OMD-28 System $11,500
	Paradigm Signature System $9,900
	PSB Platinum M2 System $9,794
	Revel Performa F32 System $11,295
	Sonus Faber DOMUS System $10,080
	Tannoy Highline Arena 500 System $5,438

Ultimate Bang for the Buck. These components establish the Ultimate in price/performance ratio, challenging the performance of the Ultimate and Premier Choice components at a fraction of the price.

	Aperion Audio Intimus 633-T (II) System $2,091 w/out sub, $2690 w/Aperion S-12 sub
	Infinity Beta Series $3,094
	M&K MP-4512 System $1,249
	NHT Classic Four Surround Speaker System $4,350 (without stands)
	PSB Image Surround System $2,996
	Revel Concerta F12 System $3,444

New Products. Announcements and quick hits on hot gear that you can find at a retailer near you. These products have not yet been reviewed in UAV.

	Definitive Technology Mythos Starting @ $349
	PSB Alpha Series $1,350
	Paradigm Cinema 220 and Cinema 330 Starting @ $199
	Thiel CS3.7 $TBA

Capsule reviews, sneak peeks at components that are on UAV's test bench for full review, or that we've been inspired to comment on from face time at trade shows, in owner's systems, or at retail.

	Focal Profile System $10,970
	Vandersteen Model 5A System $22,434
	Vandersteen Model 3A Signature System $11,673

Discontinued But Not Forgotten. These components earned our recommendation, but have since been discontinued by the manufacturer.

	B&W CM Series System $2,950
	Energy Take 5.2 $900
	Energy Veritas 2.4 System $5,250
	Revel Performa F50 System $16,050
	Sonus Faber Grand Piano $5,195