What is more important in a home theater: picture or sound?
Let's start with a frequently asked question: What is actually more important in a home theater – the picture or the sound?
Studies show that humans receive about 70–80% of their information through sight, while only about 10% is processed through hearing. Some experts even believe that up to 90% of a film's impact comes from the image. From this perspective, it is clear: in the home theater, the video system plays a significantly larger role than the audio system.
So if you are setting up a home theater on a limited budget, you should first invest your money in a high-quality TV or projector. Therefore, in the following sections, we first present two solutions with a budget of €1000 and €3000 – focusing on picture quality.
How do you get the most out of a 1000 € budget?
Here is a recommended and balanced budget allocation for your home theater:
TV or projector: approx. €600–700
Speakers: approx. €300–400
With this combination, you can already set up an impressive home theater system – ideal for beginners who want to immediately enjoy a high-quality picture and sound experience.
If your living room is quite bright and you want to set up your home theater there, the TCL 65S555 is an excellent choice.
This 65-inch 4K QLED TV not only offers powerful brightness but also supports Dolby Vision – ideal for detailed images, even in dark scenes, thanks to full-array backlighting.
With the integrated Roku system, you have direct access to numerous streaming services. Just plug in – and streaming can begin.
Recommended price: approx. €600
If you prefer the immersive feeling of a projector, the XGIMI Elfin is a great option.
It offers a 1080p Full HD image with HDR10+ support and is equipped with automatic focusing as well as keystone correction – making setup especially convenient.
In a darkened room, the projector delivers a surprisingly impressive movie experience – ideal for an immersive home cinema at home.
When it comes to speakers: Even with a limited budget, you shouldn't make compromises.
A clear recommendation is the Edifier S2000MKIII – a speaker system with studio quality that impresses with its excellent sound resolution. Whether in action movies or dialogues, the sound remains clear and powerful.
Thanks to Bluetooth with aptX HD, you can connect the speaker wirelessly to the TV – without any loss of quality.
Recommended price: approx. €350–400
If your room is smaller and you also want to save money, the Audioengine A2+ is a worthwhile alternative.
The speakers are compactly designed for the desk but still sound clear and pleasant – ideal for smaller home theater setups. Bluetooth support is, of course, included as well.
Here are some proven combinations for different needs:
Maximum brightness & large screen: TCL 65S555 + Edifier S2000MKIII – strong performance, all around convincing.
Immersive home cinema experience with projector: XGIMI Elfin + Edifier S2000MKIII – for a true cinema feeling at home.
Space-saving & budget-friendly: Elfin or TCL + Audioengine A2+ – compact, but absolutely capable.
Home theater for beginners with a €1500 budget: How to use your money wisely?
Many people who get into the topic of home theater set a budget of around €1500. This is a popular entry price – but in this price range, combining both strong picture quality and convincing sound is not so easy.
A wrong purchase – and you quickly end up spending "a lot of money for little experience."
That's why my tip is: First consider what you personally value the most – and then choose one of the following three approaches for the setup:
1. If image quality is the most important to you:
Primarily allocate your budget to a high-quality television.
If you belong to the "image quality fans," I recommend investing the majority of the budget right here.
A good entry point is the Sony BRAVIA 2 II 55" 4K HDR LED Google TV (2025) – razor-sharp, with rich colors and a smart user interface.
But: Then only about 300–400€ remain for the sound. In this case, I advise against cheap soundbars – they often have only a few channels, deliver little convincing surround sound, and the sound quality of the small speakers is usually disappointing.
2. Balanced audio-visual experience: mid-range projector + soundbar with multiple speakers
If you don't want to make big compromises with either image or sound, this combination is worth a try:
Projector: Dangbei Freedo (approx. 500–600 €)
Soundbar: e.g. Yamaha SR-B40A or JBL Bar 5.1 (approx. 400–500 €)
A mid-range projector may not offer the brightness of a television, but it provides a much larger image – ideal for movie nights with a cinema feel. Combined with a soundbar that supports surround sound, you get a truly cohesive home theater experience – perfect for the bedroom or a small living room.
If your room is under 20 m² in size, it's also worth taking a look at a compact satellite surround system, e.g., from Yamaha. These physically separate speakers provide a true spatial sound that is clearly superior to what virtual surround technology can achieve.
3. If sound is most important to you: speakers first, picture second
In this price range, pure sound enthusiasts are rather rare, but if you belong to the audio fan base, it is worth investing around €750–800 in a powerful speaker system.
A good option is, for example, the Klipsch Reference Theater Pack combined with a compact amplifier – for a rich, detailed sound with a true home theater effect.
For the TV or projector, you can confidently go for a solid entry-level model, e.g., from Hisense, TCL, Sony, or a simple XGIMI projector – priced at around 450–500 €.
The picture may not be high-end – but the sound? Clearly: "More sound for the money."
Home theater with a 2000 € budget: More leeway, fewer compromises
My top tip in this price range: a Sony 4K TV + a 5.1 home theater set from Yamaha.
The ideal combination for a true cinema experience at home: a 4K TV from the Sony XR series combined with a 5.1-channel home theater system from Yamaha.
The Sony XR models deliver impressive 4K HDR quality – true to Sony's style, with support for Dolby Vision and Google TV. The user interface runs smoothly, the content offering is extensive, and the color calibration is natural and cinematic – perfect for anyone who loves movies.
Depending on the screen size (ideal: 55 to 65 inches), the price is around €850–950.
Yamaha YHT-5960U: A complete 5.1 home theater system for true surround sound
This set contains everything you need for a complete home theater:
an AV receiver, 5 satellite speakers, and an active subwoofer.
It supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which provides true physical surround sound – no comparison to virtual solutions.
The receiver is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay2, and Yamaha MusicCast – ideal for wireless music streaming in everyday life.
The sound of the entire set is neutrally tuned, which means: movies, dialogues, and voices come through clearly and unaltered. And the best part: the complete package is already available for around 550–600 €.
Home theater with approx. €3000 budget: Large screen, big impression
Sony BRAVIA 3 85 "Class 4K Google TV large screen shock: 85 inches is truly immersive, fully engaging, suitable for more than 3 meters viewing distance, supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, High Dynamic Range detail performance is very good, Google TV system experience is smooth, rich in content. The price is about €1400.
Even with a limited budget, I clearly recommend: a real multi-channel system instead of a soundbar. While soundbars are practical and space-saving, when it comes to surround atmosphere and bass performance, they cannot compete with a classic speaker set. An excellent choice is the Klipsch Reference 5.2 home theater set: two front speakers, one center, two surround speakers, and two subwoofers – combined with an AV receiver, this creates a true 5.2 setup with physical surround sound. Typical Klipsch: high sensitivity, enormous dynamics – perfect for big movie nights. The dual subwoofer configuration produces noticeable deep bass and a real immersion into the action – ideal for anyone seeking a cinema atmosphere at home.
Do you really still need an external player? Actually, no.
In this price range, TVs are usually already equipped with Android TV or Google TV – including Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Prime Video, and more. The systems respond quickly and offer a large selection of apps – so most users no longer need a separate Apple TV or Blu-ray player. A good home theater doesn't have to be expensive. Much more important is that you are willing to invest time and thought into the right combination. Even with a budget of only €300, you can set up a system that can easily compete in terms of atmosphere with some elaborately renovated home theaters – perhaps even with more character.
Combine your home theater with a FITUEYES TV stand and transform your TV and speakers into a true living room masterpiece.
Because one must never forget when it comes to home cinema: It's not just about picture and sound, but also about the feeling of the experience. Treat yourself to a glass of red wine in this moment, set your TV to the perfectly relaxed viewing angle with the FITUEYES stand, and let the jazz from La La Land flow through your Edifier speakers. Then you will realize: The true home cinema experience was never a numbers comparison – but a perfect blend of thoughtful planning and emotional enjoyment.
