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Alternative Options: AV Receiver or Soundbar
With the Logitech Z906 being the only realistic option I could recommend from the 5.1 systems, you may want to look for alternative options.
An AV receiver with passive speakers would be the ultimate solution, but this can get pricy. Soundbars are an option, some of these come with rear speakers and a subwoofer that offers surround, others will fake it.
Razer Leviathan
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razer Leviathan - Dolby 5.1 Suround Sound (Bluetooth aptX... | Buy on Amazon |
Razer actually advertises this as Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, but it is only a soundbar plus subwoofer, with the Dolby surround aspect being virtual speakers. However, it is well received and quite affordable at £161
Polk Audio MagniFi MAX SR True 5.1
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Razer Leviathan - Dolby 5.1 Suround Sound (Bluetooth aptX... | Buy on Amazon |
This is a well-reviewed soundbar that has wireless rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. It has 3 HDMI inputs, including one with ARC as well as optical with compatibility for 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS
Samsung HW-Q800A Soundbar + SWA9500S Dolby Atmos wireless surround speakers
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Q800A Soundbar Speaker With Subwoofer (2021) -... |
£390.62 | Buy on Amazon | |
| SWA9500S Wireless Rear Speaker Kit - Pair | Buy on Amazon |
The Samsung HW-Q800A is one of the latest soundbars from Samsung, price at a semi-reasonable £799. The soundbar claims to offer 3.1.2, so front, left, right then a subwoofer and two Dolby Atmos speakers. The Atmos speakers appear to be two upwards firing speakers, so ti is not completely virtual.
This can then be paired up with the SWA-9500S providing full 5.1.4 surround with Dolby Atmos.
This has either HDMI eArc or optical as your input.
AV Receiver with passive 5.1 speakers
The best overall solution would be to invest in an AV receiver with 5.1 speakers or however many speakers you like.
The range of options and the cost to do this is open-ended, and it will cost much more than the all-in-one active solutions listed above, but the overall performance will be significantly better.
There are several things to consider here, though. If you plan to pass all audio and video over HDMI to the receiver, then to your monitor/TV there are currently issues with 4K 120Hz on HDMI 2.1 for many AV receivers.
If you are gaming on a TV, your best bet will likely be to plug directly into the TV then have the ARC port send the audio back to the receiver. If you plan to do 4K120Hz you will want HDMI 2.1 & eArc compatibility on both devices gaming with the best audio format compatibility
If you plan to use optical, you will be limited to the audio formats available due to a limitation in the bandwidth.
Another option is to use DisplayPort directly into your monitor then an HDMI into the receiver, which would be used solely for audio. Windows should detect this as an audio source, but users on Reddit appear to have mixed results.
With all those caveats out of the way, you are looking at around £350 for the cheapest new AV receivers on the market. You will need to for out around £630 for the Denon AVR-X2700H if you want HDMI2.1 and eArc.
As for speaker options, these range for as low as £300 for something like the Polk Audio TL1600 and high-end speaker packages can run to several thousand.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
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Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Nice article. I think you covered most of the options.
I used to have the Edifier s760d and while it’s a good system with pretty good quality sound (a step up from the Logitech z5500 I had before it), it had a major bug with regards digital inputs. If you use the optical or coaxial inputs, it distorts some bass notes massively. No idea why this happens but never found a fix and moved onto seperate AV reciever and speakers.
One other note is that if you use displayport to your monitor and output hdmi to the av reciever, you only need a reciever with hdmi 1.3 or above (circa 2010+). I bought an Onkyo tx-sr705 second hand receiver for just £60!