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Sharp's 43-Inch Roku TV
Tim Moynihan
5 Awesome Home-Theater Setups for Under $500
Five C-notes doesn't just get you a TV. It gets you a TV, a Roku, a Chromecast, a soundbar, and money left over for pizza.
Television is in the midst of a renaissance, and it goes beyond content. Technologies like 4K and HDR and OLED make everything look amazing. With the right components, it sounds phenomenal, too. Immersive audio setups like the ones in movie theaters are making their way into homes.
Most of this mind-blowing gear is pricey. But as TVs and speakers improve at the high end, the benefits are trickling down to more affordable models. It's reached the point that you can buy a big-screen HDTV and a bunch of A/V gear for less than $500. A versatile home-theater setup costs less than a smartphone. Seriously.
There are several ways of doing this. The easiest is to start is with one of the growing number of Roku TVs. They won't rival the picture quality of a 4K OLED, but you get decent performance and thousands of streaming channels without needing extra hardware. You'll also have enough cash left over for a soundbar, more streaming devices, handy accessories, and maybe even a pizza.
The Well-Balanced $500 Setup
43-inch Sharp Roku TV ($300)
Vizio 2.0 soundbar ($100)
Chromecast ($35)
Amazon Fire TV Stick ($40)
Mohu Leaf Metro Indoor HD Antenna ($20)
Do you want as many streaming platforms as humanly possible? For less than $500, big-time cordcutters can get a big-screen Roku TV, a cheap soundbar, a Chromecast for flinging anything from your phone to your TV, the new voice-controlled Fire TV Stick with Alexa features, and an indoor HD antenna for the local morning news. Vizio's woofer-free soundbar doubles as a (giant) Bluetooth speaker for your mobile device, too.
The Well-Balanced $500 Setup (Slight Return)
Vizio 38-inch 2.1 soundbar ($160)
Chromecast ($35) or Amazon Fire TV Stick ($40)
If you want more low-end thump, this package has you covered. It upgrades the soundbar to one with much more powerful bass, thanks to a standalone wireless subwoofer.
The Old-School Gamer Setup
40-inch Hisense Roku TV ($260)
JBL Charge 2+ ($100) or Vizio 2.0 soundbar ($100)
Nintendo NES Classic Edition ($60)
Additional NES Classic controller ($10)
Monoprice 6-foot RCA-to-3.5mm cable ($4)
Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 earbuds ($10)
Opting for a slightly smaller screen lets you get more fun stuff. Namely: The Nintendo NES Classic Edition, which will come with 30 old-school games when it ships in November. It's got just one controller, so float 10 bucks toward a second D-pad for two-player action. On the audio front, you can get the bass-heavy JBL Charge 2+, a portable Bluetooth speaker with Aux-in that doubles as a phone charger. Or you could opt for that affordable Vizio soundbar instead. Adding a Chromecast and Panasonic's cheap-but-great earbuds comes out to about $480. Spend the extra $20 on pizza.
The Meat-and-Potatoes Setup
Yamaha YAS-105 soundbar ($200) or Vizio 38-inch 2.1 soundbar ($160) and Chromecast ($35) or Amazon Fire TV Stick ($40)
If you can do without the peripherals and just want a solid one-two punch of TV and soundbar, this is just about the best combination $500 can buy. Start with the 43-inch Sharp Roku TV. If you have limited space or want a sleek system, Yamaha's YAS-105 soundbar has a pair of subwoofers built in. Or you could get the 38-inch version of Vizio's 2.1 soundbar, which has a separate wireless subwoofer. You can use 'em both as big ol' Bluetooth speakers. The Vizio is a bit cheaper, which gives you scratch to spend on a Chromecast or Fire TV Stick.
The Pragmatic Projector Setup
Optoma X341 projector ($350)
Roku Express ($30)
Amazon Basics BTV1 Bluetooth speaker ($40)
Monoprice 10-foot 3.5mm Male-to-Male cable ($4)
Monoprice 2X1 Pigtail HDMI switch ($10)
Projectors are cool, and they can really improve your shadow-puppet game. But a great home-theater projector runs at least a grand. A budget this tight won't get you a 4K laser projector---hell, it won't even get you an HD projector---but it's big enough to get something more distinct and fun than a TV. The Optoma X341 offers strong specs for $350: 3,300 lumens is bright enough for daytime viewing, its 1024x768 resolution is fine, and it has HDMI-in. There's also a 3.5mm audio-out port, which is important: This projector has built-in speakers, but they're weak, so hook it up to a Bluetooth speaker with aux-in for better sound. And it only has one HDMI port, so it's a good idea to buy a multi-port HDMI switch for multiple components.
The Just-the-TV Setup
Vizio 50-Inch E Series 4K TV ($520)
Yes, $500 can get you a 50-inch 4K TV. Well, more like $520. This is one of Vizio's lowest-end models, but it shows just how much you can get for your money. Along with that Ultra HD resolution, this set has a Chromecast built right into it, so you can cast videos and music from your phone to the TV. 50 inches is already on the small side for a 4K TV, but if that extra $20 is a dealbreaker, there's a 48-inch model for $480.
Tim Moynihan covers hardware for Gadget Lab, with a concentration on cameras, TVs, Ultra HD video, virtual reality, and the weirdest things he can find. He has 17 years of tech journalism experience, serving as senior editor at PCWorld, homepage editor at CNET, and an online producer at TechTV prior... Read more
Topicshome entertainmentSpeakersTVs
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