While there are aesthetic and social advantages to these speakers, satellites don't offer the best sound. If you have no other option you can get very good sound from satellites, just not the best your money can buy.

What's Lacking
Many satellite systems provide too small a speaker to handle the upper bass frequencies. These small speakers have a hard time producing upper bass frequencies well, if at all.

Speaker designers make up for this by driving up the frequency response of the subwoofer, which is very bad. A sub that goes too high into the upper bass range can give off a directional sound that draws attention to itself. Especially with low male vocals.

Another way designers adjust for this lack of bass is by playing no upper bass at all, leaving a huge gap in the sound. Very few satellite manufactures do it right. Using small bookshelf speakers with a powered sub is a far better solution.

What To Look For
At minimal, the satellite speakers you buy absolutely need to come with a powered sub if you're going to enjoy home theater to the fullest. Read Subwoofers to find out what your should look for in a sub.

Another thing to look for is a decent sized midrange/woofer in the satellite itself. Larger is usually better, but let your ears be you best guide. Upper bass can be hard to hear so have the salesman turn the subwoofer all the way down so you can hear how low the satellites can go.

Recommended satellite systems: (in alphabetical order)

• Definitive (www.definitivetech.com)
• Polk (www.polkaudio.com)

Polk and Definitive offer satellite systems that include nice powered subwoofers and decent sized midrange drivers. These systems will provide you with clean powerful sound worthy of home theater status.

Satellite Speakers Quicktake

Pros
- Small size hides easily in any room
- Delivers a decently full sound stage

Cons
- Many satellite systems do not play the full range of sound, making it difficult to find a good set.
- Can be hard to get the sub and sats matched perfectly

Advice
If you don't have the room for standard speakers, a satellite system is definitely a viable alternative.