I’m a professional TV reviewer and these are the 9 items that make up my dream home theater setup

A an extra-large OLED 4K TV

LG 77-inch Class C1 Series OLED 4K TV, $2,899.99 on Best Buy

A good display is the centerpiece of any home theater and, as far as I’m concerned, the bigger the better. After seeing the distance between my couch and TV wall, I splurged on a 77-inch 4K OLED from LG to get that big movie theater feel. It’s expensive, but I took advantage of the Best Buy credit card’s handy 24-month financing. 48-, 55-, and 65-inch sizes are also available for more affordable prices.

Note: I own the 2020 CX model, but that’s been phased out now for the nearly identical 2021 C1 model.

A mount to keep my display on the wall

Rocketfish Tilting TV Mount, $99.99 on Best Buy

To fix the massive display to my wall I opted for this simple Rocketfish mount. It offers some range to tilt the display and shift it horizontally, but it doesn’t pull out for full flexibility. I also opted for Best Buy’s mounting service so I didn’t have to worry about dropping a 77-inch TV.

A complete Dolby Atmos speaker system

Jamo S 5.1 speaker package, $1,346 on Adorama 

This Jamo speaker setup lets me hear sound from every direction, even from above my head. Special attach to the front and rear speakers to bounce sound off the ceiling, and the effect is really cool. These add-ons are often sold out, but new stock is added from time to time. Even without them, the Jamo speakers deliver fantastic performance.

Note: Jamo’s 5.1 speaker package includes S801 bookshelf speakers, but I upgraded to the larger S803 model which has the necessary connections to pair with the Atmos add-ons.

A beefy A/V receiver to power and process my speakers

Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 Channel receiver, $1,599.99 on Amazon

This 9.2-channel Denon receiver has the specs to power all nine of my speakers and my subwoofer without any issues. It also has plenty of HDMI ports to connect other devices, like a Blu-ray player, to my TV. If you have fewer speakers, I recommend a cheaper receiver, like the 5.2-channel AVR-S540BT ($349) or Onkyo 7.2-channel TX-NR5100 ($599).

Note: I own the AVR-X3600H model, which has been replaced by the newer AVR-X3700H.

Sturdy stands to keep my rear speakers in place

Perlegear Universal Speaker Stands with Cable Management Holds, $79.99 on Amazon

I have two cats, and they love to knock into things. This was a problem with my old speakers and flimsy stands, so I decided to go with something heftier. These Perlegear stands feel sturdy and don’t knock over easily. My speakers don’t quite clamp in completely, but they’re secured enough that I never worry about them falling off.

Lots of cables to easily connect everything

Amazon Basics High-Speed 4K HDMI Cable (6 foot), $8.17 on Amazon

Monoprice Premium Braided Speaker Wire (10 foot, 2-pack), $34.99 on Amazon

I’ve amassed a variety of HDMI cables over the years, but I find these Amazon Basics high-speed cables to be the most reliable for the money. I also love these Monoprice banana plug speaker cables. I hate having to cut speaker wire and then feed the threads into speaker terminals; these cables just let me plug everything right in with no hassle. I also have some handy cord covers to keep all my cables out of sight.

A reliable Roku to stream my favorite apps

Roku Ultra, $69 on Amazon

My smart TV has a good built-in platform for apps, but I still prefer to use a standalone streaming device to get the snappiest performance. The Roku Ultra gets the job done with support for all the services I watch, as well as all the video and audio formats I need. I also prefer Roku’s simple interface over other options.

A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to watch movies in the best quality

Panasonic 4K Blu-ray Player, $495.99 on Amazon

Though I stream a lot of content, I still prefer discs to get the very best video and audio quality. This Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player offers excellent performance with advanced image processing. It’s also one of the few models out there that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

A gaming console to play the latest titles

Nintendo Switch, $299 on Amazon

I somehow got lucky and was able to snag a PS5 last November during a random restock on Amazon. I’m a big fan of Sony’s exclusive games, like “Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” and new games look stunning in 4K HDR on my TV. I also own an Xbox One X, which is fantastic with Game Pass, and a Nintendo Switch so I can still play my favorite Nintendo franchises.