Samsung has made it a three-peat, once again taking out top spot for Canstar Blue’s ratings of home theatre systems. Not only has Samsung won this category for three years in a row, it also did so with a clean sweep of five stars scored in every category, including overall satisfaction.
Our review compares home theatre systems on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which home theatre systems they think are best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 292 Australians for their feedback on the home theatre system(s) they’ve purchased and used in the last three years. Note: this refers to a home theatre system package or individual items used for home theatre (i.e. soundbars, AV receivers, speakers, projectors, etc.). It does not include televisions.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their home theatre system brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customers ratings.
Samsung took out the top spot for home theatre systems for the third year running, scoring five stars in all categories, including overall satisfaction, value for money and user friendliness. In second spot, JBL scored four stars for overall satisfaction and in most other categories, but it did score five stars for user friendliness and performance.
In third spot was Sony with four stars for overall satisfaction and most categories, while it scored five stars for design, and three stars for features and functionality. Rounding out our ratings was Bose with three stars for overall satisfaction and most other categories, however it did score four stars for durability and features and functionality.
Home theatre systems can come in many forms including simple soundbars, projectors and larger packages. Close to half (47%) of our survey respondents had purchased a soundbar, 22% had purchased a home theatre package, while 13% had purchased a speaker or speakers.
When asked about their main purchasing decision, survey respondents stated price was the main factor, followed by features and then brand. The average price paid for the home theatre system was $498. Considering that home theatre systems, especially large packages, can be expensive, it’s not surprising that 31% of respondents had purchased their system on sale, while 17% purchased the cheapest system that was available.
With such a big purchase, it’s also important to ensure you’re getting good value for money. 40% of those surveyed had researched or compared brands and models before purchasing, while 26% wished they had purchased a better home theatre system.
Not all home theatre system brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are several more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
Emma Bradstock has been an authority on consumer phone, internet, technology and streaming markets in Australia for the last 4 years, with a dedication to providing Aussies with all the information they need to make better purchasing decisions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media from Macquarie University and has a decade of professional writing experience in print and digital media.
Meet the Editorial Team
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Meet the Research TeamCanstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased new earphones in the last two years – in this case, 292 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
Here is the previous winner from Canstar Blue’s home theatre system ratings:
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