5 Home Theater Accessories Worth Adding To Your Kit

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For many, a smart TV and a soundbar are enough for a pleasant viewing experience. Things don't necessarily have to get more complicated than that, but there are some perks that come with installing a proper home theater system. Adding peripherals like Blu-ray players and streaming devices can expand the content library, and speaker arrangements and audio receivers can deliver a deeper level of immersion. All of this comes with the need for greater levels of home theater expertise, as well as an understanding of compatibility among peripheral devices and the kind of experience a user wants out of a setup.

But another requirement for those going all-in on a home theater build is having the proper accessories. There's a lot of cool new tech that can level up a home theater, but there are also plenty of more practical tools and gadgets that play behind-the-scenes roles in keeping everything powered, connected, and organized. With some experience in home theater builds behind us, we've taken a look at what kinds of home theater accessories are currently available. We've handpicked several that can help upgrade an existing setup, as well as a few that can be helpful when starting from scratch.

Many home theater enthusiasts choose not to place all of their setup's peripherals right next to the TV. Home theaters with built-in shelves and cabinetry can even require placing such equipment across the room. It can be difficult to find quality HDMI cables in such extended lengths. One option would be to try a wireless HDMI transmitter and receiver, but for improved video and audio quality, the AV Access HDBaseT HDMI extender is worth considering. It can extend a 4K video signal at a 60Hz refresh rate up to 131 feet, but 1080p signals can be extended over much larger distances of up to 230 feet. Moreover, the extender supports transmission of formats like HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision.

That said, this is an accessory that requires some audio/video knowledge. The HDBaseT HDMI extender supports ARC and S/PDIF modes for different kinds of audio routing, and things can get a little complex when it comes to ensuring compatibility and efficiency across peripheral equipment. The extender is priced at $240 at Amazon. Purchasers there have given the device an overall rating of 4.1 stars, with 78% of reviewers giving it a favorable rating. Several 5-star reviewers rave about its compatibility with a number of different smart TV and home audio brands, and several others note the extender's easy setup and integration within their home theater.

One way to cut down on noise and echo in a home theatre is with sound absorbing panels, but these can also help create a better listening environment within a home theater setup. The Lagom Atelier sound absorbing panels are priced at $95 for a pack of six, and they come in a number of different color and style options. They're made to install easily, with peel-and-stick backing that also makes them easy to remove for apartment renters and other home theater enthusiasts with a more temporary setup. Each square panel measures nearly 2 feet and a pack of six can be laid out within a 6-foot by 4-foot area.

At their $95 price point, the cost can add up quickly with more packs. Two or three of them are likely enough to cover smaller viewing areas, but those with home theater setups made to feel like more of a cinematic experience will need a bit of a budget to fill the walls out with these sound absorbing panels. They do get discounted to around the $80 mark from time to time, and while they are among the best-reviewed at Amazon with a 4.8-star overall rating, only around 20 users have left a review as of this writing.

Whether you've installed multi-room audio systems in your home or simply want to focus on the audio for your home theater setup, some specialized tools may be called for. Running cables through walls can require just such tools, as can ensuring a room is measured accurately before purchasing expensive cables. The Triplett home theater installation tool kit comes with five very specific tools. These include a tone and probe kit for tracing cables through walls, a decibel meter for checking audio levels, a laser distance meter for measurements, a pair of multi-function pliers for working with wires, and an HDMI signal extender. The 5-piece tool kit is priced at $330 in Triplett's online store.

Because these are somewhat unique tools tied to specific use cases, the cost may be a little more than everyday home theater enthusiasts want to spend. Several of them aren't likely to be needed beyond initial installation. But the Triplett 5-piece home theater toolkit can be a worthy investment for those who plan to expand or upgrade their home theater as their personal budgets grow over time, as well as for those who want to ensure quality audio reaches each of the TVs they have in their home. Just about any TV's audio could be improved with a speaker pairing, and this tool kit can be beneficial for those who prefer wired speaker arrangements.

Whether a home theater setup consists of a TV set apart from or within short range of its accompanying equipment, it all needs to get plugged in. The Belkin 12-outlet power strip includes outlets that can accommodate a number of home theatre devices, while also including a surge protector to safeguard your tech from power outages. The strip is rated at 3,996 joules of surge protection, guarding against power spikes and lightning strikes that could otherwise damage expensive equipment like smart TVs, projectors, audio receivers, and Blu-ray players. The Belkin 12-outlet power strip is priced at $41.

This power strip is likely best put to use in setups that involve several pieces of equipment arranged near a power outlet. The cable for the strip measures just six feet, making it ideal for tucking behind equipment rather than extending power to peripheral devices that are placed far from a wall outlet. As power strips go, this one has some of the best customer ratings on Amazon. It's amassed a 4.8-star overall rating with 96% of reviewers giving it a favorable rating. In addition to its 12 power outlets, the Belkin power strip includes two USB ports and a 2-year limited warranty alongside a $250,000 Connected Equipment Warranty.

A home theater rack with a receiver, gaming console, streaming box, and speaker wiring is going to have a mess of cables accompanying it. Even if your home theater setup is simply a smart TV and a cable box, some gadgets that can fix cable clutter may be necessary. A Crocsee cable management sleeve can be one of the more versatile ways to go about keeping things tidy behind all the equipment in your home theater setup. The half-inch-diameter, 25-foot-long sleeve goes for $14.39 at Amazon. It's available in four different color options, and many different sleeve lengths and diameters are available at varying prices.

While this isn't going to be the right cable management tool for every home theater setup, particularly for those consisting of numerous peripheral devices with hefty power cables, the Crocsee sleeve is affordable and ideal for users running external speaker wire or who want to isolate cables running to and from a wall-mounted TV without punching into the wall. Shorter sleeves can be useful for setups that don't stretch across large rooms. The Crocsee cable management sleeve is another home theater accessory that's received a lot of positive feedback at Amazon. It has a 4.6-star overall rating, with only 2% of purchasers giving it an unfavorable score.

Each accessory presented here was selected because it solves a problem that arises frequently when building or maintaining a home theater. In this regard, we relied on our own experience putting together home theater setups over the years. We also leaned on that experience in narrowing our selections from the wide variety available across retailers to the most essential.

Specific products were picked through a combination of brand recognition and hands-on feedback through customer reviews. The electronics world is full of generic and off-brand equipment and accessories that often don't live up to expectations in one way or another. We sought out well-rated products and recognizable brand names to help ensure reliability and value.