When it comes to watching football at home, you can’t beat a good surround sound system.
For most people a soundbar for watching football will be more than enough, but if you want to sit in the middle of the sound and feel like you’re on the pitch with Harry Kane, Gareth Bale or Kylian Mbappé ( although with more snacks), we exchanged a word with our teammates at What Hi-Fi (opens in a new tab) to help us choose a speaker set for every budget. If you’ve decided on the best TV for watching football, this is the next logical step.
Unlike a soundbar, you’ll need an amplifier to power these 5.1 setups – so called because they’re made up of five separate speaker channels and a subwoofer – meaning they are really only for those who are serious about their home cinema. But if you have the right kit to do them justice, these setups will put you right in the center of the action.
While there’s nothing wrong with winning lousy, the best teams in the world do it in style – and Dali’s Oberon 5 5.1 speaker pack (£1,699) is an eye-catching collection of speakers which also sounds absolutely phenomenal.
Available in black ash, dark walnut, light oak, white, this is a surround sound setup that has no weak links: you can mount the rear speakers on stands or on the wall, the columns flank a brilliant center speaker, while a 170-watt subwoofer has the power to rock the room. Equally adept at delivering power and subtlety, with an excellent understanding of all aspects of the frequency range. If you’re looking for the best, look no further
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Like all the biggest football teams, a good surround sound system should be balanced. Building a great team is all about finding players who complement each other, and Wharfedale’s Diamond 12.1 HCP (£999) is a very effective team.
With two powerful columns on either side of a compact center channel, a pair of bookshelf speakers in the rear, and a beefy 200-watt subwoofer anchoring the whole crew, this is a brilliantly cohesive 5.1 system. with a lot of dynamism and a lot of clarity. While it’s overkill to call it compact, as serious surround sound setups go, it’s also practically sized.
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It’s rare for a futsal player to make the leap to 11-a-side football, but Q Acoustics’ 3010i 5.1 Cinema Pack (£649) is made up largely of the speakers you’d usually find in hi-fi setups .
Along with a 150-watt subwoofer and a compact center speaker, you get two pairs of bookshelf speakers to support the front and rear channels. They make things lively and entertaining, with a good sense of scale and space. While the sub isn’t the most punchy, it’s a stylish set that can still easily fill a decent sized room.
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Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez may only be 5’10”, but The Carnicero is surprisingly good in the air, so if the former Ajax man were a set of speakers, he’d be the Wharfedale DX-2 (£329).
The four satellite speakers you get in this affordable pack are just 19cm tall, with a shorter but wider center channel and a 70-watt subwoofer that’s compact enough to squeeze into a corner, but the sound they create is anything but small. There’s plenty of detail and punch here, and although they’re designed for small rooms, there’s still a decent amount of heft, especially considering their cost.
