Almost anything sounds better than TV speakers, but if you’re going to spend the money, it really is better to just go to 5.1.

I’ve had a 5.1 setup for 20 years. Back then I was playing the original Xbox on 720p widescreen and surround speakers, and it was glorious. My first setup was the cheapest all-in-one speaker/receiver set available for a fresh college graduate earning next to nothing and deep in credit card and student debt.

I think I’ve gone through three sets of speakers now, three receivers, and two subwoofers. I like to stay up on technology, but you don’t really have to upgrade very often or at all, if you like. I currently have some pretty nice Pioneer speakers with towers for left and right, and I wired my room for 5.1 outlets when I renovated my basement earlier this year.

I thought about doing 7.1 or 7.2, but ultimately I didn’t want to cut holes and try to fish wire across and down with how my ceiling is. 4K and 5.1 will probably always be enough for me.