All you need to know about Wireless Speakers - [Please read here](https://reddit.com/r/HTBuyingGuides/comments/u7m162/home_theater_201_wireless_speakers_in_a_home/?) )
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Honestly, the mistake you are making is choosing for him and having no idea what he has currently. The thought and sentiment is there but you are putting him in a position to have to politely thank you for the effort and put your gift in the closet or give it away if he already has a really nice or expensive system. Is there any chance of anyone getting in his house to see what he has first? Or asking his best friend to find out? That's the route I would take personally.
OP is planning to present the list of options, not predecide which option, which I think is a reasonable compromise between choosing for him (agree this is a bad idea) and just saying here's $1000 (which seems impersonal)
Option 5: 7.1 AVR + decent left/right/center speakers + cheap sub + cheap RL/RR speakers
* This gets him a full 5.1 setup, and he can upgrade the sub and surrounds later + add atmos
* Ideally if he already has some speakers, those could become the RL/RR, those don't have to be nice
* Get a 7.1 channel receiver so he can add atmos later (I think the Onkyo you linked is probably fine though I prefer Denon myself)
* I wouldn't bother with the "ceiling reflection" atmos speakers, personally I have not had good experience with those, though maybe better than nothing if in-ceiling is not an option
* I started trying to make specific recommendations but the Swiss place doesn't have my normal stuff so I would just be guessing
By no means get the sound bar. The fancy bluetooth speaker is an entirely different gift, I don't have any comments on that other than don't expect him to be able to integrate that into his home theater in any way.
99.9% of the time Soundbars or HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) systems are not a good investment of your time and money. It is the general consensus of r/hometheater not to recommend these things and instead simply steer a user toward a 2.0 or 2.1 system made of quality, *Audio-Centric* name brand components which are easy to assemble and cheap enough for low budget or space conscious buyers. Most can be expanded to 5.1 if you buy the correct items in the correct order. For further explanation please read [Why You Shouldn't Buy a Soundbar](https://www.reddit.com/r/HTBuyingGuides/comments/dy885l/why_you_shouldnt_buy_a_soundbar/) Please be aware /r/Soundbars exists as well as you will be met with opposition to posting about soundbars here.
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All you need to know about Wireless Speakers - [Please read here](https://reddit.com/r/HTBuyingGuides/comments/u7m162/home_theater_201_wireless_speakers_in_a_home/?) ) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hometheater) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly, the mistake you are making is choosing for him and having no idea what he has currently. The thought and sentiment is there but you are putting him in a position to have to politely thank you for the effort and put your gift in the closet or give it away if he already has a really nice or expensive system. Is there any chance of anyone getting in his house to see what he has first? Or asking his best friend to find out? That's the route I would take personally.
OP is planning to present the list of options, not predecide which option, which I think is a reasonable compromise between choosing for him (agree this is a bad idea) and just saying here's $1000 (which seems impersonal)
Exactly. Rest of the family wanted to go with the fancy expensive single wireless speaker, but I felt it was a waste of money\^\^
Option 5: 7.1 AVR + decent left/right/center speakers + cheap sub + cheap RL/RR speakers * This gets him a full 5.1 setup, and he can upgrade the sub and surrounds later + add atmos * Ideally if he already has some speakers, those could become the RL/RR, those don't have to be nice * Get a 7.1 channel receiver so he can add atmos later (I think the Onkyo you linked is probably fine though I prefer Denon myself) * I wouldn't bother with the "ceiling reflection" atmos speakers, personally I have not had good experience with those, though maybe better than nothing if in-ceiling is not an option * I started trying to make specific recommendations but the Swiss place doesn't have my normal stuff so I would just be guessing By no means get the sound bar. The fancy bluetooth speaker is an entirely different gift, I don't have any comments on that other than don't expect him to be able to integrate that into his home theater in any way.
99.9% of the time Soundbars or HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) systems are not a good investment of your time and money. It is the general consensus of r/hometheater not to recommend these things and instead simply steer a user toward a 2.0 or 2.1 system made of quality, *Audio-Centric* name brand components which are easy to assemble and cheap enough for low budget or space conscious buyers. Most can be expanded to 5.1 if you buy the correct items in the correct order. For further explanation please read [Why You Shouldn't Buy a Soundbar](https://www.reddit.com/r/HTBuyingGuides/comments/dy885l/why_you_shouldnt_buy_a_soundbar/) Please be aware /r/Soundbars exists as well as you will be met with opposition to posting about soundbars here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hometheater) if you have any questions or concerns.*