If you’ve been shopping for home theater gear recently, you’ve probably noticed the rising prices. Even media streamers and smart speakers may feel like they’re slipping out of reach. There’s a trio of factors to blame — on top of tariff wars, there’s a literal war driving up the cost of shipping, and the unending appetite of AI datacenters for more memory.

You’re not necessarily stuck, however. There are a few strategies you can use to keep your budget under control without making major compromises on specs. I’m not going to lie, though — you might want to think twice about buying that 100-inch TV.

Buying used or older models whenever possible

Just be aware of the risks

A dirty secret in the TV industry is that there aren’t any huge year-over-year leaps in quality these days, unless perhaps you spring for an ultra-bright RGB mini-LED set. An OLED or conventional mini-LED from a year or two ago will still look amazing, while saving you hundreds of dollars. You can often find these older models on Amazon or at your local big-box retailer.

With TVs, speakers, game consoles, and other equipment, it can be worth shopping sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace for used models, but be cautious. Aside from the possibility of scams, there could be hidden defects with no chance of warranty repairs, and I’d be especially nervous about how well someone packages a TV. I’d also doublecheck that you’re getting the exact model you’re anticipating, because that can affect things like format support or the number of HDMI 2.1 connections.

I’d probably steer clear of used OLEDs unless they’re three years old or younger. All OLEDs are vulnerable to burn-in, and there’s no telling what bad habits a previous owner might have had.

Aiming for good enough instead of high-end

Don’t fall prey to FOMO

Whether or not you’re buying new, you can save yourself some grief if you don’t buy into marketing hype, or the notion that home theater equipment represents a status symbol. You should be shopping to meet your plans for movies, shows, and games — full stop. Past certain price thresholds, in fact, there can be diminishing returns. A $2,000 TV may offer better brightness, contrast, and color accuracy than a $1,000 one, but if you never test those limits, you’ll have spent twice as much for nothing.

Remember also that some features are merely nice to have. Dolby Atmos is extremely immersive when you’ve got separate speakers for each channel, yet you can still get excellent sound with an all-in-one soundbar that bounces Atmos effects off your walls and ceiling. Your first priority shouldn’t be spatial audio at all — I’d rather have a stereo soundbar with excellent clarity and bass than an Atmos system with muddy vocals.

Even 4K is negotiable, at least on consoles and Blu-ray players. The price jump for 4K-capable devices can be considerable, and it’s often hard to tell the difference versus upscaled 1080p on any TV under 75 inches.

Making smaller tactical upgrades

Maybe it’s not your TV or sound system that’s holding you back

Sometimes, it’s tempting to lean towards the shotgun approach — that is, spending on a big-ticket purchase instead of one or more smaller ones. No one likes the idea of spending on purely pragmatic items when that cash could be invested towards an impressive new toy.

Under the right circumstances, though, those smaller upgrades will punch above their weight. Mainly I’m thinking of add-on media streamers. If your current TV’s interface feels sluggish or awkward, even a 2022 Apple TV 4K will be a massive improvement, and enable extra perks if you own an iPhone and/or a HomeKit-compatible smart home. You might want to wait for the 2026 model if you care about Siri AI.

You could also be accidentally bottlenecking your system. If you have a console or Blu-ray player, you’re probably hampering its output by using an old HDMI 2.0 cable instead of 2.1 or later. Let’s not forget Wi-Fi, either. If you’re dealing with an outdated Wi-Fi 5 router, or range and interference issues, it hardly matters whether you’re streaming 4K HDR to a $5,000 TV or a $500 one. Lastly, you might improve sound quality simply by rearranging speakers, hanging acoustic panels, or using dampening pads.