A1 sound now, 3D sound later.

Not convinced about Atmos 3D audio yet? Or, maybe more to the point, haven’t convinced your spouse that it’s worth shelling out for? Here’s what you do. You start cheaply and quietly (or, we guess, loudly) moving the pieces into place now, under cover of a regular old surround speaker set. This Onkyo Atmos-enabled speaker system is, frankly, a great deal whether or not you ever use it in an Atmos setup.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, Dolby Atmos is that 3D audio setup we’ve told you about before, that adds a vertical dimension to the horizontal sound field of regular 2D surround sound. An Atmos receiver adds two channels for the left and right height signals, played through a couple of Atmos-enabled upward-firing speakers (or, in a pinch, two regular speakers mounted up high). As we keep saying, Atmos literally adds another dimension to home theater audio. As more and more home video content is released with Atmos sound, it sounds like it’s gonna be the future.

Here’s how we know this particular set is a great deal: because the Onkyo system one step down from the one we’re selling here - with worse frequency response and smaller front speakers and no Atmos - still costs more on Amazon than you’ll pay for this superior Atmos-equipped system today. If you’re thinking at all about buying home theater speakers, this is “how can you afford not to buy this?” territory.

With these gut-punchingly low-priced speakers, you’re ready to pounce when you finally believe Atmos is for real, when your household budget will allow it, or just when Atmos receivers get even cheaper than the ones we’ve sold. (Or, of course, if you already have an Atmos receiver, duh.) Thanks to the integrated but distinct upward-firing drivers built into the front speakers, you’ll have a 5.1.2 (the .2 is for the height channel) 3D setup raring to go when that blessed day arrives.

In the meantime - or if you stay on the wrong side of history and never go Atmos - you get a complete surround speaker system that kicks way more ass than you have any right to expect for 240 bucks. There’s a 10", 120W subwoofer; a dual-drive two-way center speaker; two front speakers with 5" paper-cone woofers and 1" balanced-dome tweeters; and two rear speakers with 3.25" cones. Did we mention it’s by Onkyo? Do we need to mention that Onkyo makes really good home-theater stuff?

Hedge your bets on the future of home theater audio, if you must. We’re pretty sure we know where it’s headed, but we understand that you may not share that certainty. So here’s your chance to lay off that gamble so you win either way. If we’re wrong, well, you would have gotten an excellent deal on a complete surround speaker system by one of the best brands in the game, and all we will have gotten is your 240 bucks. That’d show us.