What is a good speaker system to buy?

What all do I need to buy to set up surround sound speaker system?

• I'm looking at getting my brother surround sound speakers for his birthday/Christmas, but I'm really not sure what all that entails. I've been looking at some speaker sets, but am not sure what else I would really need. For example, I looked at the Yamaha 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System (Model # NS-SP7800PN) at Best Buy. Would I need to buy my own cables, a receiver, etc.? If it makes a difference, he has a DLP HDTV, and already has a digital cable box, XBOX 360, PS3 hooked up to it. Thank you so much!!

• Answer:

  Since you don't know the technical details relating to audio, I wouldn't buy separate Amplifier (receiver) and Speakers. Buy a Home Theater System in-a-box. It comes with all the speaker wires, the Speakers are MATCHED to the Amp. It may also include other cables. You may have to buy one or two Optical cables for the 5.1 sound from the cable box and the xbox. He probably already has the video cables from the cable box and xbox. Look at Panasonic or Sony. Price range is from $200 to $600. Separate systems are more expensive. Be sure they have Optical or HDMI inputs. There is a lot more to be said, but it depends on what each person desires.