As the World of technology is ever changing (seems like every week) so do the systems!
My self I lucked out as I started with a 5.1 with a product guarentee from Future Shop & proceeded to go through 6 receivers before They had to upgrade me to a "Pioneer"
A lot of whats sold on the market today is just junk..Future Shops speakers weren't up to the challenge as most of what was displayed in the room..The bottom fell out of them once the volume was cranked
I run a Pioneer vsx-815 with PSBs 7.1 .Kapoww Oh Wow!

I've got a 5.1 system for the computer, but it's old and the speakers aren't spaced like they should be to get the best effect. I think I've even got the left/right side inputs reversed.

I've always like Bose systems but they are awfully proud of their products...

Ant

The problem with all those speakers is room placement!.Music only plays on 2 of those channels &Quad sound duplicate the channels again........Home theater is the only thing that uses all speakers!......Then theres the set-up..My Pioneer comes with a little "mic" that you plug into the front of the receiver & trail across the room to where your ears would be perched..You start the "MCACC" & all speakers take turns emitting a tone that the mike measures.....Distance......Room Size.......Speaker Size......Equalization...Room Ambiance....
& sets the receiver up to those settings & stores them in the memory so every time its turned on Your sitting in the "Sweet Spot"....Brilliant System. That Pioneer isn't an expensive receiver.The money is in the speakers....I bought 2 Bose 201s (smaller version of the 301s) & PSB alphas....I can run the volume up full pin without distortion........JVC....Sony...I find are just plain bad......JVC will give a short lived performance.went through 3 of those!Just like if you buy an amp for the car and are unsure of its looks...Had a kenwood amp but it was "thin" & soon burned out because it had inadequate heat sink! So they heat up & melt inside!
Thick does the Trick!.Those home theaters in a box they sell are minimal at best but won't take the punch!

I started out with a 5.1 but every time the receiver blew that model was no longer offered & under the extended warranty the rules stated the next thing in line "their cost".So I got my moneys worth as I ended up buying an out of date 5.1 for $200 + warr.....& ended up with a $600 receiver.(+ months of waiting for repairs/replacement)That was the deal 30 days repair or replacement.....

Electronics are made Japan...Assembled in Indonesia...So these units are making the rounds in shipping container being bounced around country to country So they can become damaged with out being noticed...All those JVCs I had , had circut board troubles......You don't have to spend a lot but you should get separate units.Take a disc of your music to the store & get them to close the doors on the room & CRANK it....80% of the speakers in the room you will find the bottoms will drop out 1/4 to 1/3 up the volume scale!.Like back in the 80s people were under the impression you had to have monster speakers
& today a good quality book shelf speaker can out perform those monsters! Magnet size in the speaker it self is what makes the difference......You can tell this by weight of the unit
A music system for a computer is only 2.1...51.or 7.1 is for movies!