Quoted from metallik:

Bose ain't all that great, doubt it'd be much better than current aftermarket systems. Are they including an external sub with it?
"No highs, no lows... must be Bose!"

Quoted from PinMonk:

Mid level and up Yamaha receivers are fine. Denon receivers are okay, depending on the model. Sony is meh. Run from Onkyo and Pioneer. They're the same now and total crap, even in the mid-tier units that used to be pretty well constructed.
I used to be hardcore Onkyo until we had two different models of receivers (one was like $1500, the other was like $800) in two different rooms fail a few years apart because of poor components. Support was a nightmare to get them first to admit the problems, then to pay for the shipping to get them fixed (I wasn't paying for THEIR clear defects). They eventually made them both "secret recalls," but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth and I was done with getting a new Onkyo every 3 years or so.
Rather than get a middling complete system, I'd put most of your money into a nice mid-tier receiver and just a couple speakers (in ceiling or stand up) and then expand the speakers as you can until you have a full, great system. You might also want to troll the bulk auction sites. Receivers pop up there pretty frequently that are open box with warranties left that sometimes sell for 20% of retail price. You might have to buy a lot of items on a pallet or something and sell the excess, but depending on your luck and how much work you want to do, you can end up with a much nicer system than you thought you could afford.

Quoted from mystman12:

Just checking in to see if there was any new news and I had to double check to make sure I didn't accidentally open a thread about speaker suggestions.