There are several things to consider when purchasing your surround sound system. First of all, how much money do you want to spend? Surround Sound systems start very cheaply, and only go up in price. Second, you need to decide how many speakers you want. The first number refers to the number of wall mountable speakers. (5.1 means you have 5 speakers, two front, two rear, and a center speaker). The second number .1, refers to the subwoofer. Most of the time, this number is 1, for a single sub. However, occasionally it is 2, with stereo subs. For a system to have two subs, it will be pricey. As far as the speakers go, it is important to realize that you might need to run wires with the rear speakers. There are more and more systems that come with wireless speakers, but they are still in the several hundreds of dollars range. Please remember this when you are looking for your surround sound system. Furthermore, the last thing you need to consider is the total wattage of the system. This does not necessarily mean loudness, but instead is power. Often times more power means louder speakers. We recommend you get a system that has at least a total of 200 Watts or more. Many systems with this wattage are SDDS and THX certified. These two certifications present the clearest sound, using digital signals to produce the sound. PLEASE Spend time looking around our site. Get the Surround Sound System that suits your needs!!!