What are my best options for home audio

[cjj54321]

I have a question regarding a home theater/audio system- and I know pretty much nothing about the subject. We moved into a house and the sellers took their wired 7.1 home theater system with them. We have exposed wires and would like to decide if we put in a wired system or patch them up and go wireless. We play all of our music from our Mac so would like a system that would link to that. We also have Bose outdoor speakers that we have never set up and may or may not be able to incorporate those. We'd like the home theater, but even more so, we'd like to listen to loud music from our computer, so good speakers are a must. Additional room options a plus. What's the best system is to meet our needs?

 

[americanaudiophile]

To use the 7.1 channel surround sound speakers (all speakers in the same room. .1 is a self powered subwoofer) you will need a surround sound receiver. Some receivers have a second zone output but if you are using all 7 channels of amp in the receiver for surround you have to add a stereo amp to power the speakers (your Bose outdoor speakers for instance).
For most people a system like Sonos is a great option. You can use a Sonos ConnectAmp to power up to 4 speakers in a single zone. A Sonos Connect would be for use with a surround receiver or existing stereo amp.
They also make wireless speakers for rooms that don't have speakers. All controlled by smartphones. Plays your music files and accesses music services directly without a computer.
As for the quality of your speakers that is a matter of taste and money (like many things).
If you are not knowledgeable (and don't want to get into it) a good custom installer can set it all up and show you how to use it.