Alright, I always thought my surround sound system was great. That was until I went over to a friends house a few years ago and heard a huge difference. My surround speakers are extremely hollow! Anyway, I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I have an older Panasonic SA-AK57. I'm not an audiophile, so I don't worry about DTS. I want to know if there is a certain type of speaker (front, surround, and bass) that sounds great, but can plug into this system, or do I have to go out and buy a reciver. If so, what are the best systems (for low costs)? I'm against the latter because I don't have much money after purchasing my new HDTV. Thank you for your help in advance!

no easy answer. If you are on a real tight budget go to Ciruit City and Bestbuy and listen to what ever they have on promotional sale. Even if its not on sale it will be soon and the guy there know what their promo speakers are.

This system will still be way entry level but might do for now and cost under $200 with out sub.

The next step is to ~$500 with out sub and then it gets way hard. Everyone has there fav in this price point but really most are more alike then different.

For under $500, you might want to try Cambridge Soundworks. They have a good return policy if you get them in your home and don't like how they sound. They usually have good deals on receiver/speaker packages too if you decide you need a new receiver.

There are plenty of options, that is just one I am familiar with.