Audio System + Digital Receiver

For residence 2.1 will do, something like Logitech z623 will do fine. Can be had for about $100.

Also I don't think you are looking for a digital receiver...you're looking for something to stream music? Airport Express or iTV could do.

I'll look into the Logitech, but 5.1/4.1 isn't just because I want more speakers, but some music is literally attuned to individual channels, making it sound different. My old 5.1 set from years ago allowed for this, and it, in my opinion, changed some songs and how they sounded. That's why I wanted 4.1 or 5.1 over 2.1.

As for the digital receiver...I definitely do not want anything Apple related. When I mentioned this stuff to a coworker, he informed me that Apple has been locking out which audio types you can use to "beat piracy," and you're essentially limited to mp4s. I do not want to have to convert every song I have (Even free fan remixes) just so that I can listen to them. Plus, FLAC files are a superior quality and I would prefer them over a set required format. Plus, when you have nothing else Apple, there's absolutely no reason to force yourself into their programs and bloatware simply because you are required to to do anything with them. No thanks.

As for iTV...I'm not sure what you're talking about there. I tried searching for it and I cannot find anything besides a streaming service like Hulu or Netflix. I distinctly do not want it hardwired into a single PC. That's one of the reasons I want a network connection to access the music, so that I can play it anywhere I want in my house without needing to be on my PC. I essentially want it to be a separate entity from my PC, and be able to grab music from any computer in my house that's connected to my network, or have it's own storage.

Think old school speaker system. You have a bunch of speakers that are wired into a large media player with a CD, DVD, Cassette, etc player. You can insert whatever media you want and play it through those speakers without needing any computer. The only difference is that instead of needing a CD, DVD, Cassette, or whatever, you instead just need to connect to your router (Or it has a harddrive with the media on it). I know this exists, I just don't know the brands and which would be the smartest investment, because I've never looked into this kind of stuff before.

My coworker had suggested Boxee Box, however as that's being discontinued I don't see that as a wise investment. I don't mind that it would hook into my TV, so long as it is not required to use whatever my TV's audio is set up as. I wouldn't even really mind if there was a PC based control panel, I just don't want to have the requirement of my PC or it's speakers and be able to control it outside of those. For example, if I have to set up a playlist with my PC, that's fine. I don't want to have to control every aspect of it with my PC (Like Previous, Next, Start/Stop, etc).

Maybe I am asking for too much.