Recommended Surround Sound Setup?

Hello, everyone.
I was wondering what you would recommend for a sound system for a Mac Pro and Final Cut Pro X. I will be doing corporate videos, short and feature films, and music videos.
My current setup is:
Hafler P1500 trans amp
Mackie micro series analog mixer 8 channels
2 JBL 4206 monitors
I have the Mac Pro's 1/4" analog out going to a RCA Y adapter that goes into the Macki mixer. This is old and analog and stereo, not surround, obviously.
So I was looking at updating to a surround sound 5.1 setup that is digital. I can scrap my current setup, if needed.
Do you recommend getting a Denon A/V receiver and going out the optical to the receiver and then just getting a surround satellite setup from Best Buy? Or is there a better setup designed specifically for use with a Mac (USB/FireWire?)?
Thank you for your time and any advice or tips you have.
Thanks!
Scot

Hi,
I guess a lot depends on your budget and how serious you are about mixing for surround. Logitech makes an inexpensive THX certified 5.1 system (the Z906 $400) which has a digital input and sounds pretty good.
If you are doing professional surround mixing, however, you'll probably want to get some pro speakers. One very popular company is NHT. Check out their surround systems which start at $800: http://www.nhthifi.com/Systems
As far as the digital-to-analog hardware goes, most folks use Firewire interfaces or special PCI cards. Check out 8 channel Firewire interfaces from MOTU, Avid, RME.
Here's a short article I wrote which introduces some key concepts of 5.1 sound: http://cycling74.com/2006/05/30/51-overview/
Les

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While I'm a current employee of Best Buy, my views, opinions, and advice do not reflect those of Best Buy or its affiliates.

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