I have a Sony DAV DZ100 and use it as both my DVD player and sound system here at home. I admit it's not the highest end unit on the planet, but the price was right when I was in the market. What's a little bit sad is that I never bothered to take advantage of the system fully - I laid the speakers out, but I never hung them or laid them out properly.

Tonight I did, and I have to say it's been worth the effort. Unfortunately the wires show. There's not a whole lot I can do about that in an apartment. Already I've learned that it's worth the effort, hands down. I would certainly prefer the wires not show, but that is not an investment I am interested making in an apartment. One benefit to my system is that it has a two channel stereo mode - something I would recommend making an absolute requirement if you're in the market for a system and live in an apartment. This allows me to disable the rear speakers with the push of a button, which helps me avoid annoying neighbors at night.

That said, in a condo or house I don't think I'd hesitate to purchase a nicer system and run the wires through the walls. Television and movies sound better and at a lower volume. This is great.