The long thin rear speakers is a home theater in the box kind of item. Check out the Audioholics store under that category as I think I might have seen them there.
If you are looking for something more than HTIB here are some ideas for you to ponder. First, the Onkyo 606 is a great bang for the buck and you can find one refurbished for about $275 if you look long enough at the Onkyo outlet store or on slickdeals.com - hot deals - audio. It seems most receivers have an add-on adapter for an IPOD these days. You would have to check it out.
If you are looking for a 5.1 speaker system that sounds good for little money, look into my first two suggestions. If you are looking for something stylish and colorful to please the wife, yet still sounds good, look into my last two suggestions for spherical speakers.
For a great on-sale value and a good sounding 5.1 system that has a subwoofer that goes down to 30 Hz, the EMP 351 5.1 system at $489 from the Audioholics Store is worth considering. I don’t think you could build a comparable system for that low price. My brother loves the sound of this system and it is really fairly valued near its $1319 list price. The system is black. (internet direct sales)
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1866/17/emp-htp-351-5-1-speaker-system
If you want a good sounding high value system that goes down to 20 Hz, the 5.1 SVS at $899 is generally recommended and there are positive reviews on the internet that you can read to be more familiar with the system. The system is black. The subwoofer is on the larger size, so check the dimensions to be sure you have a place for it in your room before you buy. There are other options on sale too and you can contact them for advice for your room size. (internet direct sales)
5.1 compact surround system with SBS-01 mains and PB10-NSD - Black (ships April)*
$999 $899
http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm
If you are looking for something not too big that has cool styling that would probably please the wife and still sounds good, I would look at the spherical shaped speaker systems from Orb Audio and Anthony Gallow. These speakers offer different color choices which is also a wife pleaser. Check their websites if interested. I believe Orb Audio is more affordable than Anthony Gallow and both have had good reports from Audioholics members. (retailer sales)
http://www.orbaudio.com/
http://www.roundsound.com/
