I had a Yamaha HTR 5760 ($299) hooked up to M22s for stereo in an 8000 cubic foot room - a less than ideal situation on many levels. The sound quality was very good but that combo couldn't really fill the room (although my wife thought it did). I gave the receiver and an old pair of Mirage bookshelves from my attic to some friends to set up a home theater system using their old Sony tower speakers as fronts. The system sounds really good. So basically, I would think that unless you are in a really large room your brother-in-law will be thrilled with the sound.
