Telling you to 'dump' all of your money into a high-dollar reciever was strike one. Telling you to buy $30 dollar speakers was strike two. Talking about wires period was strike three. Actually, anytime anyone tells you his wires are what makes his system sound good... you can pretty much turn your brain off to anything else he has to say.
SRoode has an excellent point, go listen to his system. See how good it sounds, and get a clear picture of the price tag he paid for it. Then find someone in your area that has something similar to what you're wanting to buy (if that's possible), or even go ahead with your order (it's refundable after all), and listen to the way it sounds. Compare the two systems and their price tags, and see which one you think is the better deal.
I'm not saying his system won't sound good, it may very well sound great. But my guess is compared to what you'll get for much, MUCH less, you'll realize you don't have to sell the farm to get a good sounding set-up.
