Re: New house has surround sound but....
They look like standard speaker terminals, which should work with either banana plugs or bare wire. As long as you don't buy a "package" that uses proprietary speaker connections (as some "Home Theater in a Box" systems do) you should be just fine. Your system is prewired for 5.1 audio, not 7.1, but. The terminal gang near where your electronics will go looks to have connections for front left, center, and front right speakers in one group, and the rear left and rear right speakers in the other. The two single wall plates should be well-placed for connecting the rear surround speakers.
Again, as long as your equipment is designed to work with standard speaker cable (which you'll buy separately anyway) you're good to go. I would recommend 12 gauge copper lamp cord (14 gauge at the smallest) and some quality solderless banana plugs. (Unless you're handy with a soldering iron, in which case go for the more secure connection.) That will perform as well or better - especially over the distances you're dealing with - than any pricey speaker cable and is a lot cheaper.
Regards,
Joe
