Creative Inspire T7900 7.1 Speaker System: wire length of each speaker ?

I'm looking to get a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system. While THX certified speakers would be nice, I think the price premium they carry is OTT (and a bit silly IMO :) ).

I'm considering the following systems and need to know the length of wires for each speaker, as I wish to run the wire around the wall:

1) Creative Inspire T7900 7.1 Speaker System (LN8358)

2) Creative Inspire SBS560 5.1 Speaker System (LN8306)


Aside from the wire length:

a) Is there much to be gained from a 7.1 speaker system over a 5.1 speaker system (apart from 2 extra speakers - i.e is 7.1 really worth it compared to 5.1 ?)

b) What are the speakers themselves like, and how's the sound quality (I will mainly be playing movies and music) ?

Are there any other speaker systems I haven't considered that are good in a similar price bracket ?

Sorry but we do not have the cable lengths nor can I see them listed anywhere on the creative website.

As for the speaker quality - I use my 5.1 inspires all the time for mp3 playback, games and watching videos and the audio quality is great. Don't forget though if you put rubbish in, you'll get rubbish out, so as long as your soundcards adequate then there shouldn't be an issue.