I am looking for some advice, please.......

I have a Pioneer AV Receiver and the Mission FS-2 speaker package with Sub woofer.  The guys who came out and set it up originally, set up so that all the speaker cables run from the AV receiver to the sub woofer and then the speaker cables run from the sub woofer to the individual speakers.

 Is this really necessary?  Can it be set up so that the speakers are connected directly to the AV receiver and connect the sub in the same way?  This way there would be less speaker cable used, thus making it tidier behind the TV, and most importantly, keeps the missus' happy!!  Are there and advantages/ disadvantages with either method?  Also is there any sound quality issues with either method?

 Many Thanks in advance

 Jon