As an adjunct to Peter's comment, sound "proofed" does not necessarily mean sound "good." Before you do anything to your room I'd recommend you read Earl Geddes' "Premium Home Theater." It will give you a great understanding of what (and what NOT) to do to get a great sounding room if you're not already an expert in this area. I ordered several books on the subject and this one is by far the most user-friendly and useful (at least for me with my limited knowledge on the subject) and will give you a good understanding of both theory and practice. Even if you use a professional I think it's a good idea to have a good foundation in all the options so you can make well-informed choices.
As far as equipment, if 2-channel is important I'd go for a stereo integrated or separate stereo amp/pre and then add the best pre/pro or receiver (which could also be used to power the center and/or rear channels) you can afford to handle HT processing duties and that can be bypassed completely for stereo listening (this is easy to do). Reason is, the number of truly good pre/pros (or multichannel amps for that matter) that can deliver audiophile level sound is very low and they can also be very expensive. What are the odds one of the few high-end pre/pros or multichannel amps deliver optimal sound quality with your speakers and/or for your particular tastes? Going with an integrated or separates gives you a ton more choices and could sound better and actually cost less depending on what you choose. Just food for thought. Hope it helps and best of luck with your project.
As far as equipment, if 2-channel is important I'd go for a stereo integrated or separate stereo amp/pre and then add the best pre/pro or receiver (which could also be used to power the center and/or rear channels) you can afford to handle HT processing duties and that can be bypassed completely for stereo listening (this is easy to do). Reason is, the number of truly good pre/pros (or multichannel amps for that matter) that can deliver audiophile level sound is very low and they can also be very expensive. What are the odds one of the few high-end pre/pros or multichannel amps deliver optimal sound quality with your speakers and/or for your particular tastes? Going with an integrated or separates gives you a ton more choices and could sound better and actually cost less depending on what you choose. Just food for thought. Hope it helps and best of luck with your project.