Jl35, I went through the same process a few years ago. I downsized from a 5.2 to 2.2 system since most of my system use was audio. To add to auxinput's recommnedations, I would add the McIntosh MX-120 or 121. These units fall into a grey area where audio purists won't touch them (because evil tone controls), and hard core AV guys skip over them because they don't utilize the latest Codecs. They will run in analog mode and offer up a ton of flexibility in addtion to producing stellar sound. In the Mc pre amp world, they represent an amazing bargain.
Downsides? You have to run an S-video cable to your television (at least on the MX-120) to access the onscreen menu. There are s-video to hdmi converters available.
Downsides? You have to run an S-video cable to your television (at least on the MX-120) to access the onscreen menu. There are s-video to hdmi converters available.