Is your surround system going to consists of 5 or 7 speakers? If it's 5, then I suggests considering a used 5 channel reciever like a Marantz, Dennon or even a McIntosh. You won't have HDMI but you can just go direct with the wiring and probably get better results. The only thing your giving up in that scenario is a more convienant remote setup. Good ones which were top of the line in their day go for around $300.
I have a Marantz SR-18ex that sounds pretty decent. Very heavy with 140 watts/ch. Use the amps in the reciever for the surrounds and use the pre-out to your amps for your Maggies. Try it without a preamp for a while then experiment with a dedicated preamp (with AV pass through).
I have a Marantz SR-18ex that sounds pretty decent. Very heavy with 140 watts/ch. Use the amps in the reciever for the surrounds and use the pre-out to your amps for your Maggies. Try it without a preamp for a while then experiment with a dedicated preamp (with AV pass through).