Stereo Guy - Need advice on HT integration

+1 jmc and bdgreg. A stereo pre configured the way they said with a decent AVR is absolutely the way to go if 2-channel music is the priority.  You can use any stereo pre, and if it doesn't have a HT bypass you can use any open input and just set a reference level (I used 12:00 to make it easy) so the front L/R speakers have the proper volume set for HT.  Shame to spend tubes on HT (unless they’re really cheap to replace), so I’d probably be in the camp of disconnecting the Joules and hooking up to the AVR for HT duties.

Obviously you’ll need an AVR with preamp outs for this to work. I’m in the process of getting one of these too, and FWIW I’m getting the Yamaha Aventage 870 from accessories4less for $650. I think Yamaha has the best combination of features, performance, reliability, and value. Best of luck.

Since you need a stereo preamp too, maybe a higher-end integrated amp might be a simple and elegant solution?  There's a Plinius Hiato available here now that would probably sound great with your speakers, and it has a HT bypass for convenience.  But if it's me (and obviously it's not), there's also a Vitus RI-100 available that would be tripping my radar hard.  Just a couple thoughts FWIW.