I personally prefer films to music, which is why i'm concerned about the full 5.1 setup. I think once I get a decent processor, the balance will be just about right. Another plus point of going the seperate route is that if there is anything in the system that doesnt seem right, I dont need to change the full lot, I can just change one component.

I also wont need to go through the malarkey you mentioned, as I am going for power amps, so hopefully its just a case of switch the amps on and away I go. The AV amp should control everything.