[largetrousers]

Help! I'm still stuck in the past! I have an Arcam AV50 which with an Arcam Alpha 8P Power Amp is powering my Kef Q65.2's bi amped/bi wired at the front, Kef Q95c.2 centre, Kef Q.35 rears and Kef PSW3000 sub. I still adore the pure sound I get from my CD player (an Arcam Alpha 8SE) when in Stereo, however now I have the likes of a PS3 etc I need to make use of the audio via HDMI which the AV50 does not accept. Until now I have used my Sony DVP-NS92V DVD Players on-board decoder using its 5.1 analogue outputs to my AV50 5.1 inputs, although this sounds 'ok' its never really blown me away, which I assume is due to the limitations of the on-board decoding of my DVD player. So I am tied - I want to keep the natural sound I get from my Arcam for CDs, but also want to have a good cinema setup to be proud of - do I:

a: replace the Arcam AV50 and AP power amp for a new decent-ish amp
b: purchase a TrueHD-capable unit with analogue pre-outs to plug into my AV50 and 8P, so that I still plug my CD player straight into the AV50.

I am assuming that option b will work, but maybe I am wrong? Do nowadays amps match/beat the naturalness of my old Arcam? I've also noticed that a lot of amps now have 7.1 pre-outs - does this mean I would bridge some of these or can some of the pre-outs be turned off (the rear sides?) so it's only 5.1?

Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated! I don't really want to spend a fortune, so getting the latest Arcam all singing all dancing setup is not an option, unless a bargain can be found on ebay/2nd hand somewhere else.

Thanks all.