Hey king,

Welcome to the forums. I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment that you're not going to get peak performance from an AV receiver. I know this because I tried it. I found the Rotel RMB 1066 running bridged to supply more than enough juice for the MLs. It's a very good option in your price point.
I'll second Mr. Peabody's suggestion on the MF DAC. It would allow you to enjoy DVDs and remove some of the digital haze on cd playback...

Congrats on your new finds and good luck.