What kind of receiver does he actually have? A $2000 one? It ain't worth 2k if doesn't pass 4k/2.2. Rotel, Arcam? Is it a power issue? Tons of choices out there from $500-1500 that will skip the extra black boxes you are looking to add.
"There's a big difference between winging it and seeing what happens. Now let's see what happens." ~MacGruber