If you buy the $350 Onkyo receiver I linked to earlier, you do get HDMI switching. And if you don’t care about surround, you can spend $50 on a pair of bookshelf speakers and get something that replicates the HTiB sound pretty well, so you’re getting something nicer (in the ways that the OP cares about) for less money – and with the ability to get nicer stuff down the road when the budget is less constrained. (Or you could just spend the $600 now to get those PSB speakers, and probably be set indefinitely, if you don’t care a lot about audio quality.)
My main suggestion would be to spend a little bit of money on a nice macro-capable programmable learning universal remote; either a harmony (if you’re living with a woman) or my favorite, the URC MX500.
As someone who owns both a Harmony One and an MX500, I’d strongly recommend the Harmony over the MX-500. It’s easier to use in practice even if you’re not intimidated by complexity, and it’s possible for complete strangers to actually turn on the TV successfully.
From TechBargains: Onkyo HT-S5200 HTiB for $405 with coupon code HTB61718 (expires 6/21). Upsides are it has 7 speakers (vs 5 in most HTiBs) and a real (albeit basic) receiver, so you can upgrade later. Downsides are it doesn’t support the latest surround-sound formats (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD) and the HDMI is pass-thru-only. If you want to step up a couple of notches, they also have the Onkyo HT-S7100 for $650 with coupon code HTB617X18 (exp 6/19).
If you prefer buying separate components: Energy TAKE 5.0 speakers for $200; add an 8" subwoofer for $100 or a 10" subwoofer for $200; then add the receiver of your choice. From what I’ve read, Energy is one of the better value-oriented speaker companies.
