TP,
Go here,
www.avforums.com You can guarantee that someone there will have first hand experience of the kit you're looking at. I don't have first hand experience, but would be confident with Arcam or Denon (currently I'm using Denon)
But, prepare to be told at least once to audition it. Not sure if the Sevenoaks you're using has an audition room either. This is quite important, as if you can't hear the difference between a £100 speaker and a £300 speaker, buy the cheaper one. An audiophile you're not, and you really don't want to be a speaker snob
I'd also ask, do you need a separate CD player? Both those DVD players listed should perform well as a CD Player, unless you're after absolute perfection.
If you don't mind travelling a little, speak to Elliot at PJ's HiFi in Guidlford. Elliot's the installs director, and will not sell you stuff you don't need / can't appreciate.
Oh, and budget 10-20% for cables as well.