Undeserving system? No such thing. High end audio is not about price or prestige. It is about music. Playing music so it sounds good does require a certain amount of equipment. So to a certain extent it does matter what you have. But what you do with it matters even more.
When it comes to what you do with it, most important of all is that you listen. Even if that is all that you do, it will be enough to show you the AVR is not the way to go, for the simple reason it sounds bad. Go ahead, listen, compare. If it sounds better, use it. If it doesn't, don't. No matter what anyone says.
That is the difference between having a high end audio system and an expensive stereo. The beginning and end. Alpha and Omega. You listen, it sounds better, you do it. That simple. Anyone finds that undeserving, guess what? Their problem. Not yours.