Recommended amplification

If a speaker manufacturer recommends higher power, then what likely will happen with higher power is a more powerful and dynamic sound. You can get good sound with the lower power amp, but it will not be as powerful or forceful with music that calls for that grunt. This applies to a small room too.

For example, Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks. Listening to that song on my higher power requirement speakers with the lower powered Benchmark AHB2 vs the CODA #16 is a huge study on contrasts. Both sound good but with the CODA you feel the music in your bones. 

If you are listening to Sarah McLachlan (as I am typing this) it does not matter if I used the AHB2 or the CODA #16.

I don't know but they are always high.

Some people think, even people posting in this thread, that more power means "better" sound.  But if at normal listening volume you're listening to 1 watt, then you have to hope the 300W applifier you have has a good first watt and they didn't blow the budget on the high power.

Jerry

Source Material plays a big part as well… So much stuff we remember sounding great from our teen years just doesn’t cut it on the reveling systems we’ve acquired over the years in our pursuits of sonic bliss, maybe it was the drugs… who knows, LOL…. Heck, even a lot of today’s so called “Remastered” material sounds worse that then originals, many times it’s just S#!t on a Gold Plate, if ya know what I mean. Try some really well recorded material and if it sounds great, kinda narrows down the field as to what the issue could be. Been there so I get it.   

some speakers thrive off the headroom high power amps provide.

Interesting topic and one I’ve wondered about. I have the meters on my Accuphase amp set to freeze at the highest wattage during a listening session. Even listening to Mahler Symphonies at 70 db I never exceed more than 1 Watt. My speakers are Harbeth C7ES-XD at 87db efficiency and 6 Ohms and my amp is rated at 150 Watts at 8 Ohms. So I have plenty of reserve power.  I guess I could gave been fine with an amp at half the power.