@stuff_jones
1. I would say that unless you're really cranking the volume (over 95db) then I wouldn't worry too much about the sensitivity. You can often find great amps/integrateds on the used market that can easily handle these speakers. I just saw an ad come up for a pair of Odyssey monoblocks come up for about $800 for the pair. Those are killer amps that can drive anything and sound great.
Check it out. Those will sell fast, but Odyssey's come up used fairly often. I wouldn't hesitate to use them with BMRs. For $400-$500 you can get a new NuForce STA-200 amp. It will also sound great with the BMRs. This amp uses a circuit from Goldmund of Switzerland (super hi-end stuff) and is almost exactly the same as the Job225 amp (built by Goldmund). I have both amps and I can't really tell a difference. They easily power anything I've hooked up to them. Those are just a couple quick options, but finding a great amp for the BMRs isn't tough. You could also use an integrated like a Peachtree 150 or 300. Those would sound amazing with the BMRs.
2. The BMR driver looks odd, but it works great as a midrange. It has great dispersion, and the midbass is covered by the 7" driver, which extends down to the mid-30hz region. But it does look odd.
I just read where someone is comparing the BMRs with the Ascend Sierra RAAL tower and he said he can hardly hear a difference (and that's comparing to the tower).
Check it out here.
Last thing I'd add is that someone posted checking out a used pair of Totem Hawks as small towers and I also owned those and would agree that if you want a small tower and can find a used pair ($1000-1500) you're getting a fantastic speaker. Those love power too, so the amp recommendations are the same, but those are great little speakers that sound huge. I prefer the RAAL tweeter to the tweeter in the Hawks, but other than that the Hawks are great and have a great small form factor.
