JM--In my experience the Aerials do need power--lots of it. I heard them twice at a local dealer many years ago. First time completely underwhelmed with a medium power tube amp. Second time was a completely different experience with high wattage solid state.
If you want to keep the BAT and pair it with a gorgeous pair of full range speakers that are very easy to drive check out the Daedalus lineup. Lou had the smaller Apollo's at the Florida Audio Expo last month and the sound blew people away--yes, he paired them with the new VAC Statement integrated at $150K, which tells you a little about the quality of speakers Lou builds and the sound they are capable of producing. For $12K you could probably get a pair of Argos and be done for life. Strongly recommended!
If you want to keep the BAT and pair it with a gorgeous pair of full range speakers that are very easy to drive check out the Daedalus lineup. Lou had the smaller Apollo's at the Florida Audio Expo last month and the sound blew people away--yes, he paired them with the new VAC Statement integrated at $150K, which tells you a little about the quality of speakers Lou builds and the sound they are capable of producing. For $12K you could probably get a pair of Argos and be done for life. Strongly recommended!