For the normal listener in a normal room listening to music with normal dynamics at a normal distance with normal neighbour issues and having some power in reserve, I'd say 100W is the right sort of practical power reserve. Which, coincidentally, is the power output of the QUAD 405, a great power amp. Even the 405's 100+100W power potential could be all drawn by normal speakers playing pop/rock excitingly loud. As we've seen, 100W is closer to 28W than 700W!

I think that I've amply and comprehensively demonstrated that flea powered amps are a very poor choice, regardless of the sweet talk of the marketing romance. Consider the entire human muscle power of an orchestra playing - perhaps 50 lungs and 200 arms - converting the chemical energy stored in muscle tissue into motion, and via their instruments into sound. What sort of bizarre logic is there behind thinking that a 7W micro-powered amplifier could regenerate those sound waves at home with anything like the true dynamic range of the recording?

To put it into context, 7W is about the same amount of power as a night light placed into a child's bedroom. Nothing