Define power hungry...B&W speakers

Thanks ZD542. I appreciate you taking the time to explain, it does make sense. My hope was to have a firm base of specs as I will probably buy used from this site. Without the ability to demo the gear its hard to make the best decision. I do know in the end that this all comes down to my room, my gear, and my own ears.

Thank you!

Any other thoughts out there?

Here's one more example for you that may help in your selection. You picked your B&W's for a reason. On paper, your CDM 1NT's look like countless other small speakers. You can find another pair of speakers of a similar design and specs, and for much less than what you spent on them. The reason you went for the B&W's is because you like the way they sound. You took the necessary step, and crossed over from the objective to the subjective. If you didn't do that, you couldn't justify the purchase. It's the same thing with any other component. If you set some goals as to what you expect from a new amp or integrated amp as far as sound quality, it will be a great help. You can still make a mistake, but you lower the chances. Try not to worry too much about the specs. I think you easily have the ability to make a sensible choice as to how powerful an amp you need. If you're not sure, just post what ever amp you are considering, and someone here should be able to tell you if it will drive your speakers, or not.

One last thing. Don't get sucked into the cable trap. Cables do make a difference, but so many people put way too much money into cables when it could have been used to buy better components. Not only that, but if you get good components and match them well, cable choice is very easy.

I use the 700 series which replace the CDMA NT. Both use the Nautilus tweeter (NT). I also own 600 and 800 series and these are a sweet spot. Easy to drive like 600 series but much more refined.

You do not need a massive amp but a good 100 wpc integrated is ideal in my experience. My 50 wpc Linn and Rega integrated were fine but at low volume, I found my 100 wpc McIntosh or modern Yamaha integrateds were a lot better. A big NAD works well too. A nice tube amp will be a good choice too as long as it is not one of those really small one. A 75 wpc Cary or McIntosh is a good choice.

These are very high quality and revealing speaker so they will reward care in your set up. I use Transaprent audio cable as the little network boxes were very good at suppressing line noise which the NT are reproducing. I use some level of isolation on all components in the chain, even the amps. Again these speaker will allow you to hear the differences that small tweaks make. Enjoy.

I use the 700 series which replace the CDMA NT. Both use the Nautilus tweeter (NT). I also own 600 and 800 series and these are a sweet spot. Easy to drive like 600 series but much more refined.

You do not need a massive amp but a good 100 wpc integrated is ideal in my experience. My 50 wpc Linn and Rega integrated were fine but at low volume, I found my 100 wpc McIntosh or modern Yamaha integrateds were a lot better. A big NAD works well too. A nice tube amp will be a good choice too as long as it is not one of those really small one. A 75 wpc Cary or McIntosh is a good choice.

These are very high quality and revealing speaker so they will reward care in your set up. I use Transaprent audio cable as the little network boxes were very good at suppressing line noise which the NT are reproducing. I use some level of isolation on all components in the chain, even the amps. Again these speaker will allow you to hear the differences that small tweaks make. Enjoy.

I use the 700 series which replace the CDMA NT. Both use the Nautilus tweeter (NT). I also own 600 and 800 series and these are a sweet spot. Easy to drive like 600 series but much more refined.

You do not need a massive amp but a good 100 wpc integrated is ideal in my experience. My 50 wpc Linn and Rega integrated were fine but at low volume, I found my 100 wpc McIntosh or modern Yamaha integrateds were a lot better. A big NAD works well too. A nice tube amp will be a good choice too as long as it is not one of those really small one. A 75 wpc Cary or McIntosh is a good choice.

These are very high quality and revealing speaker so they will reward care in your set up. I use Transaprent audio cable as the little network boxes were very good at suppressing line noise which the NT are reproducing. I use some level of isolation on all components in the chain, even the amps. Again these speaker will allow you to hear the differences that small tweaks make. Enjoy.