Hello PDN. You almost never need more than 10 watts per channel. Receivers generally don't have power supplies that can really supply the "rated" 100+ wpc they might advertise. The gear sold in chain stores is made to a lower standard than so called "audiophile" equipment. That said, I have in daily use, multi channel amps from Emotiva (5 ch), Starke (4 ch), and Integra (9 ch). All get good to rave reviews and work beautifully for me. I don't know how many channels you need, but the Starke AD4-320 is absolutely fabulous and supplies four channels at 220 watts into 8 ohms, and 320 wpc into 4 ohms. I have two of these amps powering two 4 way speakers (one amp channel per driver, electronic crossover). Stick to a serious brand and you should be fine. My pal has a 7 channel Emotiva and loves it. Enjoy the music.
Difference between amps
OK so let's talk amps. I'm sure this has been addressed before but are there real differences between multi-channel amps among the various brands in the mid-fi to high end markets with comparable specifications? Adcom, Anthem, Classe, Emotiva, Krell, McIntosh, Marantz, NAD, Parasound, Outlaw, Rotel, etc. What are the differences in these brands? I can site one difference. In multi-channel Marantz amps, the specs never state "all channels driven". They are notorius for misleading the consumer with their power output ratings. But that's a marketing decision. What are the real or should I say physical or performance differences among these? .