Is there any truth to this question?

Last time I visited with Roger he was using the RM-10 to power his 74 dB ESL loudspeakers. We were listening at a very moderate level in his room and there were no hiccups coming from that amp that I could hear. Sometimes you can be surprised by amp/speaker combinations. I myself would think 100 watts minimum in this case, but the RM-10 easily had enough power, perhaps not to rattle the walls, but definitely comfortable listening.

Have you thought about trying a buffered preamp to eliminate gain in the preamp stage and give you more control over the volume range? Buffers from Pass, Burson, Dodd, or Horn Shoppe could work nicely with your YBA amp and they are very reasonably priced.

The RM-10 is one of the best value amplifiers in production. The 35 watts was enough for the designer to use not only with Vandersteen's, but his Quad 57's and his own brand of ESL speakers. It is quite a versatile amp as it can be "light" loaded to reduce distortion and run the circuit more efficiently with less stress on the tubes, although there will be a reduction in power. The reduced power in a small room with speakers that have a smooth impedance curve this should not be an issue IMO. Try the 4 ohm taps or run the speaker leads from the 4 and 8 ohm taps which in parallel give you two ohms and see how the amp sounds. You might be surprised.