Why do you need so much power?


I have a basic question.  I have a set of Tannoys with 93dB sensitivity. I’m told that a 25 Wpc amp like the First Watt J2 can power it just fine. (I don’t crank it to 11.). Someone also suggested an Emotiva amp with 500W RMS. 

So my question. Assuming you have a good set of speakers that are efficient (>90) and you don’t crank it till it’s clipping, then do you ever need such power as the Emotiva?  Thanks!
ssmaudio
A 25-watter for 93 db/watt speakers is not that different from my using 6-watt amps for my 99 db/watt speakers.  If you don't insist on extremely high volume output, the J2 will work.

I am a low-powered tube person.  I own a pair of  Audio Note Kageki (parallel single ended 2a3 tube amp) a custom built pushpull 45 amp, and a custom built 349 pushpull amp (my favorite).  I had the First Watt J2 in my system for about two weeks (on loan from a friend).  I liked it a lot.  While it did not sound quite like a low-powered tube amp, it acquitted itself quite well--it was lively and engaging in ways that I've not heard with most solid state amps.  It is a first rate amp at a quite reasonable price.
So much power? 

No, you don’t. 65 w/ch rms, clean, is plenty. Unless your amp doubles as a welding power supply.
the person suggesting the 500 wpc emotiva for your tannoy's is either self serving or he is an idiot


Complicated. Much depends on particular match, I guess. 500 seems excessive but 25 seems bare minimum. And what about current?
@mulveling, thanks for the response.  I listen almost exclusively to classical, opera and jazz; not so much orchestral recordings (so a lot of piano, violin, vocals).  What's most important to me is clarity, detail, transparency and imaging. 

The reason I'm partial to the First Watt is that those amps are designed to be musical--an ethereal and subjective characteristic but nonetheless, important.  I'm a violinist, so I value a system that communicates what the musician intended.

Let's see.  I'll try out the J2s and see what happens.