I find your post very interesting. I don't have Super Eclipses. But, I just bought a pr of Partial Eclipses (sensitivity 92db, 8 ohms; pwr req. 7-150 watts), for use in a rather smallish room (12'x13') with a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11A tube amp (70w/channel into 4ohms). No power problem here; I can play them as loud as I want, without any hint of under powering.
However, I also own an old Krell KSA-150 (rated at 150w into 8ohms), and out of curiosity I tried the Partials with the Krell. I was amazed to find that the spkrs sound much much better to me powered by the Krell than they do by the C-J. With the Krell, there is pristine clarity, definition and a sense of the presence of pwr, etc. (at all volume levels), that I just don't get with the C-J. This really puzzles me. I expected that since the spkrs' minimum pwr requirement is only 7 watts, when I pair them with a tube amp capable of 10 times the minimum I would hear the very best they can offer. IMHO, not so.
However, I also own an old Krell KSA-150 (rated at 150w into 8ohms), and out of curiosity I tried the Partials with the Krell. I was amazed to find that the spkrs sound much much better to me powered by the Krell than they do by the C-J. With the Krell, there is pristine clarity, definition and a sense of the presence of pwr, etc. (at all volume levels), that I just don't get with the C-J. This really puzzles me. I expected that since the spkrs' minimum pwr requirement is only 7 watts, when I pair them with a tube amp capable of 10 times the minimum I would hear the very best they can offer. IMHO, not so.