Look you can drive these speakers with Just about anything, you could go with a lower powered tube amp (50-75w) or you could go with a really powerful 300 watt per channel solid state beast, its about how much you want them to punch and kick! Of course this will require quality electronics with very clean power delivery into a 4ohm load. Most receivers fall short of providing the clean power output at higher volumes that these speakers are meant for. Buy a integrated amp with good power and excellent SQ!
Matt M
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Thanks for the responses!
@mattmiller
Integrated amp with good power and excellent SQ!
I am doing my best research to understand what exactly would indicate an amp I am looking at has good power an excellent SQ. Any recommendations on reading?
@sunshdw
If this is not a part of a surround sound system the I'm with Matt's recommendation of going after a nice integrated amp. Like this one that is barely used (it's mine they're selling for me)
It will be almost exclusively for stereo music, with future potential for a sub if I really feel like I'm missing low end. An integrated amp sounds like a logical next step, though my budget is not close to those you are selling, maybe in a couple years  .
My budget would probably max out under $1.5k with a preference under $1k. Do you have any recommendations that would be worthwhile in that range?
I'm interested in the NAD 3050 and the Cambridge Audio CXA81. Anything more suited in this ballpark?
Is there an example of a bare minimum integrated amp at $500-$600 that would do better than what I am working with?
room correction, stable to 4ohm and has good clean power.
Thanks for these criteria. I also have learning to do to understand how I can know if an amp has good clean power. Any recommended readings here?
I have Sonorworks reference, so I may be able to get by without built in room correction for most listening.
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Google "Yamaha R-N800A", it should do your JBL well for your budget.
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Thanks @deep_333 I'm looking into it! What would you say the strength of the R-N800A is?
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Thanks @deep_333 I'm looking into it! What would you say the strength of the R-N800A is?
It is a dedicated conservatively rated stereo all in one solution (integrated amp + streaming dac) that can deliver greater than 200W/channel Class AB into your speaker with enough current. The DAC implementation is good and Yamaha's Musiccast streaming features are glitch free/fairly robust (it has been around for a minute to get all kinks ironed out). To summarize, It should be a good step up sonically for 2 channel use than your older Pioneer multichannel receiver and good value for a modest budget of ~$1000.
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@szejna
The two you have listed are a good product and worth your consideration as well as the Yamaha also suggested.
Take a look at The Music Room if you want to purchase them, they have a return policy so that way you can try them and see which you like.
Ignore my comment on room correction and all three of the suggested amps will give you good power.
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It is a dedicated conservatively rated stereo all in one solution (integrated amp + streaming dac) that can deliver greater than 200W/channel Class AB into your speaker with enough current. The DAC implementation is good and Yamaha's Musiccast streaming features are glitch free/fairly robust (it has been around for a minute to get all kinks ironed out). To summarize, It should be a good step up sonically for 2 channel use than your older Pioneer multichannel receiver and good value for a modest budget of ~$1000.
@deep_333 Thanks for the thoughtful response! This looks like a really good option in the more affordable price range.
@sunshdw I will take a look!
Ignore my comment on room correction
Too late I started thinking about it, I'm really curious what Dirac would do for me. It sounds like with mini-dsp it can always be added later.
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good value for a modest budget of ~$1000.
What do you feel the next step up would be in terms of a price point that has noticeable differences in sound quality?
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@szejna
The NAD you noted has Dirac built in I believe. Room correction software is a different animal but can make a great difference when use properly. If you aren't techy Dirac can be somewhat difficult to navigate. In that case I'd suggest finding a local dealer and have them do it.
The MiniDSP is a cool piece but in your set up using a integrated you'd only be able to use their product on the sub channels whereas Dirac can do the full range including your subwoofer(s).
Just something else to think about.
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fwiw, for my bedroom system i recently replaced my 20-year old pioneer elite vsx80 with an anthem 740. the anthem is serviceable, and has the modern features like room correction, arc, etc., but to my ears doesn't sound as good--flatter and less musical. whether this is because of synergy or because the pioneer is an overacheiver i know not. undoubtedly, you can find something better, but i'd give a close listen to your current pioneer before upgrading.
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@sunshdw also got curious looking at the NAD 389 and Arcam SA30 after looking into dirac. Sounds like no sub output on SA30 for some reason though. Leading in the 389 direction at this point.
@loomisjohnson That is a good point. Now that you mention, definitely need to listen first, as enticing as new gear is. The JBLs (I hope) will be a huge upgrade from my speaker setup already (technics SB200 / Cerwin Vega at-12). I was supposed to get them today, but rescheduled to tomorrow for unknown reasons.
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I got these setup today with the vsx-14. The added detail is really nice! I am feeling like I'm missing low end I had with the Technics for some reason. I have the bass eq turned way up and the treble down and still seem to be a little overwhelmed with high end.
Is it possible that this is the amp not providing enough power to get the low end I'm looking for?
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Your jbls are very sensitive at 92db and shouldn't need a lot of power. Otoh they're rated to go down only to 37hz, which isn't super-low, so it may be they're just not as bass as their predecessor. Synergy is critical, however, so you could very likely get different results with another amp, tho you could also add a sub.
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The Technics are rated to go down to 38hz, so spec wise, not too different. I'm pretty surprised that I am finding these speakers thin, based on reviews like these (https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/jbl-hdi-3800) they should have relatively powerful bass. I even have them close to a wall so I expected to be working against it being overpowering.
Is there something else I am possibly doing wrong or are my expectations for these speakers just off?
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@szejna, i'm no tech wizard but i do know that frequency response measurement is an imperfect science and that other factors like dispersion, and dynamic range could make two similarly-spec'd speakers sound very different. i was curious enough to read some online reviews (e.g. audiosciencereview) of your jbls, some of which suggest that for low bass they would benefit from a sub--again, you might get better results with a different amp, so i wouldn't hesitate to experiment.
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I even have them close to a wall so I expected to be working against it being overpowering.
Is there something else I am possibly doing wrong or are my expectations for these speakers just off?
Several things to ponder...
1. Cabinet size 2. Sensitivity 3. Bass extension/impact....pick 2 (can’t have all 3)
Further, you are most probably sitting right on top of a couple of modal nulls (especially widthwise). So, even if it produced some bass, you didn't hear it. Get a subwoofer... if correctly placed/integrated, it will fix the nulls and provide the bass extension/impact that the speaker sacrificed for sensitivity and a non-refrigerator sized higher WAF cabinet.
P.S. Older multichannel receivers never have the poweramp sections for good bass. There is also a chance that a failing dcomponent can kill the bass.
The following is a legit thing that can happen in aging amps/receivers. It will appear to work fine otherwise.
Bass issue
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Thanks for the responses!
1. Cabinet size 2. Sensitivity 3. Bass extension/impact....pick 2 (can’t have all 3)
@deep_333 This is interesting. I assumed as cabinet size goes up bass extension goes lower and more impactful. Curious if that means sensitivity has to be lower to get more bass? Or are you saying smaller cabinet size is what you can't have.
@loomisjohnson, I experimented . I bought a NAD 389, and its clear the vsx-14 was not working with these speakers. Definitely interested to know if the bass (Capacitor or other failing component) issue you mentioned @deep_333 was part of this because the difference is night and day!
I'm now at a place where I definitely don't "need" a sub although I know it would be that much better.
I'm really interested to see what the dirac does for me, but software issues have been a struggle on the NAD so far, so I have not gotten there yet. When I install dirac live on my computer it crashes at startup 
The bluos has been a pretty bad experience too, have tried the upgrade on the NAD about 10 times and always fails. Hopefully support can help.
Outside the world of software, really happy with the sound!
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@deep_333 This is interesting. I assumed as cabinet size goes up bass extension goes lower and more impactful. Curious if that means sensitivity has to be lower to get more bass? Or are you saying smaller cabinet size is what you can't have.
If you want both sensitivity and bass, cabinet will become refrigerator sized (or drop the sensitivity)...It is just the physics...unless you are doing some non-typical design like transmission line, powered, etc.
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