The right amp for my system

On the clarity Bigby is right. Poor acoustics will cause the clarity problems as well as many others. Stats like yours won't have the same punch as cones in the same price class. I'm not sure what you listen to or what volumes so I'm guessing. A good subwoofer may help also. A sub is not a good place to cheap out either. If you have woodworking skills designing and building your own will save a lot of money.

Room treatments are super important and will have more affect on the sound than anything else maybe even speakers. If you look at the frequency response of a room not treated it will have peaks and dips as much as 20db. That's a lot and enough to mess up the sound.

Forgot to add that every time you double the power of the amplifier the loudness goes up 3db. 3db is a little more than noticeable. So a 200 watt amp will play 3db louder than a 100 watt amp.
It could be your speakers want a better amp with more current capability but I don't know what their impedence curve looks like. Stats can be hard to drive though.

Hey you guys are super. I appreciate your responces but your a lttle over my head at this point. I have a lot to learn but want to get off to a good start. I'm hoping to make the best of what I have for the time being so have to stick to the basics.

My Pioneer is driving the 2 M/L Clarity's, a M/L 8" sub, a M/L Vignette as a center, 2 Vignettes for the surrounds and a pair of old KLN's (go ahead and laugh) for the rears. I have Acoutic Zen Satori's for the mains and a pretty decent 12g. speaker wire for the surround.

It is used most for HT and a Panasonic BD-605 for music.
I know it's not much it's what I have for now.

It's all set up in my office/bonus room so as far as acoustics goes it's "hodge-pod."

I don't like music too loud unless to concentrate on a particular piece. But that's an unsustainable level. At normal listening levels the system is un-impressive. Low range is ok but mids and highs are lacking. The M/l's are 3 yrs old and may have lost some of the sparkle they had new. If you'd still like to comment I'm listening. Thanks

Geh7
Thanks for the offer on the Rotel. I do envy the W4S. The write-ups on it are very inviting. I would go that route if I could afford it. I'll have to keep that as a target for my "some day." How are they working out for you?
I think I'm settling on the 300w's of the Emotiva xpa-2 for the mains with hopes that will release some sparkle for the rest of the system. Just out of curiosity, what would you like for your Rotel?

Thanks for the comments on acoustics. The Elite receiver has a built-in set-up system and mic. I take it that it is supposed to analyze and compensate for the acoustics in a room. Should that be sufficient or should I be doing a little more study.