I've powered my 1.6 speakers with as little as 35 watts and as much as 200+ watts of class A power. Low power is fine as long as it is high current and you listen to voice or small jazz and chamber groups. If you have a large orchestral piece that has great dynamic range you will want plenty of high current power. I have no doubt that you can get wonderful sound with a few watts but I believe some music requires more current and power or the maggies will sound congested. I'd rather go with high current, high power amplification (SS) and a good tube preamp.
What does more power do for Magnepans?
I have Magnepan 3.5 speakers with a Plinius 9200 integrated. I think the sound is quite good but I always hear that Maggies love alot of power. I am curious and considering a Plinius P8 to biamp with the 9200. What difference could I expect to hear with more power? Any opinions?