perhaps i shouldn't have put lower powered in my post as this shouldn't be a priority as muchas i should be concerned with finding an amp and cd combo that will work better with my speakers, if i can achieve this by just using a different cd player that would be great as this was the only piece i intended to upgrade in the near future, however if i understand correctly (and i may not have this right) i probably have a poorly matched cd player / amp combo for my speakers or just a poorly matched combo no matter what speakers (too much output from the cdp and low sensitivity inputs), once again i am set on the idea this is poorly matched as i have very little fine tune control over my volume level, of several systems i have had in the past i never has so little control, perhaps this is due to a cheap volume control but what is the point of a better volume control with 70 or more steps if you only normally use 15 to 25. That said if i get a cdp with a lower output level i may not have this problem but i really do not want to choose my source based my amp, i would prefer to limit my amp choices based on the cdp i choose, i'm sorry if i still am not getting this or if i am trying anyone's patience, but i think i've got it now, amp wattage not the issue, low input sensitivity on my amp and high output from my cdp is the likely cause, once again thanks for the break down