Dear KenzieM,
In the spirit of "the blind leading the blind", I will attempt to help. The audio world has taken a bit of a split. In one camp, you need 100 to 400 watts per channel to drive speakers well and make great music. The other camp is represented here and just for variety or cross section at,
http://www.commonsenseaudio.com/.
This second camp uses SET amps and uses 2 to 40 watts to drive very efficient equipment. Decware is a bit of a pioneer in this "efficiency" world.
There are many satisfied listeners using and experimenting with high efficiency equipment. For one, it does not cost an arm and a leg. The speakers can even be so simple that a crossover is not required - thus a more pure delivery of the source material. Steve, owner of Decware, has a motto of - paraphrased: "if the first watt sucks, why go for more"
So for spending short money, you get a crystal clear "single digit" watt amp into a very affordable, simple speaker that sounds wonderful - why do you need to spend your personal (hard-earned) fortune for a large triple digit wattage system that sounds worse/the same/promises to be better???
So hopefully that gives you a first division to consider. This is a good place to pursue the "high efficiency" camp.
The high wattage camp can be visited at Stereophile or Audiogon forums.
Does this get you a tiny bit more informed?
I am trying to start out on this journey. In addition to finding it hard to right a check with very many zeros, I am absolutely amazed at how many listeners in the triple digit watt world keep changing equipment to find pieces with synergy. I am theorizing, Decware gets some "synergy-like stuff" by having a volume control on each device in the chain. So 'up the pre and lower the amp' etc, until it sounds best to your ear.
And most of all --"we all have different opinions of what sounds good". All humans are different, as I am sure you have discovered!
Like suggested above, I am going to visit Steve in Peoria and listen and talk. Maybe even write one of those checks:)!!
BTW, the larger speakers on this site are custom made by artisans (nickname Ziggie) These are my ultimate speakers - -don't want a Corvette, but I dream of HR-1s
Raymundo
ps: as a new guy here, I invite constructive comments to be added.