Hey Fred,
I've got a pair of M60s that I bought primarily for 2.1 channel, stereo use. I'm a music nut first! I also have your goal of getting into HT down the line. I've been researching that off and on for a couple of years. Right now I have my $6 TV hooked to my stereo set up, and that is totally fine with me.
I must weigh in to say that if you are interested in stereo sound right now, you should really look into some used sleeper budget integrated amps -
Nad 3020,
Creek 5350SE,
McIntosh MAC1700, etc. Look for names like Rotel, Luxman (like my L210), Carver, Marantz, vintage Sherwood or Harman Kardon, etc.
Regarding power, you don't need a lot of power for stereo or to run M60s. According to
Axiom they only need 10 watts minimum, 250 watts max. My
Luxman L210 is only 45 wpc but has wonderfully full dynamic range. I use a
Scott 222c tube amp with only 20 watts per channel with the M60s, and the sound is out of this world!
I'm really just piping in because I've read a lot about small amounts of power versus larger power loads and it's mighty confusing when it comes to stereo applications. For HT, I agree that more power is better for louder scenes, etc.
But if all you need right now is something really amazing sounding to hook to your M60s, you really don't need to look for large power loads. And, from everything that I've read about Yamahas, this is not my opinion because I've never really heard Yamahas, they are fine enough, but not detailed and lively for music.
Let your ears be the judge. I spent $1000 on an Adcom separates stereo system only to be blown away by a $150 Luxman integrated amp - the one I'm listening to right now!
Again, this is all based on my personal experience and my audio journey.
Good luck!
Zoë
