Murph, thanks for explaining the clipping definition.
Most of the time in a situation like this, the speakers can actually handle much more power than the source is capable of providing, so the source (amp) is actually the cause of the problem, blown drivers is just the result.
Ask your wife if she remembers how high she had the volume turned up when the receiver "shut down", if she had the volume turned up almost to max, the receiver could have gone into thermal shutdown mode. This is to prevent any damage to the receiver, not to your speakers. Part of an amplifiers ability to produce power is it's ability to dissipate heat. For example, if you have a forced cooling setup, a given amplifier can produce more power safely than a an amp with only passive cooling (similar to over clocking a computer). Keeping the transistors cool is the number 1 goal in this instance. The way that power amps are able to produce much more power than receivers is that they have many more transistors, as well as much larger power supply and capacitor sections... But the point being, more transistors= less work/heat generated per transistor.. If you look at the large amps produced by many of the high end companies, they will have HUGE aluminum heat sinks that their transistors are bolted to... to dissipate as much heat as efficiently as possible.
So, where is your receiver located? Does it have lots of open space around it that would provide a natural efficient radiant cooling? On my AV rack, each amp has 1' of clearance above it to ensure that there is enough room for unobstructed airflow.
Room size, I would tell you to wait for Alan to give his opinion, or call axiom and ask Brent/JC. Any of those 3 guys will give you a realistic recommendation without trying to over sell you on your true needs. However, in the mean time. Try to quantify "loud" do you mean the same level as a rock concert? Movie theater? opera? Jet engine from 3' away? Try to come up with a real world relation that you can make, to give them an accurate level that you and your wife are trying to achieve, this will help them give you a good recommendation. The last thing you want to do is spend good money after bad, and not get the results you are truly looking for.
I think that in a way you have opened a can of worms my friend. I have a feeling the recommendation that you will receive will involve buying larger speakers.
