i had Energy 22 Ref. for about 25 years, and with some program material, they would distort heavily for some seconds, taking in some 500 Watts each.
500W really? You had/have 500W amps? How loud were you listening? Just because a speaker claims a power rating of 500watts or 700watts doesn't mean they use or need any where near that kind of power; most people run at 1-10 watts for a normal 70-80 db level at the listening position with extreme peaks hitting 50-100W for most in home listening experiences.
