So what I gather from the last few comments is that unless you have a very large room where you need to drive the speakers really loud for good coverage, the wattage specs on a AV receiver wont matter as much if the receiver has the other features you are looking for?
At average listening levels I think you're safe with most receivers.
It's even ok, IMO, if you're clipping the transients lightly. Most people don't notice clipping till it gets fairly pronounced. It still sounds like the music and if cranked further many interpret it as just being too loud (and not as distortion). I'm fairly certain that if A/B'ed with a clean amp most would notice the difference once beyond a light clip.
