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Hello all, This is my first message here. I'm a beginner looking to invest in a serious 2.1 desktop setup which hopefully will last me long. My post is about matching an amp with speakers, even though said amp looks too feeble on the paper. After spending hours researching the subject, I've narrowed my choice down to two potential setups, including this one: Monitor Audio Radius 90 speakers + Teac AI-301DA amplifier to drive them. For the Radius, M.A.'s website specifies: "Recommended Amplifier Requirements: 30-100 Watts" (at 8 ohms). For the Teac, it is presented as: "Maximum output: 30W + 30W (8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, JEITA)"; "Rated output: 22W + 22W (8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, THD 0.1%, JEITA)". (Cached page) ... though weirdly, on another Teac website, the effective output is rated at 20W + 20W (8 ohms, 1kHz, THD 10%, JEITA) or 15W + 15W (8 ohms, 1kHz, THD 1%, JEITA). The specs of the amplifier and speakers somehow match if I consider the max output, but my question is: does "maximum output" here mean peak output which can't be sustained for long times? Because I find it weird that such an amplifier wouldn't able to drive two relatively simple bookshelf speakers with ease... What do you think? Additionally, I stumbled upon this review which said about the Radius: I'm not sure what the reviewer meant by "realistic" and what an underpowered amp would mean in this case. My own reality, though, is that my tolerance to sound is much lower than average people (but I need good quality sound); so if using an underpowered amp up to, say, 55dB maximum won't cause any damage (clipping?) to speakers... then it's fine by me. So do you folks think such a setup would work for me, that it wouldn't cause any issue in the long term for someone who will never listen to music at loud levels? Or is this a wrong setup, and I need either a more powerful amp or less demanding speakers? My alternative (and quite cheaper) setup is the Monitor Audio Radius 45 speakers + Teac AI-101DA amplifier. The AI-101's rated output is 20W @ 4 ohms, so I guess at the 8 ohms required by the speakers, it would be around half of that value, so 10W... whilst the Radius 45 are rated for 15-50W amps. Eh. Same issue I guess. Thank you for the explanations or suggestions you could provide me with! (Background, for those wondering why I went with the above prospective setups): I have high space constraints and don't want to gamble anymore (my Logitech kit died some time ago, as did a second-hand Creative setup before that), so I left out lauded bargains from Pioneer, Micca, JBL, etc. for the speakers and Topping, SMSL, etc. for the amps (too bad because their diminutive form factor is exactly what I wanted). Loudness, on the other hand, is not a preoccupation. I will never listen to music at loud levels - always at relatively low ones. Bass are appreciated but not critical. I'm looking for a small footprint amp, with power button and volume control both on the façade. DAC is optional.