hello my name is G and I'm a recovering audiophile - question regarding setup

[denti alligator]

94db could be enough, depending on how loud you want to be able to go, and how big your listening space is. 94db is half the power of 97db, which is the minimum recommended for the SEX. I've used the SEX with 89db speakers and it was fine, though hardly robust. I'd go with the Klipsch, as planned.

[Grainger49]

There are a lot of things that go into "loud enough."

As Sam mentions you might listen quietly.  Paully listens 6-10dB lower than I do, and many listen 20dB louder than I do. 

Power/speaker sensitivity/room size/listening distance (listener from speakers) all come into it.

Pragmatically you need to try it to see.  I always suggest finding a Bottlehead or other SET fan in your area and ask them to bring their amp over to your room.  That will answer your questions.

[Paully]

If you go with Klipsch and like the sound keep in mind that there are a lot of Klipsch Heritage speakers to consider.  I don't know the two your mentioned originally but there is the Chorus (II), Forte (II), La Scala, and Heresy just to name a couple of the top of my head.  There is also Altec such as the Valencias to consider as well.  Single drivers like Fostex.  And there are the aforementioned Pi speakers.  You have quite a few options in the plus 96db range.

[Paul Joppa]

My official line has always been that if you can generate 102dB from one speaker at 1 meter anechoic, then you will satisfy most audiophiles most of the time. That would be 99dB speakers for SEX, 96dB for Stereomour, and 93dB for Paramount 300B amps. This is approximately equivalent to the THX home movie standard and is really quite loud!

A lot of people - maybe half? - are perfectly happy with 6dB less. It depends on taste, preferred music, room acoustics, and speaker directivity.