I agree over all but IMHO yes if you go with excess power you can keep it turned down but you will also have excess power for headroom to deal with times you need instant power in loud passages. In a much bigger room a small amp will not have the power to drive speakers to the volume level you...
I recommend Marantz and Denon but have always like Yamaha as well. What price point are you looking at? Personally I would spend as much as you can on a high quality receiver or if your looking more performance I would go separates. Like I said I do like Yamaha and two receivers ago for many...