The advantage of gold-plated terminals is that there is no corrosion over the long term, certainly a good thing. However, non-gold-plated terminals are perfectly capable of making as good an electrical connection as gold-plated ones. So long as alloy terminals are kept clean (try rotating the RCA connectors to remove any corrosion or use a contact-cleaning spray). I would point out here that professional connectors used where recordings are made (studios) are, for the most part, NOT gold-plated.
Large, heavy-duty heat sinks are a sign of attention being paid to effective heat dissipation of the amplifier output stage, but there are various means of cooling output transistors, including thermostatically-controlled muffin fans (some may be noisy) that are quite effective. Certainly, if you're paying thousands for a Bryston amp or the like, I would expect robust heat sinks and gold connectors. However, to dismiss excellent gear on the basis of not having gold-plated connectors is simply cavalier. By the way, the addition of gold connectors on consumer equipment is a relatively recent feature (within a decade or so). And they do look nice!
Alan Lofft
Axiom Resident Expert
