In reply to:
I have a/b'd some other amplifiers, and I have always heard a difference in the way that the music was played back, a different type of coloration. For example, before purchasing the rotels I had an ancient onkyo, and there was alot of THD at higher volumes but the sound was alot more "boxy" whereas compared to the rotels.
Strange that you bring out the term THD immediately... that's a measurement, not a subjective term like "noise." Much like upon listening to a car driving past, I'd say an engine was making lifter noise, not that the oil pressure sounded to be 220 kilopascals.
And no, I'm not saying you didn't hear a difference, but unless you compare apples and apples, and match all the levels before testing, it's not an accurate side-by-side. For instance, in blind testing, if you set it up so the box store receiver plays louder, most humans will choose it as the better sounding source.
To quote Ministry "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Taste"
Bren R.
