I would strongly encourage someone to buy the equipment and try it in their own home. That's the only way to really hear differences; real or imagined.

Personally, I've purchased multiple AVR's at the same time for back-to-back testing and I've definitely heard differences in the sound, brand A vs. brand B. I won't argue that it's the amplification sections making the difference, but I think it's naive to believe that every brand's implementation of sound processing is identical. Chips are different. The code driving those chips is different. The design architecture is different. Then there's each manufacturer's implementation of room EQ too; Audyssey vs MCACC vs YPAO.

So ultimately, yes, I think different AVR's can and do sound different from one another.

If you're using room EQ, you will hear a difference between manufacturers.

I thing you should always leave built in EQ out of the equation.

If "room correction" is a big deal to you, it probably should be at the top of the list of reasons to buy a certain make. It's going to make a bigger difference in the performance of a receiver than any other feature, just because it is there to change the sound. All the other features are there to preserve the sound.

This is a topic of belief. There will never be agreement on whether or not solid state electronics sound different or the same, regardless of the evidence.

I say "Let the ears agree".

As long as its double blind so the bias is removed...

See where this is going?

No where?

Yep.

Ooops - for starting a go nowhere thread.