Aye, there's the rub. If the different amps were level matched and they were not above rated output, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

Some say yes, others say no. That's my question.

edit: Cohesion, you seem to be saying the same thing as JohnK, correct? Within spec, amplifiers/receivers sound the same at the same volume levels?

I would also like to throw in a lower model receiver, like the first one I bought about 3 years ago. From Newegg, then it was a $150 Sony 100 wpc 5.1.

I decided to go with the Onkyo TX-NR818 for now. (Newegg has the AVR brand new for $699 on sale.) Based on my calculations, I should be able to drive my M60s to reference level with a few watts to spare, even in my large room. When I begin to add center and rear channels, it might be worth assessing the situation again.

Thanks for the input.

I think I may have missed it, but how large is your room?

~5500 cu. ft.

Good luck, let us know how things turn out.

I noticed a difference when I compared my 3808 with the A1400 in my small basement set up, the thing is that the difference is small at most listening levels which makes it hard for me to justify spending another $1000 or more for more power to achieve audio nirvana.

See, noticed a difference doesn't hold much water for me (no offense). Audio memory is ridiculously short. Unless you did a dbt, I have a hard time trusting anecdotal evidence.

when i changed my 28 y.o. amp (Hafler 500) for new QSC GX5, i tried comparative listening for a couple of weeks and never heard any difference in SQ.

the only reason i bought a pro amp is $$$;
same specs and quality as costly "audiophile" amps, for a fraction
of the price.

I have a 10 years old RCA receiver; I re-tested yesterday against 2 Emotiva UPA-1 monoblocks. At the same level and NOTHING else changed, the RCA is a LOT bighter nad has noticeable less bass.
Brighter meaning it sounds like it's tone controls are turned all they up... but they're not. The are at 0; there is a lot of sibilance and the bass is receded, it sounds like you need to pump the bass some to get the same level of lows that the monoblocks are outputting.
Anyone that is interested in a test is welcomed; the differences above are "night and day".