Aspicer1
You will find two types of people. Those that believe all amplifiers sound the same, and those that don't. I have done some limited testing and tend to believe that they pretty much, at least to my ears, all sound the same.
But regardless whether you hear a difference or not, you need to understand the concept of headroom. Headroom is the reserve that you amplifier needs during peak volumes. If you don’t have enough headroom you could drive your amplifier to clipping, and that could damage your speakers. So depending on the sensitivity of your speakers, the SPL level or volume you listen, and the size of your room, will determine how much power you need to prevent your amplifier into clipping. I am sure there is a formula out there somewhere for this.
A receiver can only be architected to be only so powerful. That is because it is using one transformer for not only the amplifier section, but for the pre / processor section also. There are design limits to doing all of this in one box.
The good news is the Axiom speaker’s sensitivity is pretty good compared to other manufactures. Which means you need less power to drive them? This is why so many people here are happy with their Denon receivers. Also remember that you need more power to drive lower frequencies than higher frequencies. So if you have floor standing speakers and want to use the full range of them, (setting your speakers to Large in the processor) you will need more power. That is why subwoofers, good ones at least, all have huge amplifiers in them.
I have separates because I needed more power in my large room than a standard receiver could deliver.
Remember, under powered amplifiers damage speakers, and you can always use more headroom!
Hope that helps.
paul
