I think that is the gist of the argument rcvecc. People "think" receivers sound different without any actual proof. They listened to the old receiver last night, bought the new one today, plug it all up, and wow...it sounds "better". No adjusting them the same, no hooking both up to listen back and forth, etc. Besides the fact if you just spent big bucks on a receiver, you need to justify its purchase (you are biased).
As I mentioned above, people think those $500/ft speaker cables sound better, but actual tests show that you cant tell the difference.
Note: Im just a noob relating facts, not trying to take a side
