casey:
I agree with you observation of 'honestly, I am not really sure'.
I found out decades ago that I was unable to differentiate between decent electronic components, cables, wires or power cords. Over the years, nothing has been able to change my stance on that.
Speakers yes, but all of the other stuff no. But that is just cynical old me...
TAM
Actually, there is a little bit of a story as to why I bought this particular Pre-pro at the time. I have always been somewhat of a Yamaha fan, however, I had the rare opportunity of comparing the one I eventually purchased to the latest incarnation then of a $12,000 "Anthem D2 Statement" unit. Have you ever wondered why when you walk in to a mid-high end retail electronics store the so-called "high-end"(high priced) equipment is generally set-up in a dedicated room all by itself? Normally, a comparison like this would never occur(or even be allowed), but, since I had a long time friend who managed the store, with all other things being equal in the set-up(same amps, speakers, source equipment material, etc.) after some substantial listening time, if there was any meaningful audible difference between the two, I certainly couldn't hear it.
I could never spend $12,000 on a piece of equipment anyway, but ultimately at $2500, the Yamaha was more than able to hold its own against something that was almost 5 times the cost.
