Yes Dave, I think that this is one we'll simply have to agree to disagree on. Both my personal experience of quite a few years and my reading of technical research indicate that a watt delivered with essentially flat 20-20Khz response at inaudibly low distortion( which is easily achieved) is still a watt, regardless of the name of the manufacturer or the cost of the amplifier. Old equipment which may have deteriorated in performance( but measurably so)is another matter.
Most of us have probably read of the tests where the $200 receiver is paired against $2,000 plus equipment. The listeners at first describe the superiority they hear from the more expensive components in lavish detail. Then the listening becomes blind and the differences disappear along with the knowledge of what was playing.
