@RobS
I think you and I have just have completely different views on the importance of amplifiers. I've been careful to say "sonically" or "sound quality" for a reason, as none of the "issues" you mention are even close to audible with the best class D amps.
But you just said more power determines sound quality, so why ignore it?
A couple reasons.
1. While it's true that power does completely encapsulate blind listening condition amplifer sound quality(so long as all other "issues" are below audible threshold), we don't listen under blind listening conditions. Power only matters at the highest listening levels, where as aesthetic bias will increase sound quality at all levels. So, as long as "issues" are below human hearing thresholds(which they are for all decents amps), I think it's best to buy what you have the most visual bias for.
2. This is all getting off topic for this thread. I'd definitely be willing to continue the discussion in another thread if you want, but for the sake of this thread, I think we may have to just agree to disagree
.
Everything in the audio chain matters. From the transducers, to the amplification, to the source. Granted the transducers will largely shape how sound is reproduced, but the more resolving a speaker is, the more differences can be clearly heard upstream.
This is why I say we may just have to agree to disagree. I'm of the opinion that at any reasonable listening level, speakers, room, placements/positions, and DSP make up 99.99% of all that matters. Cables, DACs, Pre-amps, amps, etc. are less than .01% of sound quality in my mind. If you listen to vinyl, then turntable stuff matters too, but I'm purely digital, so no experience with that.