I certainly wasnt trying to attack your status as 'resident audiophile'.
Since you are a self proclaimed audiophile Im sure you are familiar with the names Richard Clark, Manville Smith, Mark Eldridge, David Navone etc.??
You can find these individuals here:
www.carsound.com
(experts who have well deserved status - not self proclaimed)
Do a search for 'Amp challenge' in Richard Clarks forum archives.
You can join the hundreds/thousands of nay-sayers.
A watt is a watt - you cant hear the difference - period.
TransAm - your example is not a valid comparison. You switched from a 4ch. amp running all 4 channels at 4 ohms. Switching to a 2 channel driving a stereo 2 ohm load is enough to make any system sound different. Not to mention the possible differences in power, and the difference in gain structure. You cannot simply unplug one amp and plug in another and consider all things equal.