Re: Going from AVR to Amps
It's unlikely the primary source of change in sound is the change in wattage, unless you are driving your speakers near the limit of the amp. It is much more likely with AVRs that the difference is in the processing and room correction. I personally don't care for the YPAO room correction in the lower-end Yamaha AVRs (I think Audyssey is much better) but people tell me the newer YPAO in the higher-end Yamahas is a big improvement, so my guess is that's what you're hearing.
Luna Duo V2 LR, Titan Horizon V2, and Rythmik L22 & L12 in HT, Sierra-LXs in study, S-2EXs and Duo V2 C in bedroom, S-1 NrTs in dining room, S-1s at work, HTM-200s in kitchen. Brother owns CMT-340s and dad has a pair of CBM-170s.