Old speakers in all tests, in the same room, just switching amps. I've tested it with both AR-2ax and Pioneer HPM-1100s. The 1100s are our regular home theater front speakers, the AR's are sadly stashed away right now, but they're great for acoustical music.

Unfortunately, the Yamaha doesn't have any kind of output meter, just the volume dial. I normally get by with it being at about -30db, but sometimes as high as -5db depending on the source material. It very well could just be the equalization on the amp, though I often just use direct stereo on my systems.

Dunno, but it just seems kinda flat, like there's no real depth to it...not like with the older amps.

True, but I think the mastering, more so than the encoding, has damaged alot of popular music.

If we take a look at how most people listen (cheap earbuds) and master to make that sound "acceptable" in order to get record sales, then those who would listen on quality gear are going to hear something completely different. The low end is overly emphasized in certain ranges, to compensate for the inability of the speaker to actually replicate that sound.

In the past, when people had dedicated stereos, the desire was there for full range sound and it was mastered as such. It modern times, music is more back ground noise, so it's mastered to be catchy and stand out at the sacrifice of overall quality.

Any thoughts on the difference between, say, 1W power outputs in 1970 terms, vs. 35W outputs today?

I'm thinking of the stuff I have at home that I've used fairly often:

Yamaha HTR-5940 rated at 105W per channel max vs. my old Pioneer and Sansui gear (75W and 35W ratings).

With a 1W peak output (per the meters) on the Pioneer/Sansui pieces, I can "feel" the music. With the Yamaha, it feels like I need to crank it to 11 to get a full range sound out of it, even though its technically a more powerful amp.