1)There's no such thing as neutrality - all components render a sonic signature of some sort, and every one is different. The only thing that sounds the same is all of those doubting Thomas's who say that "all __x__ sound the same". Many devices may sound the same to the untrained ear, and not all listeners are as sensitive to these sonic differences. This is where the argument can certainly become ugly.
2)The trick to this is to find a desirable synergy between all of your componentry, that which matches up with your sonic preferences. So that signature which you prefer doesn't necessarily match up with one that I, or anyone else, would prefer. You have to please yourself, and nothing else really matters. The colorations of componentry, cabling, and speakers all combine into the overall sonic signature which you hear. Your goal is to find the characteristics that you like, then combine (synergize) them into your overall perferred sound. This is not easy.
3)"Better" is what sounds better to YOU alone. So even if the front end is all the same, speakers are the same, cabling is the same, and the listening room is the same, then simply changing the amp alone will indeed result in a different overall signature. Why? Many contributing factors go into these variables such as design, component variations, and the interaction between the reactive characteristics of upline cabling, the component in question, and the downline cabling.
4)Ignore the specifications; that has little to do with it. Much componentry, cabling, and speakers are all well designed & built in the present state of the art. Power output levels are not so much of a contributing factor either, except at the extremes where headroom and clipping come into play.
5)It will take you years to understand all of this, and even then you'll only have a clue. No one knows all the answers, and the more you know the more questions you'll have. Read these forums often, and do avail yourself of the multitude of knowledge found in the forum archives. That is what they are there for and you will learn a lot therein. Enjoy it: it is a lot of fun, it is at times confusing, and everyone has differeing views so keep that in mind. It's all about opinions, and everybody's got one.
2)The trick to this is to find a desirable synergy between all of your componentry, that which matches up with your sonic preferences. So that signature which you prefer doesn't necessarily match up with one that I, or anyone else, would prefer. You have to please yourself, and nothing else really matters. The colorations of componentry, cabling, and speakers all combine into the overall sonic signature which you hear. Your goal is to find the characteristics that you like, then combine (synergize) them into your overall perferred sound. This is not easy.
3)"Better" is what sounds better to YOU alone. So even if the front end is all the same, speakers are the same, cabling is the same, and the listening room is the same, then simply changing the amp alone will indeed result in a different overall signature. Why? Many contributing factors go into these variables such as design, component variations, and the interaction between the reactive characteristics of upline cabling, the component in question, and the downline cabling.
4)Ignore the specifications; that has little to do with it. Much componentry, cabling, and speakers are all well designed & built in the present state of the art. Power output levels are not so much of a contributing factor either, except at the extremes where headroom and clipping come into play.
5)It will take you years to understand all of this, and even then you'll only have a clue. No one knows all the answers, and the more you know the more questions you'll have. Read these forums often, and do avail yourself of the multitude of knowledge found in the forum archives. That is what they are there for and you will learn a lot therein. Enjoy it: it is a lot of fun, it is at times confusing, and everyone has differeing views so keep that in mind. It's all about opinions, and everybody's got one.