Taking it one step further, call around and find a dealer who carries 2 or 3 brands of tube amplifier, and go listen to those. For many people, a tube amp will provide sonics that much more closely resemble live instruments. As others have said, it's not about volume. There are different types of distortion, and tube amps tend to perform in a way that its distortions bother the ear less than the most solid state amps. This is true regardless of how many boxes you are talking about(e.g. receiver vs. amp/pre/tuner separates).
If you don't hear anything that makes your heart beat a little quicker, save your money and buy more music. Cheers,
Spencer
If you don't hear anything that makes your heart beat a little quicker, save your money and buy more music. Cheers,
Spencer