Yes, there is a problem with the "all things being equal" concept--that is merely a theoretical concept and is never actually the case. In order to get more power out of an amp, multiple output devices are used and this adds another factor that makes any comparison unequal. Something is changed and sacrificed to get more power. If a particular setup truly needs such power then the sacrifice is justified, but if not, then the power reserve is wasted at the expense of some other aspect of sound quality.
Some manufacturers have gone to extremes to keep the number of output devices down for this reason (e.g., DarTzeel). Perhaps, the choice of output devices that deliver more power will also adversely affect sound quality (e.g., picking a 300b tube over a 45 tube).
I recall auditioning several Rowland amps many years ago and preferring their smaller and cheaper amp over the larger ones with speakers that did not need a lot of power. The sound of the larger amps loafing along sounded flat and lifeless. A number of factors could be at play in this case, but, comparing similar amps from the same manufacturer at least gives a clearer picture on this issue.
While I have heard only a few high powered amps on my speakers, none, tube or solid state, compared favorably with lower powered amps on my fairly efficient system (99 db/w). That has been the case with other higher efficiency systems I have heard. I find many very high powered tube amps with lots of pentode or tetrode tubes in parallel to be particularly bad sounding (brittle sounding with a lot of "glare").
In short, I would caution against a generalization that higher power will improve sound.
Some manufacturers have gone to extremes to keep the number of output devices down for this reason (e.g., DarTzeel). Perhaps, the choice of output devices that deliver more power will also adversely affect sound quality (e.g., picking a 300b tube over a 45 tube).
I recall auditioning several Rowland amps many years ago and preferring their smaller and cheaper amp over the larger ones with speakers that did not need a lot of power. The sound of the larger amps loafing along sounded flat and lifeless. A number of factors could be at play in this case, but, comparing similar amps from the same manufacturer at least gives a clearer picture on this issue.
While I have heard only a few high powered amps on my speakers, none, tube or solid state, compared favorably with lower powered amps on my fairly efficient system (99 db/w). That has been the case with other higher efficiency systems I have heard. I find many very high powered tube amps with lots of pentode or tetrode tubes in parallel to be particularly bad sounding (brittle sounding with a lot of "glare").
In short, I would caution against a generalization that higher power will improve sound.