In the lower line amps, I do agree I have heard some fortes sound sweeter myself.. Now the S200 is the baby threshold, that I thought sounded the best out of all of them of the S series stuff, unless against thresholds straight class A stuff. But A-B amps, I think sometimes the smaller fortes did sound better, but would not go as far as the SA/4e, that is one of the best ever made.
what are some of the best amplifiers
I have owned many amplifiers over time. Some were high priced and some were not. My latest finding is a pair of Forte model 7 monoblocks reworked by John Sodderberg. These are very magical amplifiers after 1/2 hour of warm up. The midrange is the best I've heard. Full bodied yet detailed. There is a mystical ring of air and depth that has to be heard to be believed. I have owned Threshold amplifiers(Fortes maker) and feel that the less expensive Fortes(4a and 7's), even in stock form, outperform the Thresholds. I think less is more!