Comparing a Yamaha s301bl to a rega elicit mk5 - a/b on some paradigm 800fs and they sound the exact same. Looking at the specs it makes sense - I don’t know why I’d ever use the full wattage of even the Yamaha without getting hearing damage and the THD being 0.019% vs 0.004% makes no functional difference. Are high end amps the new snake oil? What exactly are you getting for 10x the price here (besides the rega having less features and the rega brand name?)
We’ll it’s like a car some cars are at different prices and build quality .
Amps sound different they always have its unique characteristics. At the end get what you can afford and like to hear everyone is different.
Personally I had a arcam avr31 sounds great and went to a McIntosh 8950. The sound was a lot more forward in my face I have no clue how that happens but it’s not something I cared about to I’m going back to arcam