There are a lot of differences in amplifiers besides watts. I remember using a Naim 200, with 60 watts I think and it sounded a bit thin and anemic. I switched to a Naim 250 with only 10 watts more, but it sounded twice as powerful because of the bigger and regulated power supply. So there’s that. You really need to go beyond wattage in your search, IMO. As stated above, the way an amp handles difficult loads can make all the difference. It depends a lot on the speakers you are using.
A question on amp matching
I'm looking for a new stereo amp. Among all the other specs, how important is gain in addition to power output at a rated speaker impedance?
I just auditioned an amp at the low end of recommended power for my speakers, but it also seemed to have lower rated gain than other amps I've used. It was disappointing for output level, bass extension, and dynamics. So should I be looking for both greater power rating and higher gain?
Obviously I'm looking for general guidelines since I omitted specific details of the components in question.