How can a 40 watt amp outshine a 140 watt amp

@Cmalak
At one point in the history of audio there really was a struggle to get enough watts out of an amp to provide enough power to the speakers of the day to get sufficent volume. I am thinking of a period from around the dawn of home stereo "the golden age that extended well into the period of relatively inefficient speakers mid 70s maybe? In any event you are right that this makes very little sense these days but the last 35 years or more of experience has done little to convince anyone.
Indeed I have heard tales of Audio people trying their modestly powered tube amps in shops with high power SS much to the amazement of these shops own staffs that the first bad watt is jst as bad as the last one is tryue. Great saying BTW.

I just don't understand why it is that we all love this hobby if so much of it is truly unbeievable. As in "Snake Oil" etc. fixed delusions. I think we all believe that there are real differences in some aspects of audio or else we would join the silent majority of listeners content with whatever they use for sound reproduction.

I guess I worded my response poorly. I intended to convey that despite our knowing that some aspects are Snake Oil, we know that there are real differences between products. It is that belief that makes this hobby fun. By saying belief I don't want to convey that believing is unfounded. It is just remarkable that we know some of this hobby is absurd but we still love it.