Is there any truth to this question?

IMO excellent comments have been made in many of the posts above, but with respect to the general question (as opposed to your specific situation) I would particularly emphasize these:

02-13-12: Frogman
If the YBA's 50 watts is sufficient to drive your speakers EFFORTLESSLY, then whether the Krell sounds better or not with those speakers doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it's higher power rating. It may simply sound better because it's a better circuit, or a better circuit for your speakers. Or, it may sound worse; but not necessarily because of it's higher power.

02-12-12: Grannyring
Extra watts and headroom can be a very good thing especially with large orchestral music and the like. Same is true for solo piano turned up to louder volumes.

An important variable is the kind of music that is listened to, and in particular its dynamic range (the DIFFERENCE in volume between the loudest notes and the softest notes). Wide dynamic range material, such as well recorded, minimally compressed classical symphonic music, can require vastly more power to handle brief dynamic peaks than small scale vocal, chamber, or jazz recordings, or dynamically compressed rock recordings. And even if a lower powered amp has sufficient power to avoid clipping on the peaks of wide dynamic range material, it may show evidence of strain on that kind of material that would not be brought out by material having narrower dynamic range.

On the other hand, if everything else is equal, more watts = more $, so investment of a given number of amplifier $ may result in higher amplifier quality if applied to a lower wattage design. But of course everything else is rarely equal.

In your particular case, I suspect you would do better with the YBA amplifier, based on your music preferences, your listening room size, and the comments about the specific amplifiers by Charles1dad (whose opinions I always have great respect for).

Regards,
-- Al

02-13-12: Digepix
Here's another one: Harbeth speakers, less sensitive than my Vandersteens and are an easy load for amps to drive my YBA amp is a great match for them ...

If the Harbeth's were similar in their frequency response and impedance characteristics to the M40.1, for which John Atkinson's measurements are shown here, there are a couple of factors which probably contributed to that.

First, their near-field frequency response has a 7 db peak at 70 Hz, relative to the response at 1 kHz, and a smaller but significant elevation throughout the mid-bass region. Those are the kinds of frequencies where most music has its greatest energy levels. A 7 db rise results in the same sound level at the particular frequency that would occur if there were no rise but amplifier power is multiplied five times.

Also, as JA notes, "the M40.1's plot of impedance magnitude and phase angle suggests that the Harbeth is easy to drive in terms of its demand for current."

I know of a fellow 'Gon member who very successfully drove an M40.1 with a 32 watt per channel VAC Renaissance 30/30.

Regards,
-- Al

02-13-12: Mcpherson
This may be a silly ? but when the term "clipping" is used..Is it referring to the amp shutting down momentarily or the speakers making a clipping sound?

It does not refer to the amp shutting down, momentarily or otherwise. It refers to the rapid rise in distortion which occurs as the amount of power the amp is asked to provide approaches and then exceeds what it is capable of providing.

Regards,
-- Al