A really good amp can make all of the difference in the world.
Back in my retail days i would demo a 150 watt Sony, Denon, Yamaha receiver on a pair of Vienna acoustic speakers vs a Krell integrated amp rated 60 watts a channel.
It was a very noticeable difference in favor of the krell.
Oh and the receivers would typically weigh less than 10lbs for a 2 channel vs the krell that weighed probably triple