have a look at these two very different loaves of sourdough bread. What's remarkable is they are both made from the same three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. The difference, of course, is technique: the baker's skill and equipment. Just as in the hands of an amateur the same canvas, brush, and paint aren't likely to match that of Da Vinci, it's difficult to imagine an identical handful of transistors, vacuum tubes, resistors, and capacitors sounding the same in differing designer's topologies. It's why we can't judge an amplifier's performance from the quality of its parts, cost, or specs any more than we can judge a book by its cover and number of words. Technique is all about skill, experience, and understanding. As the Grail Knight said, "choose wisely".