Of all the amplifier specifications, I consider the amplifier damping factor specification to be the most important and watts the least important. By definition, amplifier damping factor is the amplifier's circuitry which stops a speaker from oscillating (aka moving or vibrating). Now why would stopping a speaker from oscillating be so important? When a speaker isn't moving, it's not producing any sound. Look at a sheet of music (a music score). A music score is made up of a multitude of different notes that start and stop for a specific duration. Think about this for a moment. If a musical note stops on an audio CD recording, and a speaker is still moving, sound (or noise) is being created that IS NOT ON the audio CD. Amplifier damping factor MUST be sufficiently high enough to counter the watts used to drive a speaker and stop the moving mass (the cone, voice coil, etc.) instantly that a note stops on a recording. Rule of thumb: a 250 amplifier damping factor for tweeters, a 500 amplifier damping factor for mid range woofers, a 700 amplifier damping factor for mid bass woofers, a 1000 amplifier damping factor for sub woofers. I've heard that some so-called experts say that it can be mathematically proven on paper that amplifier damping factor is not an important specification. I'm not listening to a mathematical equation coming out of my speakers. I am listening to reproduced music from my speakers. Amplifier damping factor is a critical specification to know before purchase, and not afterwards. Some manufacturers will not release the amplifier damping factor specification for any of their amplifiers, and I believe the reason why not is only a matter of common sense. In short, know why you're buying stereo equipment and, if you don't know why, don't buy anything until you do.