So your engine analog holds true, but if your application is to just
drive
down a road, then either one will perform as well as the other.

I guess that means that you run the cheapest amps you could find, correct?

Assuming they delivered the power you're after and that they had the
features and reliability you're looking for, then yeah, price is generally
the next consideration.

By your logic a Rockwood sounds exactly like a McIntosh and it costs $2000
less, so do you run Rockwood amps? Dual? Pyramid?

I'd run a Pyramid before I'd run a McIntosh, as long as the Pyramid was
powerful enough and had the features I wanted. But, since neither
manufacturer makes one with the features I want, I personally wouldn't own
either.