Dave, its likely something else, in this case power and distortion. Audiophiles like to think that 'damping factor' is what they are hearing when the bass is better, and a lack of 'damping' when the bass is muddy. What is really happening is that an amplifier with clean bass is not making distortion. The amp that has muddy bass is making a lot of distortion. It really is that simple.
If you have ever spent time around instruments that actually make bass (bass drums, bass guitar, string bass, organ pedals) one thing you learn real quick is that there is no such thing as 'tight bass' in real life. 'Tight' bass only exists artificially.
Amps that exhibit 'tight' bass often have lots of feedback, which is there to reduce distortion. Unfortunately a price is paid: loop feedback at low frequencies can behave as a sort of dynamic compression, and has the ability to cause the amplifier to loose soundstage definition (the 'air' around instruments that flesh out the body of the instrument as well as its ambient signature). Often 'tight' bass is as a lack of definition at low frequencies.
IME, when you start to loose definition, the of the first things to go is the low frequency ambiance in the recording. Further reduction of definition results in 'poster board' images of instruments in the soundstage. Initially, this might sound as if the amp is more focused, but after a while the lack of ambient signatures (hall reflections and the like) let you know what is really going on.