Well, all printed specs are only a guideline. No one takes the time to design and amp that is exactly XX watts. The watt specs are always on the low side, partially for legal reasons (false advertising on power), and many times geared to get a certain low distortion reading. It is more likely that a mass market receiver will be less conservative to impress Joe Consumer with the power.
I can remember checking out HT receivers for a friend. A certain brand had a receiver that was rated at 50 watts at 8 ohms and 110 watts at 4 ohms, which does not make sense. The 100 watt receiver at 8 ohms was 150 watts at 4 ohms. It is more likely the 50 watt receiver was a 75 watt receiver, but they probably wanted to justify asking $100 more for the 100 watt model, so they understated the other model. They probably costs the same to manufacture in China, so if they can get you to spend an extra $100 to get double the power, they'll profit.
I can remember checking out HT receivers for a friend. A certain brand had a receiver that was rated at 50 watts at 8 ohms and 110 watts at 4 ohms, which does not make sense. The 100 watt receiver at 8 ohms was 150 watts at 4 ohms. It is more likely the 50 watt receiver was a 75 watt receiver, but they probably wanted to justify asking $100 more for the 100 watt model, so they understated the other model. They probably costs the same to manufacture in China, so if they can get you to spend an extra $100 to get double the power, they'll profit.