How important is S/N Ratio....?

Now we are talking. If you talk high quality components then yes there is a difference. This is much easier to appreciate than "specifications" in a brochure.

Eliminating transformers from the signal path (often non linear). Installing better quality capacitors - absolutely important if poor quality ones were used. (also bear in mind that some types of capacitors age and can dry out - so in this case it can make a HUGE/NIGHT AND DAY difference on a piece of gear that is ten+ years old) High quality AIR core inductors - absolutely. Resistors are usually less of a problem but wirewounds are recommended in high power applications.

Also just as a general rule - eliminating capacitors/resistors/inductors from high power paths (such as in crossovers) also helps a lot.

I have no problem agreeing with that - 100%

"I maintain that above a damping factor of 50 then you gain next to nothing. In fact, extremely high damping factors may be indicative of very high amounts of feedback and just like an amplifier with a specification from 10 Hz to 400 Khz I am wary of these kind of amps"

Shadorne - I agree 100%.

Sane designer would try to design an amp with not more than few percent THD before feedback and then improve it using feedback to only about 0.1%. Finaly he would limit bandwith to what amplifier had before feedback was applied to prevent TIM. 100kHz bandwith as a result might be nice to prevent phase shifts but 400kHz is unnecessary and might be harmful.

Damping Factor is often limited to about 100 by the choke in series with the woofer. Also DF measured in static condition doesn't mean much. Transient response of power supply (due to usage of good capacitors like slit foil etc) might be more important.

As for "More Power" I would suggest "Less Power". On average 200W amp doesn't sound as good as 100W amp that cost the same and is only slightly louder (it needs 10x power for 2x loudness).

It's pretty easy to agree....on this once I clarify...now we can get our hands around this...

I must say just recapping wasn't actually my point....It was the quantum leap when using these ultra low noise devices...

135db and I can hear it!!!!!
Human hearing dynamic range is somewhat lower than that...
A sound at 135db would burst your ear drums or render you incapable of appreciating hi-fi.
Therefore, a sound '135db' down is either....So far below hearing limits as to be nearly, if not completely unmeasureable OR referenced to a sound so loud that it would Hospitalize you.
I am not even going to go to the 'Weakest Link' end of town where who cares if your caps are 135db, when your output devices and the REST of the circuitry are no better than 100db?
I repeat:: Specs are nearly meaningless. If you purchase something based on specs rather than quality, you may be surprised. It could go either way!

Magfan - large dynamic range of 120dB or more is absolutely necessary to reproduce real sound of the large jet planes taking off when I see it on TV.