Hmm.. ok, the reason I bought the 600 is that I had a 200x5 (C-1000), and although I didn't hear anything "wrong" with it, when I got the Cinema Grand 400x5 hooked up, there was a definite improvement (I know, different technology). So, I went with the "if more is better, still more is more better" philosophy.
It does make sense that there would be a point of diminishing returns. The 10-amp input, as Almarg notes, seems under-rated for 2x600w channels, and my speakers are 4-ohm (magnepan), so *could* pull 1200 watts each, which the amp wouldn't be able to supply for very long.
I hardly ever crank up the volume *really* high, but I again, at moderate levels, I hear an improvement between the
300w/ch C-1000 and 800w/ch Cinema Grand (into 4-ohms). I don't detect an improvement between the 800w and 1200w Sunfires, and maybe that's not to be expected, at moderate volume levels.
The "SS" mentioned by Rpfef appears at the end of the serial number, another clue that this is a Sunfire Signature.
I think I will send the amp to Rita's, and if I still hear no difference when I get it back, I'll figure out what to do, then. I'll have over $2k in it by then, and probably can't recover all of that, but I could then re-sell it with a clear conscience.
Thanks for the input. Great forum.