Obviously if we had unlimited incomes we could purchase all our audio equipment at high-end specialty electronics stores.  Just like a vast majority of the population I don't have the $$$, so as I shop around for my next purchases I am intrigued by the prices available at the "Big Box" stores (Best Buy, Circuit City and even Walmart).  When I see these prices I always want to research the product before buying.  Even though the name brand and features on these products are what I want I find that the model numbers don't jive/match with the like models in the higher end stores.  Somtimes the model numbers will only be off only by 1 number, but a knob or 2 will be in a totally diferent location on the machine. 

My question is, are the guts (the stuff that matters) of these products the same, similar or different?  Am I better off avoiding the Walmarts?  Thanks for your response

Anyman displaying a PBR label is looking for the best deal ........... if you know the product you want, and those stores offer the best price, you buy it , somethings I'll buy there, somethings I won't ............... I like to let my computer search for things, and compare pricing, and shipping ......... Free Shipping is always welcomed ...... I think the products are the same, maybe early models that were later updated and modified, sold at a low price to move them out of stock .............

 It is the "big box" stores like Best Buy that have brought Klipsch to New England, so even those of us with $$$$ to spend are wise to go to the "big box store" where there are bound to be a few young hotties to look at as well as our favorite products.  

Best Buy will have all the names like Denon, Klipsch and stuff like that in the "Magnolia Home Theater" dept up here, and a few cuties hanging around to boot.  The last "specialty store" I visited, in Harvard Square, had some serious geeks hanging around, a huge MacIntosh display and some imported speaker that sucked up every watt and still sounded like they were playing through a paper bag.  These are the same jerks that espoused the theoretical points of Bose, AR, KLH, Braun and ADS...guess they have to reevaluate their acoustic paradigms every few years of so.

Big Box stores are totally cool for some things, the "Magnolia Hone Theater" depts in the Best Buys up here are cool(they do a lot of Klipsch), as are the walk-in specials featuring Sony Bravia stuff. When it comes to computer stuff..well, they lack a little, but that's what online shopping or the local Chinese Computer store is for.

To address the OP's question about differences between what appears to be essentially the same model being sold in big box stores and specialty stores....most manufacturers that cover both channels (e.g. Denon, Yamaha, etc...) will produce 2 versions of the same product - one for mass merchandising and one for boutique/custom installer stores.  They are virtually identical in terms of content, with a few cosmetic differences.  If you check the specs, you'll see they are the same.  Sometimes they have a different warranty period - with the boutique edition being longer.  I would have no problem buying the mass merchandise model if it otherwise met my requirements.