Are you looking for exaples to proove what I am saying is wrong? Trying to find exact same comparisons isn't as easy as it sounds, I don't own a dyno shop. You can find alot of info backing up what I'm saying, and plenty of what you're saying. I'm not going to cut and paste, it's tacky. LOL With every combo you'd have to tune and change some parts to benefit though, not just change 1 part. I honestly won't put a set new of heads on my motor without doing the cam, I'd end up paying for the valve springs twice. I'll buy a cam/head package get the right valve springs in one shot, not a generic up to whatever lift spring. Do you not think Magazines have an agenda, who pays for adds? Some time (mid 90's) ago I ran into a guy that was building a 4.3 chevy motor to put in a chevette, There was an article on this in Car Craft in the mid 80's, after calling CC umpteen times to ask questions about the install, they finally admitted the build was never completed or actually ran. At least that's what I was told, the guy had no reason to lie to me.
I want to bring an opposite example up. My wifes old 93 GT came with 310cid, a set of worked 66 289 heads 1.84/1.54 valves 54 cc (If you know the heads, they have very small ports) an F303 cam, stock intake,TB, MAF, 5-speed, 3.08 gears. The car made absolutely terrible low end, descent mid range 3500-5000 and gassed out about 5600 up, and was very hard to drive out of the hole. I changed that combo with a quickness. Obviously the small heads and velocity did not help with low end torque, the cam was the culpret. You honestly don't think that cam choice would compensate for the the different velocity of a big head? I actually talked to doug today (EHARacing) and we'll probably be running his brothers big headed 306 on the same dyno as my wifes small headed 331, they'll have the near same accesories,gears, trans, and similiar cams (neither custom), converters are 800RPM different. Different combo's, but may give you a better comparison. I'd bet the'll come out with similiar results only the 306 will HP # higher, even though on paper it would look the 331 is set up for more low end than the 306.