Hm, this is a very interesting topic as I've been thinking about how my bed might be affecting my back for about a year now. I take it the tempurpedic mattresses do the best job for us back pain sufferers?
I have a very very cheap queen sized bed (a $600 thing) because that was all I could afford about 5 years ago when I moved into my old apartment. I wanted to upgrade when I moved into my house last fall, but I can't afford it. So far, it doesn't seem like it's causing extra problems, but I certainly worry that it might.
It's a shame you can't necessarily take a nap on the showroom beds to truly test the differences.