Do native speakers actually "feel" the difference between the following sentences?

The examples given in CED need more context to clarify the claims made in the dictionary.

There's a reading of [B], as I think Global implies, in the context:

["But I was hearing that the 'Purple Floyd' concert was looking like being a great success.] Haven’t they [already] sold a lot of tickets?" (ie I'm looking for confirmation that a lot have been sold)

that corresponds to 'When we use a lot of / lots of in negative questions, we are usually expecting there to be a large quantity of something, and soliciting confirmation' (From CED, amended).

Conversely, someone using [A] is certainly expecting, or being quite prepared to be given, confirmation that not many tickets have been sold:

["Why is the concert likely to be cancelled?] Haven’t they sold many tickets?" (I'm expecting the answer "No").

.............................

Of course, the exclamatory sentence

[C] "[Wow,] haven’t they sold a lot of tickets./!"

(there isn't one corresponding in form to [A]) must be distinguished, though it almost certainly influences some people's reading of [B]. But in speech, the intonation patterns used in [B] and [C] are quite different.