I can pretty much understand where the pro and not so pro ASR comments are coming from. It's the age old debate as to whether cool detailed neutrality is preferable to a maybe more colourful but equally vibrant sound.
My Def 4s are due to be ready in July, and having taken on a highly neutral and transparent tt/arm (see my thread on the analog forum 'Trans Fi Audio Salvation direct rim drive turntable') I'm on the hunt for a neutral cartridge.
The market for an upgraded amp is an interesting one, currently I run Hovland HP200 tube pre/Radia ss pow, which has served me well with the Def 2s. I have identified three ways to go if Def 4s indicate need for improvement, all for about the same price as the Def 4s. These are: the ASR Emitter 2, Dave Berning Z-OTL pre/pow, and the Audion pre or Silvercore TVC pre/Audion Silver Dream pow. My only issue with the ASR as a complement to the Def 4s is that the amps are overpowerful at 250w/ch feeding 101+dB efficient speakers, which by design only need the first 15-30W on tap. Doesn't this leave a possible power/impedance mismatch between the ASR and the Def 4s, showing neither to their best advantage?
