Well, I just got my Def 4s a couple of weeks ago and I must say I am a bit shocked how much better these are than my Def 1.9s. Not that I didn't expect improvements, but as Phil has already laid out, these are a significant leap ahead of earlier Def iterations. Still, my Def 1.9s were already very good and played all my music so I was wondering how much better can it get and, of course, I shortly found out it got much better.
As has already been mentioned, the bass articulation is much improved, but I have been particularly impressed with their increased sense of liveliness and superior high frequency extension. I suppose its this wonderful combination of the nano drivers working in tandem with the Radian tweeter which accounts for this, and it's particularly noticeable when listening to chamber music where subtle spatial cues localize the instruments better as well as provide a better sense of the recorded space. I know Spirit was concerned with a "slight softness" and lack of "high frequency satisfaction". This is something I noticed too, but mostly with certain classical pieces, and even then I thought it might be the recording. Well it wasn't the recording, and the new Defs address this shortcoming to the point where I don't have any nagging feelings about the music it plays.
Thanks to Phil who has already articulated much better than me the improvements in the Def 4s, but sometimes the average lunkhead just wants to hear how flippin' good something is, and being an average lunkhead I fully attest the new Def 4s are flipping' good. I'm running mine with Rogue M-180 monos and KT 120 tubes, a First Watt B1 buffer/pre and Benchmark DAC1 USB. It's an excellent combination, though I'd love to try other amplification such as SET and yes, even ASR. Wait, that's not gonna happen. I ran out of money.
One more thing, and yes bloody Phil has beat me to the punch, but these new Defs seem to extract as much musicality as possible from even harsh or poor recordings. I haven't really played anything that hasn't sounded less than good on these and I have very broad taste in music. From Portishead to Shostakovich, these new Defs will play it and they will involve you more emotionally than before. Heck, even my MP3s sound great (please no tomatoes).
Have a happy Fourth of July everybody!
Matt
As has already been mentioned, the bass articulation is much improved, but I have been particularly impressed with their increased sense of liveliness and superior high frequency extension. I suppose its this wonderful combination of the nano drivers working in tandem with the Radian tweeter which accounts for this, and it's particularly noticeable when listening to chamber music where subtle spatial cues localize the instruments better as well as provide a better sense of the recorded space. I know Spirit was concerned with a "slight softness" and lack of "high frequency satisfaction". This is something I noticed too, but mostly with certain classical pieces, and even then I thought it might be the recording. Well it wasn't the recording, and the new Defs address this shortcoming to the point where I don't have any nagging feelings about the music it plays.
Thanks to Phil who has already articulated much better than me the improvements in the Def 4s, but sometimes the average lunkhead just wants to hear how flippin' good something is, and being an average lunkhead I fully attest the new Def 4s are flipping' good. I'm running mine with Rogue M-180 monos and KT 120 tubes, a First Watt B1 buffer/pre and Benchmark DAC1 USB. It's an excellent combination, though I'd love to try other amplification such as SET and yes, even ASR. Wait, that's not gonna happen. I ran out of money.
One more thing, and yes bloody Phil has beat me to the punch, but these new Defs seem to extract as much musicality as possible from even harsh or poor recordings. I haven't really played anything that hasn't sounded less than good on these and I have very broad taste in music. From Portishead to Shostakovich, these new Defs will play it and they will involve you more emotionally than before. Heck, even my MP3s sound great (please no tomatoes).
Have a happy Fourth of July everybody!
Matt