This calibre of spatial steadfastness under all conditions was remarkable. I'd previously only heard it with the big €14'000 Norma monos preceded by their €5'400 Revo SC-2 preamp. When an orchestral player pursues his work at the very back of the concert hall, that's where the ASR placed him. Here the Emitter I nearly eclipsed my own combo and certainly did exceed the BAT. The far more aggressive and forward Naim Supernait 3 doesn't even belong into the same sentence except to say that playing it in full frontal attack mode isn't really the thing of the more relaxed self-assured ASR as it is that of the hotblooded Brit. The Emitter's very generous soundstage width stole just a tad from ultimate edge limning of vocals and instruments vis-à-vis a Norma Revo IPA-140. But that's nearly academic hairsplitting.

In short, here we really have an amplifier for the ages. Honest fascination begins with unmistakable optics and comprehensive often unique technical features under the hood. Sonics will particularly appeal to pleasure listeners who don't need or want artificial adrenaline or flashy special effects. Fans of freaky Gabba Techno might desire a firmer task master for their speakers but mature classic and Jazz fans as well as rockers and metal heads will find the ASR Emitter I a perfect partner for life.

With the Emitter I, the music rests in itself and speaks for itself. What moves and stimulates us is its presence. The listening room feels transformed into a warm bath which envelops, fills the space, rest on an unshakable foundation and holds insane power reserves whose presence one intuits at all times. That overly hard and edgy attacks would thus render slightly mellower fits perfectly with the gushier core signature that stays clear of bared exhibitionism.

Electrically the ASR Emitter I should handle most all loads. I'd only want a personal audition for particularly bass-endowed speakers with minor dynamic reticence in the mid and high bands to insure that two good things together don't end up being too much.

Psych profile for the ASR Emitter I…

♦ Sonically warmish with exceptionally pressurized authoritative bass whose full reserves will never be tapped. This sonic V12 gifts the Emitter I with rarely heard big-bore ease and clarity.
♦ Neutral yet color-strong mids.
♦ Exceptionally resolved whilst super-silkily textured from bottom to top. The treble is slightly soft rather than straight-line neutral.
♦ Categorical absence of hardness anywhere.
♦ Highly clean and distortion free.
♦ The presentation floats disconnected from the tranducers, gushes magisterially and ultra stable to be utterly unfazed by dynamic challenges. The sonic panorama happens behind the speakers without razor-sharp outlines.
♦ Great microdynamic chops and zero macrodynamic limits.

Facts.
Concept: Power amp with variable gain and multiple inputs.
Inputs: 5 x RCA (add €100 for one luxo WBT pair), 1 x XLR (add €375)
Output: 250wpc into 4Ω
Weight and dimensions: 19kg and 42x42x18cm WxDxH main unit, 32kg and 46x42x16cm PSU
Other: Exceptional breadth of order options
Warranty: 2 years, 3 years with registration