Given its qualities, it’s no surprise to find the Emitter II just lapping up large-scale works (and no surprise to find it so at home in the Sea Cliff system). Semyon Bychkov’s recent recording of Smetana’s Má Vlast (Pentatone PTC 5187203) is a perfect foil for this amplifier’s abilities – and a recording that’s rapidly taking the place of Kubelik’s BSO performance as my personal favourite. The ASR delivers the expansive soundstage and peoples it with solid, clearly localised instruments, full of body, harmonic colour and presence. From the richly vibrant opening harp chords, to the building strings, fluttering winds and explosive percussion, there’s an immediate sense of musical energy and performance. The Emitter II effortlessly tracks the changes in level and density while capturing the fluidity and sense of forward momentum that is so crucial to disparately orchestrated pieces like this. Bychkov breathes life and continuity into the work, even the fractured opening to the second movement, ‘Vitava’. And when that movement builds, it does so in a stable space, with stable orchestral placement. Instruments don’t climb forward in the crescendos or the finale. The peaks are impressive but the way the lulls suck the air from the listening room is more impressive still. The musical flow never hesitates, giving the progress through the score a wonderful inevitability and articulation as each instrument or element in the orchestra plays its part. The direction is as subtle as it is bold, the temporal security and dynamic shadings in the performance preserved in the recording and delivered by the amplifier.
Going LARGE, but going small too!
The ASR revels in ‘big’, the absolute linearity and stability of its bass extension bringing clarity, purpose and substance to recordings, without ever weighing them down. In fact, quite the opposite. That ability to transition from big to small and vice versa, to do it so naturally, to expand and contract within the acoustic space, is never more obvious than on the Starker Dvorák Cello Concerto (Dorati and the LSO – Mercury SR90303). Played on the Grand Prix Monaco/Kuzma 4Point 14 combination, carrying the Fuuga and via the ASR Basis Exclusive HV/battery phono-stage (which I’ll be reviewing separately) and in the absence of adjustable EQ – which ruled out the original – I chose the excellent Speakers Corner re-issue in preference to the murky and sluggish Classic Records pressing. Paired with the Peak El Diablos, the Emitter II delivered a performance of majestic scale and towering intensity, with a weight and impact that belied the relatively modest price of the combination and the modest size of the speakers. The Peaks are known for the depth and weight of their bottom-end (or, if they aren’t, they should be). The ASR exploits that capability to the fullest extent, producing a huge and beautifully defined acoustic space, alive with a sense of energy and intent, beautifully scaled dynamics and real authority. Starker’s instrument, over-voiced by the recording, is vividly solid and dimensional, his playing in the first movement bold and vivacious jousts with the orchestra, in the second, it is exposed, poised, sensitive and purposeful. The lines are beautifully fluid and evocative, the orchestral backing as delicate or suddenly explosive as the music demands, heightening the drama and expressive range in what is, by any standards, a deeply emotional performance. The ASR might not deliver quite the separation, focus, astonishing clarity or textural resolution of the L10/bi-amped M1.1s, but it is certainly treading the same path, offering the same fluid coherence and confidence. It might not be able to match the ultimate low-frequency transparency of the CH combination, but the Emitter II covers its tracks beautifully, offering a planted foundation and directed sense of controlled energy that floats bass notes really convincingly and in a fashion that many a listener is going to find more than satisfactory – especially given the massive, seven-fold difference in price.
