List of products by brand ASR Audio Systems

ASR Audio Systems - high end ASR Emitter I and Emitter II amplifers with extra battery PSU

ASR Audio Systeme Friedrich Schäfer is a German manufacturer of high-end integrated amplifiers and phono stages, based in Herborn, Hesse. The company traces its origins to 1980, when Friedrich Schäfer and his partner Rompf began developing loudspeakers. Their first amplifier, the Basis Phono, arrived in 1981, followed by the original Emitter integrated amplifier in 1982 — the beginning of a design lineage that continues to define the brand today.

By 1993, the Emitter II had established ASR's reputation for engineering amplifiers that competed with — and frequently surpassed — pre/power combinations costing significantly more. The company formally became ASR Audio Systeme Friedrich Schäfer in 1995, and has since focused exclusively on refining the Emitter concept and the Basis phono preamplifier range.

The Emitter Philosophy

The Emitter series represents a fundamentally different approach to amplifier design. Rather than conventional integrated or separates architecture, each Emitter uses fully independent power supply sections for the input, driver, and output stages — each with dedicated rectification and generous capacitor banks. The flagship Emitter II Exclusive adds a third outboard chassis containing a battery power supply with automated charging, powering the sensitive input stage with pure DC completely free of mains interference.

Housed in distinctive smoked-acrylic enclosures that have become an ASR signature, the Emitter amplifiers deliver between 140 and 280 watts per channel into 8 ohms. The sound is characteristically neutral, clean, and dynamic — combining the tonal richness often associated with valve amplification with the grip and precision of solid-state engineering.

Made in Germany

Every ASR amplifier is designed, assembled, and tested in Herborn. The modular construction and outboard power supplies allow the system to be upgraded over time, and the robust engineering ensures decades of reliable service. ASR's combination of uncompromising circuit design, distinctive aesthetics, and exceptional value relative to performance has earned the brand a devoted following among audiophiles worldwide.