Charles, perhaps "shove" should be replaced with "punch" or is this just semantics? There is a (very) slight laziness to how the GD's follow the musical line. On 95+% of music I listen to, this is a beguiling quality and enriches my connection to the music. On less than 5% of the music, I sometimes wonder if a little more impact, shove, or punch is truer to the source? This isn't a speed thing in case you are wondering. Transients are lighting fast and perfectly balanced between attack and decay.
On the DruidsV's, I don't remember having these thoughts. The balance between lazy and energetic was perfect as I recall. This is why I suspect the GD's are slightly happier with the DruidsV's 16 ohm load versus the Defs 8 ohm load.
The Franks were more energetic and punchier, but not as revealing of tone, texture, and ambient clues. I think Israel designed the Franks to be impervious to the differences between 8 ohm and 16ohm loads, as long as the limitations of ultimate output power are respected.
Honestly, they are all outstanding amps and I am quibbling over tiny nuances. I would be very happy with any of them. It is only within the distorted state of audiophile criticisms that these nuances get exaggerated. The differences described are real, sometimes meaningful, but on the whole, the Franks, BS's, and GD's are impeccable emotion-conveying amps!
