Thanks for the link Marco, I was unaware of the Affordable Audio e-zine. John Atkinson's review of the 4 in the last issue of Stereophile was certainly positive as well.
In addition it turns out that Steven Stone -- who I assume is the same guy I remember as J. Gordon Holt's recording partner from Stereophile days past -- has written an ongoing series of articles on this subject at Enjoythemusic.com, with reviews of some of the models mentioned above (including the Era 4). The series is titled The Nearfield and the different installments can be accessed from the top of this index page.
In addition it turns out that Steven Stone -- who I assume is the same guy I remember as J. Gordon Holt's recording partner from Stereophile days past -- has written an ongoing series of articles on this subject at Enjoythemusic.com, with reviews of some of the models mentioned above (including the Era 4). The series is titled The Nearfield and the different installments can be accessed from the top of this index page.