I do agree with the SR-303 sucking the life out of music, actually. Although to be perfectly accurate, it sucks the life out of some music, but not all. There are quite a few records in my collection that sounded fantastic with the SR-404, which is basically the same as the 303.
However, you simply cannot judge all 'stats after having heard one 'stat. It's like judging all dynamics after having heard only one. 'Stats are just as different, and it's wrong to lump them all into one big sonic signature. Some stats squeeze the life out of music, but some 'stats also put the life back into the music - and some will do either one or the other, depending on the system, like the O2 Mk1.
'Stats are more picky when it comes to associated components in general, so they require more system matching. But when you've got it right, it's pretty much absolute magic.