The quartet took a dramatic, even rambunctious approach to performing music; Steinhardt called it "swashbuckling and boisterous" when contrasting it with the Orion String Quartet, whose style he admiringly described as "refined and thoughtful." In another context he stated that "our top priority is to try and deliver the essence of the music and create goosebumpsgive a performance that will be as memorable and vital and energetic as possible. I'd like to think we set caution slightly to the side in favor of emotional impact." The high-voltage performance style mellowed somewhat as the group matured; in a 2009 review of the quartet's performance of Beethoven's Quartet in E-flat, op. 127, Oregon critic David Stabler reported: