Nuforce v2: has anyone tried them

That sounds like a good plan Stltrains. Yes, from what I'm hearing, it's a no-brainer. The new version definitely beats the original even with the caps cut out, which is the way I was using them.

Vic,

The turn-on/off relays have a minor low-level click to them if that is what you mean -- but it's so low in level that I can't see anyone objecting to it. Since you own the 9SE's already, the upgrade to V2 is highly recommended. Jason at NuForce believes that the standard Ref 9 V2 sounds better than the original Ref 9SE, FWIW.

NuForce is using a Zobel network on the outputs now that shouldn't be tampered with, but seems to work much better than the old parallel capacitor.

I've had my 9SE V2's for about a week now. To my ears the V2 has more extended, tighter, and more articulate bass. It has better instrumental focus/clarity from top to bottom.

It seems more transparent and detailed than the V1. And the highs are airy and extended -- but perhaps more importantly, the highs are now silky smooth. By comparison, the original version had a mild grainy quality.

I think the V2 actually sounds a little tubey in the midrange. By that I mean I hear more inflection on vocals and more nuance on guitars and other midrange instruments.

Who knows, they may sound even better as they continue to break in. And if not, I'm quite happy with their current level of performance.