Followup: with 100 plus hours on the V3's I continue to be very pleased. On all important sound dimensions these babies are excellent. I continue to be amazed at the sound stage width and ambience. I have not experienced the dramatic depth increase mentioned by some but there is definitely more air around instruments, clearer layering front to back, and more precise positioning.
Many old CD's (every Mobile Fidelity Moody Blue's) are now more pleasureful and filled with surprising sonic treats. Sound is exciting but civilized and natural. |
I received my V3 SEs and have had only one day between business trips to play with them but wanted to share the joy of my first impressions. The context, for me is that the V2 Ses were excellent in terms of bass control, detail, and clarity, much like a finely cut diamond in sound on excellent CD recordings. On less than stellar recordings for me there was a touch of treble brightness and edge. I was concerned that it may have been a result of my live room.
Right out of the box I can tell that the V3 is a significant level improvement. I immediately noticed that the sound stage seems at least 5 feet wider for the instruments, but more significantly it feels as if the hall ambience from the side of the stage is more present and realistic and feels like it extends another 10 feet. There is an obvious increase in musicality, realism, and balance. The treble is sweeter and tamer yet sparkles with life. This is the first switching amp that I would say is as pleasureful and musical as a fine Class A amp such as Pass Labs XA100.5. Many recordings that I would have said were a bit hard now sound beautiful. The V3 has an engaging sound and after about 5 hours of listening there is no fatigue. Listening in the kitchen, one room away from the system, it sounds more like live music playing in the other room. The new units are also more attractive than the V2. I know that there is more break-in time needed but I could not be happier. Great job, Nuforce. |
Have any of you tried out the stereo power amp 8.5 V3?
I'm thinking of replacing my IcePower-based Acoustic Reality eAR 202 REF power amp with the 8.5 V3's. Any thoughts on how this conversion may turn out are welcomed... :) |
I had the FM on, playing through some backup speakers. These SE's are the third set of switching amps I've used and run in has always been surprising. Our Pioneer Elite SC-07 HT receiver has been the least finicky switching amp so far. It comes with an unusual looking captive two conductor power cord that looks like small Romex wire. Just for grins I plugged it into the same outlet as the refrigerator and it remained dead quite. |
Vicdamone
Congratulations on the plunge. I too had my eye on another amp, the Pass XA100.5, but the difference in weight, heat and price (16K) and my level of satisfaction with the V2SE just made trying the V3 a no-brainer.
Did you just have the amps on for the ten days or did you have music playing through them over that time? |
Before the V3 upgrade I was thinking, maybe it's time to audition a different amp. Right, like I'm going to get off my butt and look for another amplifier especially after being so satisfied with the NuForce V1. What's the point?
Milpitas is about twenty miles away so I hand delivered them. The Nuforce facility is a very unpretentious light manufacturing building located just off Hwy 880. The folks there are very sweet and gave me a completion time about a week out. Two days later the work was done.
My first impression was that they sounded worse then the V1. I then noticed that the batteries in my preamp weren't holding a charge and running the system off the charger was only slightly better. After some new cells and a checkup by the designer I left the system on and took a ten day trip.
Walking through the front door both my wife and I noticed a substantial improvement. This was a V1 to V3 upgrade and for once my procrastinating nature becomes an asset. |
Reporting in. My number came up for the upgrade. I have silver units and wanted to change to black and was willing to pay the price of new covers. I also did not want to be without the amps because due to a broken leg, I am home bound and listening many hours each day to my system. Nuforce is immediately sending me already upgraded black units at the basic upgrade price. And I don't have to send mine in until the new ones arrive. What nice people at Nuforce to do this. Excited to hear the V3's by the end of the week. |
Yes 20t's series 2. I have PS Audio Perfect Wav Combo and a few other tweeks. The sound i am getting now is in another world!! I couldn't be happier! Everyone i have had over my house has left speechless:) I do have a very nice (large dedicated ) room that they are in. |
Worldcat. Are you still driving the Aerial 20 T's ? What's the rest of your system now? |
I have found that Black Noise Filters where the best thing on these amps? Nuforce use to sell them they may still. |
I am using Zu Mother Mk II behind Audience AR1-P line conditioners, each directly from the wall. I also have a PS Audio Power Plant Premier for the front end. This combination works well for me.
Mark |
CK Thanks for the well wishes. I am healing well but it is slower when you are 60. Have put in three weeks of bed rest so far - one more week and I can start limited weight bearing. My music is the high point of my day. Each afternoon I listen for a few hours and it really lifts my spirits. I'd agree about powercords and also using great care on vibration control. What powercords have people found to be the best? I am using Guerilla PC and might benefit from something more elegant. I ran all my equip through a PS Audio Quintet but find it better when I took the amps off and ran them directly to the wall, using the Quintet to protect the rest of the chain from any Nuforce power disturbance. |
Worldcat,
I would have to agree with your assessment! I just took the v3's up a notch by replacing the fuses with the Isoclean units. The level of realism just got better! Although I did replace all fuses in the system so we can take it FWIW! We know the amps are VERY sensitive to power cords so I figured a better fuse should help. Crazy hobby!
Gammajo, glad to hear you are on the mend. Hope the bed rest includes more listening time!
Cheers all! |
The sound i am getting form my new V3's is amazing. The depth, clarity, the imagining and clarity of the voices is something to behold!! I do not understand why they do not get more love from audiophile's!! You can listen to these amps and never ever get ear fatigue! I would really like to compare them to the best amps in the world. I have had much more expensive amps and never have heard music as real as with the nuforce's. |
Mark
Thanks for the comment that the V3 works well with digital as well as vinyl. Good report at doctor yesterday in terms of healing but still a few weeks of bed rest to go. |
Gammajo, likewise, sorry to hear about your broken leg.
I have to agree with Sultrains's obervations on the sound of the V3s. He is dead on accurate, except for the vinyl comments. Best front end is all digital: USB DAC with no preamp, combined with power regenerators.
Good luck with your recovery.
Mark |
Gammajo i use 60s ccas as well. When its sit down music listening time i spin vinyl for the best sound and playback. IMO
Fast recovery to you and take care.
|
Stltrains Thanks for the inspirational update. What tubes do you use in your AH? - I am running 1960's cca's. Do you also listen to digital source and like the Nuforce with it as well? |
Sherod and Gammajo the combination of Ref 9 SE V3 and my AH 2.1 is Heaven sent. Now that i have well over 300 hrs on my
V 3s hour upon hour are spent spinning lp after lp the sound of my system is better than ever. The V 3 upgrade is so well worth it with the removal of the stand out sounds in the upper frequencies V 2 had. And the addition of super taught bass, mid range thats present to life like sounds and that upper end that now is under control and mates so well with the mid range. Add a super sound stage with detail and micro detail and you have a pair of amps for the money that cant be beat. |
Thanks Sherod. The main thing will be to stay positive. The V3 upgrade queue will be one thing among many to look forward to.
Mark, thanks for the 250 hour report. Sounds like a great move up for reasonable money. |
Sorry about the ice accident, Gammajo. I hope you heal quickly and get back onto both feet soon. Yes, thank goodness we have our music to keep us calm during the stressful times. |
I fell on ice the day after Christmas and broke my leg - surgery and now at home on bed rest for six weeks or more. Since I travel for my self-employed work it is a big income hit but I still think I can swing the V3 upgrade. Meanwhile as of yesterday I can crutch myself to the sound room and will have all day to listen. The first thing I put on was a Bach Organ CD that transported me away from the stress and into a place of beauty. Once again this hobby proves a priceless grace within my life. |
At 140 or so hours, I noted the same problem Edgar Kramer observed at 100 hours. Everything fell apart. It was not as bad as out-of-the-box, but really muddled. Now, at 250+ hours of burn in, what a wonderful set of amps. Fabulous in all levels of performance, but most importantly they are musical. I love them. I predict you will not find many, if any, on the used market. Maybe if the Reference 18s hit it out of the park?
NuForce changed the faceplate on the upgraded amps from the new ones, but so what? I will not be selling mine in the foreseeable future.
Mark |
Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy the music every chance you can. |
Well, I bit the bullet and lined up in the cache for the upgrade. Thank you all for input as I obsessed. BTW there is a Nuforce room over on Audio Circle that is also discussing the V3, including Chris Marten's initial thoughts. I have not found much on Asylum. Again the folks at Nuforce were super nice on the phone, prompt, clear, and helpful in communication. So Merry Christmas to me! And of course Merry Christmas to you'all as well.
Joe |
I listened to some Vienna Boys christmas carols cd last night via my v3 and open baffle loudspeakers...
The depth of the soundstage is spooky...so real.....when the boys pitch reach the highest octave, it just sounds so shimmering and has a sense of wetness. In lesser system it will get a bit edgy and forward at that part.
All the voices seem to come from the room behind the front wall......
Merry Christmas to all of you! |
Gammajo ounce you get to the 150 hr mark and on you wont care what V2 sounded like. You will be spending a lot of time listening to V3 because its that much better. If you dont want to listen to the breakin process run a cd on repeat and get the time in. I enjoyed breakin but did get worried at times but that did pass and now its rock and roll time. Mike |
I imagine with the long erratic burn in that it is hard to keep a clear memory of what the V2 sounded like for comparison. It would be nice to AB in real time between the two. Fortunately they are easy to transport to a friends home to do this. |
Please be patient withe v3 burn in. It is frustating having to wait so long to get a new toy to sing properly, but the waiting is worth.
I am still amazed by the difference before and after. Now I wonder how the designers themselves tune the sound during the course of the design? Did they too have to wait 200 hours each time they made some change to the board??? |
Mark, email me if you need info on the Cerious spkr cable.
Cheers,
EK |
Thanks for all the feedback to my question. |
The 9V3SE does not sound lean or thin. In addition to more detail, the soundstage is much improved. It is far deeper and wider, extending beyond the edges of the speakers, both left and right.
Mark |
I believe another thing that V3 has over V2 is more detail. Along with better imaging. The space between voice and instruments is present and gives those sounds better focus. Details and micro details are present which adds to very enjoyable music sessions. On very good vinyl recordings it amazes me just how wide and beyond my speakers the stage is with V3.
I believed V2 was very good but once you have V3 broken in you will most definitely hear why V3 takes a big step further into the music. |
To my ears, v2 is not clinical and it is close to prefection. I tend to think that in some mellow sounds set up v2 would work magic, and in other where the sound is already on the lean side V3 will be the right pill. I use open baffle employing vintage paper cone speakers and tweeters and v2 has that extra dynamics and speed that my drivers lack.
Having said that, I think the high frequency of the V3 is more silky and extended....but this is only after 150-200 hours of break in. Before this mark, i was actually thinking whether the tweeters were blown, no kidding, it was that bad. |
Thanks Mark
I guess I will get in the queque for the upgrade at $800 not much to lose. would any of you say that the V3 is more organic and less clinical than V2?
Joe |
After 130 hours of burn-in, my amps sound fantastic. What a difference from their out-of-the-box performance, where my initial, gut-retching reaction was that I had blown a voice coil. I did not chart the course of the burn in, but am thrilled with the 9V3SEs performance now. I moved from V1 to V3, so this is a little off the point of the thread: the 9V3SEs midrange is liquid, and the top end smooth and grain free. I, however, am not crazy about the impedance change. If you have not taken advantage of this upgrade, do it at your earliest convenience.
Mark |
I have my ia7 v2 upgraded to v3.
Yes too, I have been experiencing a hugh roller coaster during the breaking in. I have never had any gears before that can fluctuate so much before they settle down. And you just could not believe how "bad" sounding the v3 is before reaching about 150 hours, even after this mark, the amp still starts to improve. The main area of complaints from me is the attentuated treble response which makes everything sound slow. I felt asleep a couple of times during audition which never happened to me with the v2.
I am not sure if it is merely a psychological illusion as a result upgrade syndrome or part of that placebo effect, or that the v3 break in is real.....
I burn it in continously over a week of 24 hours playing xlo burn-in track. |
wadav from what i understand Ref 18 is going to be an all out assault from Nuforce to produce a top filght audiophile amp with the best components. Check audiocircles/nuforce for more info. |
Edgar,
I read your review on 6moons the day it was published. Well done. BTW, I purchased some Cerious Technologies speaker cables to try them simply because you were using them as a reference cable.
I, however, am on a different roller coaster; I just hope the ride ends at the same place. This upgrade should come with a warning label: Do not listen to these amps until burned in for 150 hours.
Mark |
What is the new V18 all about? |
Hi all,
Break-in is a real issue with the V3. Please read my review on 6moons. My rollercoaster ride mirrors what many are also experiencing. For me 'out of the box' was quite good although not that much better than the V2. Then it all turned to mush and pretty much as described above by 'Stltrains'. After about 150 hours it's all become rather extraordinary.
Cheers,
EK |
I should have also added micro details are abound. Compared to the other upgrades that i added to my Ref 9s v3 does take more time for breakin. Hang in there and enjoy the ride. Mike |
They must burn-in!!! Give it lots of time, you will be rewarded! |
We may be listening to the same thing -- shrill midrandge and attenuated high end. I am calling it terrible and you, expecting necessary burn in, are saying not bad out of the box. Thank you for the hope.
Mark |
Mark burn in is a bumpy road. Ups and Downs i thought right out of the box all was not to bad. a nice stage as things went on mids were on the shrilly side at times hi end was cut off but bass was good through 135 hrs. then things started really sounding good bass became very solid mids warmed up and upper end sounds became open and spacious. the thing i found is timber of voice and instruments became real good with sibilance compared to v 2 much better with v 3. let us know your thoughts as your amps break in.
mike |
Here is Nuforce's response on burn-in:
"Hi, A moderate volume is OK to burn in the unit, not necessary very loud. Regards, Casey Nuforce"
I know burn in is critical, so I am not snapping to a judgment until I hit 150 hours +.
Mark |
Mark,Please keep us posted |
Well, I received the 9V3SEs today, and out of the box, they sound terrible. I hope the burn in transforms them into the amps everyone else is describing.
Mark |
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Worldcat do you think 500 is enough. |
