Nuforce

Jp1208, I just ordered a pair of the ref 9s with the extended bass option. Last night I had an opportunity to compare a Dartzeel NHB-108 with a pair of Ref. 9s. It was set up in my system, playing through a pair of Von Schweikert Audio VR-4jrs and I'll tell you, the Nuforce amps were not embarrassed by the Dartzeel by any stretch. The Nuforce amps are the real deal IMO. The Dartzeel definitely had a more refined, analog-like sound, but the Nuforce were pretty darn close. There were 3 of us listening, and I think we all came to the same conclusion. With some tweaking and system-tuning, I would bet you can get 80-90% of the performance of the Dartzeels with the ref 9s. From that listening session, I decided to order a pair. The pair I heard did not have the extended bass option, so it will be interesting to hear the differences between the two versions (extended bass vs standard).

Jp1208, I heard the 9.02s. I'm not sure what you mean between single ended vs. bi-wiring? I listened to them using balanced interconnects connected directly to my front-end (APL Denon 3910). My speaker cables are shotguns (Acoustic Zen double-barrel). I'm still shocked at the performance of these amps. The hardest thing to get over is their small form factor, light weight, and price... quite frankly. It's hard to imagine such little amps, that cost $2,500/pair competing with an $18,000 Dartzeel amp. But that's exactly what they do. It's a real paradigm shift. They are definitely the real deal! If these amps are any indication of what the future holds for high-end audio, we are all in for some amazing sound (and bargains) as this techology matures.

Jp1208, I should get the pair tomorrow. I'll post my findings when they are broken in. I look forward to getting them. Amazing sounding amps!

Jp1208, I received the Reference 9s yesterday. They are the extended bass version and I'm burning them in now. I plan to put about 100 hours on them before doing any critical listening. I am running an APL Denon 3910 (the latest version) with balanced interconnects from Ridge Street Audio (Poiema III). The interconnects are silver, but in my system, they are not bright. I'm running my APL Denon direct to the Nuforce amps. Once they are burned in, I will compare the extended bass version with the standard and report back!

Well, I've had my Nuforce Ref. 9s for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I am VERY pleased with them. These amps are much more dynamic, have better bass extension and control and are much more revealing than my ARC VT-100 MKII. I've been an all tube guy for years, and I was very happy with the ARC until I heard the Nuforce in my system. The Nuforce amps do NOT sound like any other solid state amp I've ever heard. No, they don't sound like tubes, but they don't sound like the solid state amps I've heard either. I will say this, I don't think I would be as happy with the Nuforce amps if my digital front-end didn't have a tube output stage. The combination of a tube preamp with these amps is perfect for my taste. Last weekend I brought my pair of Nuforce amps to our local audio club meeting and they were driven by a very good quality CD player (with no tube output stage), and to me, the sound was a little too accurate for me. But, everyone's taste is different. I would say that most of the other members of our audio club really liked the sound. I would highly recommend auditioning them in your system if you get a chance. Especially if you have a tube preamp or your CD player has a tube output stage.

The mid bass sounds great. I really think I have a magical combination of speakers, digital front-end, and now power amps. I didn't listen critically to the Nuforce amps until they had 100 hours on them (upon the dealer's advice). But while I was burning them in (somewhere around 10-15 hours) I casually listened and the mid bass sounded somewhat shallow. But I dismissed it since the amps hadn't burned in yet. But now, I don't hear that shallowness at all. They sound great. These amps are definitely one of the most satisfying audio gear purchases I've made in years.

You stated "as good as any good solid state amplifier in the price bracket". Do you mean in the price bracket of the Nuforce? If so, what are you listening to? Because I've never heard a solid state amp anywhere near this price range that comes close to the Nuforce. Granted, I haven't listened to any of the newer digital amps (except the Spectron). The Nuforce Ref 9s are about $2,500 for the pair, and virtually every solid state amp I've heard (with the exception of the Dartzeel) sounds very sterile, which is NOT how I would characterize the Nuforce. At least not in my system. I've never heard either the ML 431 or the Linn Klimax Chakra, so I can't comment on them. I would say that system synergy plays a large role in how good (or bad) these amps sound.

Mmakshak, I tried running my Nuforce Ref. 9s single-ended (directly from my APL Denon), but I got quite a bit of noice (hum). A friend of mine also tried running his Opus CD Player direct using single-ended interconnects to my pair of Nuforce and experienced the same noise problem. So I've been running balanced cables from my APL to the Nuforce, and the noise is much lower (almost inaudible). By the way, the Nuforce (and the APL) are very revealing, so any change in cabling you will hear. Wait until your APL Denon has about 200 or more hours of burn-in. It is really a magical player. Have you tried running the APL direct to the Nuforce? Does yours have the AKM DACs? I am very happy with this combo. Now I just some room treatments to dial things in.