Well I broke down and got myself a pair of mAmps. Right out of the box they were VERY clear. Overly so. Over time this gave way to a wonderfully smooth somewhat sweet sound that was very listenable. I am really pleased.w/ my choice here. After reading all the descriptions of the sound of the new Ncores I was all the more attracted to the mAmps. The sound is just what I was looking for. I'm sure the Ncores are great but I'm really liking these Wyred mAmps and don't regret my choice at all.