Not Another NuForce thread......

9rw: My system consists of the an APL Denon 3910 with all the latest upgrades run directly to a pair of Nuforce Ref 9s (recently upgraded to V2) and Von Schweikert VR4jrs. I used to use the Audio Research VT100MkII until I auditioned the unassuming pair of Nuforce Ref 9s (V1). It was no contest!

A local Nuforce dealer (who is also a friend of mine), another friend who is a member of our local audio society and myself did an A/B comparison in my system between the Nuforce and the Audio Research that I had been so happy with for several years. The little Nuforce amps absolutely humiliated my beloved Audio Research VT100MKII. We were all was dumbfounded by what we heard. I purchased the pair right on the spot.

I have since listened to A/B comparisons of my little Nuforce amps with other much higher priced solid state amp and the Nuforce beat them hands down!

I would recommend at the very least, auditioning a pair of the Nuforce. In my experience they mate very well with Von Schweikert speakers. If my recollection is correct, Albert voiced the VR-4 speakers with Class-D amps, I believe they may have been Spectrons. This may account for why the Nuforce sounds so good mated with the VS speakers.

I will say, however, that I have heard my Nuforce paired with other electronics and speakers that resulted in less than stellar sound. System synergy plays a HUGE role, particularly with these amps.

OK Guido, I'll bite. One of the amps that my little Nuforce Ref. 9 (v1) "behumbled" was the prized darTZeel NHB-108, weighing in at a hefty 65 lbs!

However, we only listened to 3 tracks or so, and as I said previously, synergy is everything with these amps... as I suspect it is with the darTZeel.

And I don't believe, based on such a short listening comparison, one can draw the conclusion that "this sounds better than that." But nonetheless, it was a very fascinating -- even shocking evaluation.

P.S. Your writing is fantastic!!!

Audiofeil, Audiooracle is a dealer... cut the guy (or girl) some slack! Assuming he is also a dealer for the $21k amp, it would be very poor business to publicly "out" the more costly amp that the Nuforce beat. If I were a dealer, I wouldn't name names either.

>>Personally I think the combination of tubes in the front end or preamplifier driving the Nuforce is the winning combination. The amplifiers really do work wonderfully well with tubes.<<

David, I agree 100% with your findings. I am a member of our local audio club and we listened to my Nuforce Ref. 9s (before upgrading them to V2) with superb electronics and speakers (Resolution Audio CD-player/pre-amp with Great Northern Sound mods) along with Gamut L-3s (BTW... these are amazing speakers!) and I wasn't impressed with the sound. Others in attendance were, but I wasn't. Just wasn't my taste.

However, in my system with my digital front-end - an APL Denon 3910 which has a tube output stage and a built-in attenuator, it's a completely different story. I am running my front-end directly into my Nuforce amps and the combination sounds magical... much different than the RA/Gamut combination.

So system synergy is very important with these amps (in particular) in my experience.

Viclondon,
Interesting. Thanks for the info... I'll pass this along to the owner of the Opus 21 player.

I agree, the player itself is an excellent sounding CDP.

Stltrains,

>>After a few days under my amps belt i am glad i went with v2 upgrade, a no brainer for sure.<<

I second that!! I don't have the SEs, I have the Ref 9s, and they are wonderful sounding amps. The upgrade was indeed a NO BRAINER. While everyone else is debating about the merits of Class D amps and Nuforce's continuous upgrades, I am enjoying music like never before!

I personally believe that any company who rests on their laurels and stops innovating is dead in the water. The name of the game for any technology company is "Innovate Or Die". And the fact that Nuforce is offering its customers an upgrade path to their latest innovations is a tremendous service.

Jp1208, when I originally compared the Nuforce Ref 9s to my ARC VT100MKII, there were many characteristics of the Nuforce amps that I liked better than the ARC, including transparency, dynamics, bass extension and control, mids, highs, etc. I've never had an issue with lack of bloom or texture previously with the ARC or the Nuforce. However, before I upgraded to the V2s, on a few piano recordings, I did get a sense of sterility in the mids, even some harshness. But since the upgrade, that is completely gone. Those same piano recordings sound incredible. As far as adding bloom, I would say since the upgrade to the V2s, mids are much more natural sounding than before, but I don't know if anything is added. The way I would characterize the Nuforce now is almost like a crystal clear window into the recording. Whatever my CD player plays, I hear. That includes both good and bad in the recordings. If you have a great front-end, you'll hear every nuance of the recording with the Nuforce amps. As far as the heat goes, I don't notice the amps being any hotter than before the upgrade, but the SEs might be different.