NuForce Popping

Plato, can you tell me about the improvements of the SE over the 9.02's? I now have the 9.02s and they are the best amps I've ever owned and I'm thinking about upgrading them to the SE.

Plato- any comments on the 9SEs?

Thanks,

KeithR

My NuForce 9.02 amps send a modest thump (pop) to the speakers when first turned on. Nothing huge or scary--I bet any speaker could easily handle it. I read at least one review where the same experience was mentioned, and it appears to be a normal occurence with these amps. No big deal to me, I leave them on all the time anyway--they sound better and use up so little energy. But the sound might be disconcerting to a store customer who's not expecting it. Do you think the store was looking for this "good" reason to decline to carry NuForce, when the real reason might be that they didn't want to hurt the sales of other more expensive, and more profitable, lines?
There may be some sinister reason other NuForce owners have put their amps up for sale (how's about a blunter "Why So Many..." thread title: WHAT ARE THESE GUYS TRYING TO HIDE?), but to me it just seems like the normal action of the marketplace as a new--and relatively inexpensive-- product gets sampled and eventually finds its way to longer-term owners. Not everyone in this hobby is a member of the flavor-of-the-month club, but many who are often fail to appreciate the performance of the products they turn over so quickly. I have to plead guilty here, myself: I remember a few years ago I tried to sell my Piega P-10 speakers and found myself competing with no less than 5 other sellers. We all had to practically give the things away to sell at that time. Nowadays? No P-10's on the market, and they rarely come up for sale.

The initial batch of preamps and integrateds had some minor design oversights. These were all fixed with a simple swap of the faceplate. Otherwise, the sound quality from these products is simply stellar for their price.

Guys,

I just received my 9SE's very recently, and I think they are still breaking in, so please keep that in mind.

My feeling is that they are an improvement over the 9.02's, which I considered excellent amplifiers.

For whatever reason, the 9SE's are the quietest NuForce amps I have tried to date. No turn-on pops and extremely low noise floor, but a funny (and minor) turn-off noise, which is not loud by any means.

The bass seems to be world class. It is the most articulate, tuneful and punchy bass I've ever heard from my system. It is a bit better than the 9.02 in that regard. The midrange seems very close to the 9.02, but perhaps just a little sweeter sounding. The highs are very extended, detailed, and focused. The clarity is superb.

These are lightening fast amps that deliver very well delineated dynamic contrasts, articulation, detail, and a huge soundstage (soundstage size is about the same as the 9.02, which was a strong point of the amp).

All in all, I believe it's another small step forward in the evolution of the NuForce design. Perhaps more break-in will reveal even more about the 9SE's considerable virtues.