Correction above, I do have the ref9,I am finding that
they are excellent on my Diapasons,slam is just making
my wall shooked,the transient is quick,vocals are so
natural, they are very efficient on my Diapason, they
have a bass, I have never heard on my Diapason.I tried
them on my friend Andra II, to my surprise, they were
able to drive them not as good as DNA 500 McCormack,
and the CJ 350 but those are expensive amps.If you have
a monitor, I would think, it worth trying this amps. |
The cost of parts argument is just weak. Example: the doctor gives a prescription. The pills cost pennies to make but cost you a buck. Profit? Research? Marketing? Example: a consultant spends an hour and charges you a thousand dollars. You pay for his/her years of experience, not an hour's worth of time. What is a very good idea worth? More to some, less to others. Get off the amp comparison for a minute - just listen to various higher end CD players - they sound good but different. Is the price differential justified? Yes for some, no for others. Which is 'right?' It's up to you. I liked the NuForce 8Bs. Am breaking in the reference 9s now. Can tell you they sound good. Good to me is not necessarily good to you. My reference amp is tubed. I may not miss it. Haven't decided yet. Bob Wood http://www.GreatHomeTheater.com http://www.woodsgoods2.blogspot.com http://www.woodgoods.blogspot.com |
I have the ref8 on my second system,can you guys check
your cabling? maybe some of you, who did not like them,
did not synergise in your system,I just hook them up
last night,I think this are very very good amps,I will
seriously listen to them in onother 3 days.The amps
that I will be comparing,are Plinius SA100 and Oddyssey
Stratos extreme, So will see, if they will dethrone my
2 amps.But I am quite surprise already. |
It was the 8 that I heard. I have the impression the 9's sound different. |
I heard the 9's both basically the same design from what I understand but more power with the 9. |
Matrix & Drubin,
Your comments on the Nuforce for Ref 8 or 9? Are they almost the same ?
regards |
About $150 in parts is all you would find in just about ANY $800 amplifier. That's the economics of it. Also, remember that this is a very different technology. Comparing parts is a bit misleading.
In my system, they did not compete with the Rowland 201. I really, really wanted the Nuforce to be as good or better but they were not. The Nuforce sounded pleasant but somewhat artificial and, as Matrix says, less liquid and organic. Too bad.
The system at RMAF that used the Nuforce amps sounded very good to me, however. |
Correction to my above post
"If you like a "wetter" or more liquid organic sound and do not mind that the hard edged definition is missing in your music then these are for you, and they are super efficient very small and well I guess cost effective in many ways, but not really..".
Sorry I MEANT "these are NOT for you" |
Okay I really hate to respond but, Nuforce is not a bad amp at all... It is for the people that are "Intellectual" or more of an accurate listener not the super emotional listener. They do everything well and maybe perfect, but music is not perfect and maybe should not be... Big reason tubes are very popular is they add a certain harmonic distortion or color of their own to give a certain conveyed sound, same as Vinyl to CD in some extent... Nuforce does not sound fatiguing or any of the bad words that solid state carries with it most of the time, but they are not for me in the end.
If you like a "wetter" or more liquid organic sound and do not mind that the hard edged definition is missing in your music then these are for you, and they are super efficient very small and well I guess cost effective in many ways, but not really..
Bottom line is sure you can get some real crap between 1500 and 3000.00 dollars, and some Gems, and these might be better than what you have or heard no doubt...
Here is the problem with these in my eyes as a bottom line, and this was verified to me by a couple of very good amp manufacturers and I am no expert, there is no more than 150.00 worth of parts in these, No big Caps, No big Torroids, No big fancy Cabinet which is the main costs on any amp and they went on to say they could easily copy the design and have no problem admitting they could beat out some pretty good competition.. So yes these Defy all odds and Can sound good doing it, but remember FACTS are Facts you will be buying 3 lbs of very basic design and a couple of fancy WBT posts for the money that you would in turn be putting into actual electrical components of actual cost buying better A/B or tube amps that have actual value in parts inside.
IN NO WAY am I saying this effects sound, Right or wrong but this is something to think about... If they were about HALF the price they are then I could choke down the fact you are buying next to nothing in simplicity and good sound for a simple and versitile component. IF you really do the math guys, look at a 1000watt digital Plate amp, you can have them for what a mere 150.00 retail these days? thats because parts are very basic and efficient in these designs.
I would go for them in a 7 channel setup or something if they ran about 250.00 a piece, but even then I just heard the New JVC hybrid receiver and it does all channels digital for about 450.00 with processors and good sound.
For 2 channel they do not do it for me, I have heard them in a couple systems, so again they could be better for others and synergy could click with other stuff.
My money is not going to them and on first impression they present music in a way that you may not be used to hearing in a conventional manner and you may reject them immediatly, but always try them yourself, opinions and reviews mean nothing next to your own needs and ear. |
Hi folks, does anyone know the differences between the eAR ICEpower amps, for instance the eAR 1001, and the NuForce? Does the NuForce sound more organic and natural in comparison with the ICEpower amps? Recently Bel Canto design released an ICEpower amp called the Ref 1000, which will replace their well known Tripath based eVo 2. |
Some like tubes some don't. In contrast to many of the top-end ss amps these NuForces battle with the best. Did you notice that The Absolute Sound just praised the Reference 9's with the Editor's Choice Award for 2005?
They are very impressive and near impossible to beat at their price point. I have heard them be 95% of $12k Sim Audio monos at an audio jam; no small feat. |
I have the ref 8b's running fully balanced from a Marantz SA-11S1 thru a passive-mode Adcom GFP-750. To me, the sound is absolutely fantastic with rock, big band, jazz, acoustic, etc. In general, the sound stage, imaging, bass and most of all the PRAT are better than with my PrimaLuna Prologue 2. However, I still enjoy the sound of my tube setup and I do like it somewhat more with most classical pieces. The main reason I bought the NuForce was to have a high quality, cool running system in the summer months. Tubes and Class A equipment take a siesta in my listening room from June through September. I am very pleased with the performance of these digital amps. Furthermore, having the two systems allows me to enjoy the best of both worlds during the course of the year. Its like drinking red or white - although they are quite different, they can be equally enjoyable when of good quality. |
Oz, I'd definitely say they outperform most tube amps I've heard (especially in terms of bass articulation and top to bottom resolution). And the amazing thing is that you can get them to sound just like a great tube amp if you want to -- simply by using a great tube preamp ahead of it.
I have a friend who uses his NuForce with a TAD-150 Signature with excellent results. In fact, it caused him to get rid of his tube amp, which couldn't keep up sonically.
I'm currently using a Parasound P/LD-2000 into a TAD-150 Signature and then into the NuForce Reference 8s. I know that using two preamps in tandem might seem weird, but I'm actually getting the best sound quality that way. It's my own special recipe that I discovered by accident when I first hooked up the TAD-150 to see if it worked. I found the TAD-150 by itself (though an excellent performer) to be just a touch soft and laid back for my taste.
The solid-state P/LD-2000 feeding the TAD-150 somehow lets the system maintain its excellent dynamic kick while also creating sweet, airy tube sound. It's fantastic on vocals and guitar and the bass totally comes alive. I consider this combo the best of both worlds. I'm using SignalCable's excellent Silver Resolution interconnects to connect the chain and it's pure magic. |
NOTHING compares to a good tube amp - like mine! Audiomat Opera: 30wpc pure class A push-pull.
I had the original NuForce model 8s in my system for a month, but wanted to return them the day I got 'em. Compared to tubes, the NuForce does not do harmonics properly or get the effortlessly organic tube sound correct. It has a kind of "processed" sound to it, similar to what dithering does. The soundstage just doesn't open up like you get with good valves.
If you're coming from solid-state, however, you may like 'em. I didn't. |
Always a lot of yaking about how they compare to dry SS amps. How do they compare to something that really makes music? A good tube amp.
Oz |
I love the NuForce product. They have competed well in my showroom against a Parasound Halo A51 and Krell 400 cx on both Dynaudio Contour 5.4s as well as VMPS RM40's. These little monoblocks (Ref. 9s) beat both of the above competitors in low bass response for our application. They are simply amazing. (Especially for the price.) And the WAF if huge; you can hide them almost anywhere.
We offer a free in home demo if anyone is interested. We just ask that you simply pay for the return shipping of these 9lb monoblocks. Feel free to email me.
Sincerely,
Tyler T. Mueller
tyler@nextlevelav.com |
there are a bunch of posts about it in the archives. |
