NUFORCE AMPS FOR PASSIVE SUBWOOFERS

I totally disagree with Stereotaipei. The NuForce Ref 9 mono's put out 300W RMS into 4 ohm loads and can pass undistorted peaks of 650 Watts. And the Reference 9SE's put out 250 watts RMS at 4 ohms and can pass undistorted short-term peaks of 660 watts. Although the RMS rating is at your mimimum requirement, the NuForce amps sound much more powerful because of their extremely high peak-power delivery. Plus the simple fact is that the Ref 9SE amps produce the most controlled and articulate bass performance I have ever experienced.

My feeling is that you'd be very pleased with the bass performance of the Ref 9 and even more pleased with the 9SE due to it's exemplary bass control. A more powerful ICE amp without the same articulation and control would likely be less fulfilling, i.e., it might ultimately play a single decibel louder but would lack resolution/definition compared to the NuForce amps.

Sterotaipei- Funny you should mention ICE amp. I have one that is rated at 250Watts-8ohm/500-4ohm that is being updated with new speaker binding posts. I can't wait to try it when it returns. But I'm using it as speaker amp. I've owned a Crown bass amp before, Didn't impress me, no bass definition. Sold it. I like the fact about the Nufore amps that they are small/slim so I can hide them behind the subs, sizeways against the wall I plan.

Plato- I feel why the Nuforce amps have great bass resolution/definition because of the high damping factor(>4000) which control the woofers. Do you know what the 'extended bass' option is? Can't find it on the site.
I can buy a used pair of 9.02 right now for $1350. Good deal...?!

Ptheo, $1350 is a very good price for a pair of Ref 9.02s. I'd snap them up if I was interested.

The extended bass version doubles the input capacitance and results in the bass response being a bit more linear out to 20Hz. It gives the amp a little more weight on the very bottom but it's not a night and day deal. I think Nuforce only charged about $75 for that mod.

As I have stated in my other NuForce posts, I (and others) believe the amps sound best with the internal speaker post capacitor removed (which is a cheap, no-cost tweak). You can snip one capacitor leg just to try it and solder it back in place if you think the cap makes it sound any better.

300 watts ain't much for subs...

Crown K1/K2. K1 is 1500W bridged @ 4ohms, K2 is 2500W bridged at 4ohms.

Damping factor is right up your alley at >3000, although personally, I think that spec is not TOO important.

They are small for their power because they are a "digital" amp, but they are not miniature by any standards. If you are looking for great performance in a sub amp you should investigate these.

The K1 Destroys the Nuforce, no joke... It is a pro unit, no fan, barely any heat, and can be driven way beyond the input voltage and has a 28 db setting, 1.4 volt setting, and bridge Switch...Can take full boosted output of like 20 db gain from a parametric or other processor, especially pro units that can do this. I picked one up for 400 used, it is a very similar to digital design, I swear I did see a module inside the Crown that had ICE written on it, but not to mention it only idols pulling 12 watts from the wall, it is All U.S.A built, and dead silent, ZERO FM interferance problems, Zero Hum, Zero HISS... On 98 DB efficient drivers.. Now I have heard the nuforce standard versions, they will not hold up to the crown.. But the Crown has a Huge Torroid and Way Higher Peak power for way less money, and again it is a pro unit designed for a good beating, has built in limiters, and Has Individule Detent Gain Controls for each channel so you can taylor to your liking. Only problem with them is the Binding posts are rediculously close on the back and a little tuff to hook up without using a Quarter to tighten them up, and you will need to have RCA to Balanced cables if you are running RCA.. You will not hear the Crown K1 Click, Pop, or Hum when Turned on, it will not Dim the lights etc... Not to say the nuforce will, just giving an Idea of the quality in this unit. By the way the Crowns are Stereo, but if you must have mono blocks to seperate across the room, than well you need 2, otherwise go with the nuforce, but seems to be a waste of money for Subwoofer bass.