Not Another NuForce thread......

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!!!

To Guido,

I am a dealer with certain loyalties to my brands, and not in every circumstance will the Nuforce sound better.

So I don't want to slander my own brands by naming names, but with a little research you could find out what brands I am comparing to.
The best thing if you are skeptical is to hear these amps for yourself, the tide is turning, and many people are starting to realize that Class D can have real magic and are not just technological freaks, but real instruments.

There will always be people who are drawn to the massive metal and sound of some of these conventional class A or Class A/B monster amps, but I am also willing to bet many consumers are going to rethink that Class D can't get me there, line of reasoning.

Thank you for the info Ggil!!!
AudioOracle, given my prior quotation and the following you wrote:

"The Nuforce Version 2 amplifiers are a true breakthrough, compared with amplifiers which are four times the price the Nuforce in most respects sounds better,
these amplifiers really are very special. I have to agree with JB8312, I would compare the Nuforce with many of the 20k and above amplifiers, in fact I
am actively searching to find an amplifier which really does outperform these little marvels."

I am not sure if your claims of holding 'certain loyalties" have much merit. Declining to reveal the identity of 'leading brand X', does not hide the undeniable fact that you seem to favor NewForce over your other more expensive brands. Nothing wrong with that in my view, except for the self-delusional coyness.

yet, I am positive that there are aspects in brand x that may be desirable over NewForce. If would be helpful to both us and to your manufacturers if you could enlighten us over the relative strengths of New Force and the yet unnamed leading brand X amp.

Okay, everyone has their likes and dislikes of the overall sound signature of the NuForce amps. My biggest complaint about them (I did have a 9 in my system for a while) was the RFI interference with my Tuner and telephone. Did they get that fixed 100%? If so, then I may give them another spin on the dial.

Zilla, you stated, “I should be sending mine in, in about two to three weeks... Everyone that listens agrees the sound is simply awesome. The 9SE's are the best amps that I have heard or owned.” If the older version is “awesome...and [the] best amp…” you have ever heard or owned, why in Einstein’s name would you be sending it in to get upgraded?

My response to the responses about my response.Some audio history that influences my take on NuForce upgrades.I was an original adoptee of the very first Oracle turntable and felt that it had certain things going for it that my old LP12 didn't.Well after a few upgrades I got out of the Oracle pit I had dug for myself.But my friend who kept his Linn stayed on for the ride right up to the Valhala mods and then he quit.Now they have an even more improved lp12 which I heard in comparison with the older Linn. The new one wins.So do the new Oracles,so do the newest of most audio gear.Yet why do some designs and gear become classics and win the test of time?Why are people willing to pay 4 times what an original 15 ohm LS3/5A cost when it was new?
I have nothing against the nu er NuForce,I hope it is an improvement over the first ones that I heard which didn't touch me in any positive ways musically and were as far from what I call listenable as it gets.Rough around the edges is too easy a description.But they were brought to market that way and sold after some good press. Then NuForce started to get other less flatering opinions and not just schoolboy first crush gushing reviews.It was then that they felt they could improve the amps.So from their track record of let the public tell us what is wrong and we'll fix it approach to audio,new improved versions keep popping up.
So I ask all my detractors, "what's wrong with waiting it out for the final best version?"
You know it's coming don't you?