Well, three Milwaukee locals had a most enjoyable day comparing and contrasting the virtues of the Nuforce Reference 9 amps in a couple different setups. Overall, we were
very pleased with the results, and I'll do my best to summarize our collective thoughts.
System:
- Speakers: VMPS RM30M w/ TRT, Analysis+ and megawoofer upgrades
- Usual amp: Bryston 3B-ST
- Pre-amp: Sherwood-Newcastle R-965 preouts
- Source: Jolida JD100a
- Power: BPT Ultra2 w/ bybee filters, hubble outlets, auricaps, silver wiring & L9 PC
Music used:
- Dire Straights - Private Investigations
- Nils Lofgren - Little On Up
- Roger Water - Late Home Tonight
- Unknown - Cry Me A River (written by Julie London)
- Dave Brubeck - cuts from Time out
- Peter White - cuts from Glow
- Flight of the Cosmic Hippo - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (track #4)
- B.B. King - various cuts
Usually, I augment my stereo listening with a sub because it has always left me lingering for more presence of bass. This is unfortunate because my sub just can't keep up with the speed of my speakers. I was fully intent on purchasing a new sub and dedicated sub-amp to resolve my situation. Don't get me wrong, the Bryston amp provides plenty of juice and a very clean sound to my mains. However, after swapping in the Ref 9s, I don't believe I'll ever use a sub again. I NEVER thought I could obtain that much oomph out of my front channels. Was it the extra 90 watts provided by the Ref 9s? The improvement in bass response was so substantial, I really don't believe so. The bass was so tight and powerful, I had to walk over and check to make sure I really left the sub disconnected.
To ensure we weren't dreaming, we pulled out a real bass kicker - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. I've always felt this song wasn't as bass heavy as people made it out to be. Perhaps it was my speakers, perhaps it was me, who knows. I guess it goes to show you that it only takes one weak link to impact the chain because the hippo was certainly fatter today! Cut after cut, the bass just felt tighter and more prominent. Additionally, it was as if there was greater spatial separation between instruments. Auxilary instrumentation didn't get lost in the shuffle and everything was well balanced. I felt we heard greater width in soundstage when
burning the Ref 9s in at Jim's, but I didn't notice any variation in my setup. This could be due to my equipment sitting in a corner while the speakers are pulled out into the room more. Nevertheless, I've never been as thrilled with the sound coming from my system as today.
I will admit the amps do get a little bit warmer than I originally thought (about the same as my Bryston). However, they certainly won't burn your finger like a Krell. Additionally, I do believe the Jolida helped to give me that full and lush sound, as well as some additional presence of bass. I tried running it digitally through the S-N for a quick comparison and it did feel slightly less volumptuous. After 2 1/2 hours of listening, we plugged the amps into another system comprising of Parasound Halo amps w/ pre-pro and Dynaudio Contour S5.4 speakers. Ultimately, we concluded that the same characteristics which were revealed earlier presented themselves yet again, but enjoyed another fun 2-3 hours of listening.
Are these amps right for you? Arguably, it depends on your situation and listening preferences. If you are in the market for new amps, these should be at the top end of your demo list. They are quiet, powerful and are priced quite competitively. Additionally, they are space conscious with a clean look that should lend to a high WAF. Should you throw out your existing high-end amp? Not necessarily. As with most high-end gear, most changes result in marginal improvements these days. However, if you aren't getting everything out of your speakers and feel the need to augment your setup with a sub I'd highly recommend you give these amps a try! The difference for me was not insignificant in the least, and I'm not left wanting a new sub.
-KJ