[Ric Schultz]

The Nuforce Reference 8 (and soon to be Reference 9) are really good amps as they come from the factory.  No doubt.  I have been working on a mod for this amp and have made this great amp sound much better.
 
Some of the things included in the mod are:

1. Replacing the input jacks with OFC types.
2. Bypassing the output jacks by bringing the speaker wires from inside the amp through holes beneath the binding posts and wraping the wires around the outside of the binding posts effectively giving you a wire to spade speaker connection.
3. Change the input caps to V-Cap Teflon ($95 retail part, each). We burn these caps in on a special high current/voltage device for one week before installing.
4. Change the input op amp to better type.
5. Change all the caps in the analog power supply for the front end supply to Nude damped Blackgates.
6. Change ceramic cap to custom copper foil and Teflon tape cap.
7. Remove LED.
8. Damp various parts.
9. etc.

We still have a couple more mods to try but the mods are 90% finished.  We will be trying the Jensen 4 pole caps on the supply as well as some different output wires and resistors.  The mods will be finalized by early next week.  The pricing is not yet set but will more than likely be between $300 and $450 with purchase of amp and about twice as much without.  Once the mod is done (whether you buy the amp from us or not) we now honor the original warrantee.  

The very same mods will be available on the Ref 9 amps as they are the same output boards.

We are very excited by the sound of the amp now.  It is much more detailed, clean, musical and dynamic.  There is now a directness, vividness and musical rightness that I rarely hear in an audio component.  The images are now much more solid with much greater depth and palpability. Much more hall sounds and ambience are now recovered.  Inner detail and harmonics are uncanny.  Each note on a piano/guitar is now able to be distinguised giving an uncanny sense of speed and agility while at the same time the increased transparency and depth imaging make the piano more solid.....really great!  I cannot wait to see if the last mods will do even more.

We can deliver modded amps within 2-3 weeks from now.  30 day unconditional money back guarantee.  If interested please contact:

Ric Schultz
Electronic Visionary Systems
408-399-9708
ricevs@direcway.com

[radiobird]

Ric-do these L2 mods for $300-400 incorporate the $100 L1 mod that you already offer? What exactly is the $100 L1 mod consist of? Have you tried ERS cloth under the amp's chassis lid to reduce RFI/EMI?

[ekovalsky]

Ric,

How do the modded Nuforce amps compare with the ICEpower units you were working on ?

I was supposed to have had an audition of the Nuforce this past weekend but had to cancel because of work obligations.

[Ric Schultz]

Radiobird,
Level 2 is now the only level of mod.  So level 2 is now level one...he he.  Yes, all the "old" level one mods are incorporated into the "new" level one.
Actually, I forgot to mention that I am already using some ERS material between the switching power supply and output board.  I have not tried it on the inside cover.

Ekovalsky,
The modded Nuforce amps are much better than the modded Ice Power I had....actually still own one (use it as a Teflon cap burn in machine).  The Ice power measures more power but not sure how that translates into real world listening.  Of course, the Ref 9 would have more power and all mods are applicable.  The modded Nuforce amps just have more information retrieval, stereo separation, lower distortion and reality than the modded Ice amps (at least the ones I modded).

[Ric Schultz]

I have finished my more extensive mods on the Nuforce.  As stated above, the results are very impressive.  The Jensen caps made the power supply unstable, so a no go there.  The mod costs $350 with the amps and $650 for those who already own the amps.  I can ship modded model 8 amps within 2 weeks (one week needed to burn-in Teflon caps).  Modded model 9s will take longer as they are backordered for a few weeks.

Ric Schultz
EVS