nuforce 9.02se/belles ref./ moscode 401hr?

I would suggest explaining in your own words what you like better about
the Aloia 15.01. Forget audiophile speak. Do your best. Your answer will
provide important clues to which of the very different amplifiers you
might like from your list.

I love the way that this amp gets out of the way and lets the speakers utterly and completely disappear. With the right recording there is no sense of speakers in the room at all. Not just a great center image but from an area outside the speakers to everywhere in between. I also like great inner detail. I really like to hear immediacy that can make voice inflections become prominent and easy to hear, especially the way Allison Krauss makes use of her voice that you wouldn't normally hear in a std system.

What I don't like is sibalance, meaning excessive sss and ttt. If there is one thing I think the aloia could improve on it would be that music can sometimes sound a little bland. Almost a buttery sheen over the music. Very smooth but just a touch dull. I also don't like grain which can sometimes appear especially on voices.

Anybody familiar with Reference Audio Mods mod to the nuforce 9.02? Better than the 9.02SE? I am skeptical.

Thanks. Tim

Regarding the previous post, I think I should have said I love to hear the immediacy and prominent dynamic contrasts to voice inflections among other inner detail shadings. Tim

Based on your post, I believe just about any of the amps on your list would qualify to some degree. I have not heard the Belles, but the latest iteration of the 350 reference is getting glowing reviews. I own the Moscode 401HR, and have written about it extensively. It's extremely musical, and it's tonality can be changed with some easy tube rolling. It has no grain or sibilance, and simply sounds natural. I have heard an earlier iteration of the NuForce amps. Of all the amps on your list, the Ref9.02SE will likely have the last word in inner detail and resolution, but I find the sound too sterile for my taste. The Mac amps are known for their musicality and "non-audiophile" sound, and they would also be an excellent choice...as would the Parasound.

Tubes in an amplifier can bring the midrange forward and give some emphasis to vocals, etc.

My advice is to take your time and listen to as many of these as possible either through in-home auditions with money back guarantees (Moscode and NuForce), or through dealer arranged auditions.

Start with the amps you can hear and return without obligation (other than shipping charges). Eventually, one or two amplifiers will likely strike you as "right", and then it will become difficult to choose which one to buy because no amplifier is perfect, and you'll notice pluses and minuses with each.

oddly, i owned the 350 reference, the mc501s and have extensive experience w/ the JC1s.

in terms of absolute accuracy, the JC1s are the pick of the 3. in terms of what i'd own, i own the macs.

and i thought the belles sounded the best of them all.

now, if that doesn't confuse you, nothing will!

(i'll be brief. JC1s: awesome power and clarity, but heat and system matching w/ a hot treble in my WP6s precluded it. 501s: see my review on dagogo.com for IMO the most accurate representation of mac SS amps---they're NOT perfect, but they are good enough! and the 350 ref: great sound & quite a bargain, but build quality concerned me (bias on both channels wasn't equal, and i was told by the mfg it was unimportant?!?), and i hated the fact that it didn't have a soft start circuit, leading it to trip my circuit breaker (dedicated 20a) each time i turned it on. talk about user unfriendly!).

rhyno

there isn't a bad one in the bunch, but if you plan the live with it, i would say the moscode (way way overlooked brand) or the mac for the long haul.