Nuforce

PHD,
The Ref 8 case is made of all aluminium, more expensive that other thick iron or steel case that some people preferred. In the early production, we use bright blue LED that is hard to control the brightness. The latest production has frosted blue LED.
Ref 8 is targetting people who appreciate good sound but are not willing to pay the extra. There are a lot of people who prefer that their audio equipment stay out of sight and to them, sound is what they care (may be not what you like). Ref 8 is also frequently used as surround and back channel amps and placed close to the speaker. It is meant to be light and small.
Jason from NuForce

Jason, I can appreciate the fact that the team at Nuforce is working their butts off to create and perfect the product, however neither the defensive tone of your post, nor the somewhat threatening comment,

Those who want to wait can buy the same great amp next year for perhaps a higher price.

contributes to Nuforce achieving legitimacy in the high end audio market.

Are you serious? Cut the guy some slack. Gee.

I just hooked them on my Norh 6.9,synthetic marble,
the ref 9, are good match with these speakers also,
the system is not even warm, the musicality is
good, and they sound very impressive.I am hearing
something I have not heard before.The piano is just
so natural ,its sounds real to me, you can hear the
instrument very clear, because the layering is superb.
I can tell there is something special with the ref9.Thanks

I don't know Jason, and even though he is a competitor:

I agree with what he says. Some of you guys are never happy unless you can throw stones at us. We all wait to see what you can offer, so we can roll boulders down on top of you.

It's just a joke.........lighten up.