Nuforce

I was trying to say that Nuforce appeared to have no idea how to implement an audio design when they made the Ref8, but that since then (like me) they have been working on getting the implementation right. Using their customers as Beta-testers is not a good look by the way Nuforce. My use of the words 'no idea' were driven by my incredulity that they had used a Polyester cap in the signal path. Do that and you can destroy the sound of any stereo system with a single blow.

Using their customers as Beta-testers is not a good look by the way Nuforce.

This has been my pet peeve with NuForce. As a customer, I like to think I'm buying the company's best effort, and a product that has been thoroughly Beta tested. I don't care to pay for that privilege.

Thanks for the clarification.

Maybe, about the revisions, but if you listen to the current model Ref 9.02, it's an awesome sounding amp that clearly outperforms the bulk of amplifiers on todays market and competes with some VERY expensive units.

True, the many revisions are annoying, but the results of these revisions are giving us sensational performance for the dollar. So consider that too...

I expect to receive a set of the new Reference 9SE amps later this month, and I can't wait! Nuforce is upgrading the internal parts and I believe they are cryo-treating the processing module and a couple other enhancements.

It should be very interesting to compare to the current Reference 9.02.

Holy smokes, Frank, a NuForce 9SE?! You've just reaffirmed my point.

Seriously, can a NuForce owner who has just taken delivery of the latest 9.xx iteration EVER be certain a newer improved model or version won't be available the very next day, thereby requiring the owner to box up his beloved amps to send off to the factory for updating?

Wouldn't it be nice to have the NuForce amps in the system for nine months to a year without feeling the need to have them upgraded to a better version?

I cannot be the only one who sees this as a problem...

I'm unable to edit my previous post, so I'm adding this addendum...

NuForce owners always talk of value in respect to the high-performance/low-cost ratio of the Ref9.xx amps compared to the high-peformance/high-cost ratio of more expensive amps.

I’d argue that there is intrinsic value in having an amp remain installed in one’s system, and conversely there is value lost during the time a NuForce amp is spent out of the system being upgraded. If I calculate this correctly, had I purchased Ref9 monos a year ago, and if I had sent them back to the factory for the three (or is it four) ensuing upgrades, I’d have experienced nine weeks of downtime once round trip shipping and actual time at the factory is calculated. Nine weeks of downtime is considerable value lost, IMO.