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 At the conclusion of this initial
session, I knew the NuForce were very good
sounding amplifiers, but I could not yet grasp
the true scope of their virtue. As a reality
check, I quickly threw my Aragon 8002
amplifier back in the system, which I know to
be a very detailed and generally excellent
sounding amplifier. To my amazement, I was
surprised to hear that by comparison, the
Aragon sounded somewhat colored and definitely
not as transparent. It seemed a notch or two
below the kind of detailed and musical
performance the NuForce had just delivered.
This was starting to get interesting.
As days passed and I played through more of my
favorite reference recordings I began to
notice things about the NuForce like their
excellent reproduction of high-frequency
detail and their iron-fisted control of bass
instruments and the notes they played. The
thought of having to go back to one of my
other amplifiers seemed less and less likely.
I knew it was time to take the Reference 8s
downstairs to serve as “guest amps” on my VMPS
RM30 speakers.
Because the RM30s use some of the fastest and
most dynamic drivers on the planet, I knew
that if the Ref 8’s were truly worthy, they’d
prove it on the VMPS. So I plugged those bad
boys into my new PS Audio UPC-200 power
conditioner via the aforementioned Stealth AC
cords and popped a CD into my Rega Planet. The
input and output cabling were from
SignalCable’s Silver Resolution series.
.jpg) From
the very first notes of Dave Matthews and Tim
Reynolds: Live at Luther College CD [RCA
67755] I knew that my trusty reference amp was
about to lose its coveted status in my system.
Listening to Tim Reynolds pluck, strum, and
slam the guitar strings gave new meaning to
the phrase, “fast and furious!” On “Seek Up” I
could hear those briskly played guitar notes
shoot out to the limits of the available
acoustic space – smoothly, instantaneously,
and without any distortion, rounding, or
smearing. I knew the RM30s were good, but I
had no idea they were capable of this level of
performance. The other thing I noticed about
this live recording was that the audience
sounded immense and very focused and
plausible. Finger snaps, whistling, yelling,
and applause all seemed so real – and there I
sat, right in the midst of the spirited fray.
No other amplifier that I have tried has
allowed the VMPS speakers to soar to this
level of realism.
 As
I played through more of my recordings each
song seemed to excel in ways I’d never
imagined. The soundstaging was wide and deep.
It seemed that I could hear clearly to the
back walls of the acoustic venue with an
unlimited layering of sounds and details going
on within this very-expansive envelope. When I
played Seal’s Best: 1991-2004 [Warner Bros.
B00063F8BW], Seal had so much substance that I
felt like I could get up and walk around
inside his body. On “Don’t Cry” (acoustic
version) you can hear Seal’s voice quaver in
sync with the bass, which enhanced the impact
of his words. This effect was not nearly as
dramatic when reproduced through my other
amplifiers.
Some amplifiers seem to create a huge
soundstage at the expense of losing their
focus, bloating instruments and performers to
unrealistic proportions. With the NuForce amps
the image focus is well defined. The
instruments and performers appear to be the
size dictated by the specific recording.
.jpg) If
the RM30 speakers have one weak area, it’s a
tendency to sound a bit under-damped in the
bass. Through the Reference 8s, the acoustic
bass runs and drum thwacks on Ray Charles’
“Fever” from Genius Loves Company
[Concord/Hear CCD-2248-2], sounded very
natural and poignant. Also, the bass on US3’s
Hand on the Torch [Blue Note CDP 0777 7 80883
2 5] was more controlled and exhibited a
better sense of pace, while at the same time
appearing to extend lower. This may be due to
the NuForce’s unusually high damping factor
(>4000), which would imply excellent bass
control.
It’s also worth mentioning that my reference
amp puts out 300 watts RMS
per side into 4-ohm loads like the VMPS. It
seemed to me that the NuForce amps played
louder in my large room with a greater sense
of composure. The Reference 8s employ a fully
regulated output stage that maintains
extremely low distortion, even at full output,
and they’re capable providing very high
(short-term) peak power. These factors could
account for my perception. It almost defied
logic that such small amplifiers were capable
of playing my system as loud as they did with
no discernible sign of distress.
The best thing I can say about the NuForce
amps is that they sound very natural and
transparent in the crucial midrange. All kinds
of acoustic instruments including the hard to
reproduce brass, strings, and piano were
rendered in a convincing and musical manner.
The Reference 8s reproduced the pitch, the
timbre, and the unique signatures of
everything from trumpet, to cello, to
xylophone, masterfully.
Maybe this has to do with its very low degree
of phase shift, or perhaps its extended (out
to 100k) bandwidth; I don’t know. But I do
know that this is the first amplifier I’ve
heard that uses digital technology and sounds
more natural than many high-end purely analog
designs.
The
Balanced 8B
As far as I can tell, the balanced Reference
8B is very similar to the RCA-type Reference
8. The 8B does look a little richer with its
thicker faceplate, but inside, the two amps
are just about identical, with a couple of
more parts at the input of the 8B.
Sonically, the amps are also quite similar,
although I did not perform a definitive
head-to-head comparison. But I can report that
the 8B really excelled in the Newform system
with the Michell Orbe SE turntable as the
source. I don’t recall being quite as
impressed with the RCA version of the
Reference 8 on the phono. But when going
through the balanced 8B amps, I can say
without hesitation that I have never heard so
much detail and layering from the Michell Orbe
since I’ve owned it. And that includes
plugging the preamp directly into my Stax 4040
Signature headphone system, which is a highly
revealing tool by any standard.
I clearly heard faint little ticks from
cymbals that I never knew existed. I also
heard details on drum rolls and strikes that
were either smeared or simply not heard with
other amplifiers. Playing through old
favorites on vinyl, like Midnight Oil’s Diesel
and Dust, Suzanne Vega’s Solitude Standing,
and Steve Winwood’s Back in the High Life, it
became abundantly clear that the Reference 8Bs
are indeed highly resolving amplifiers.
But the NuForce amps are not only about
resolution and detail, they are also about
conveying the heart and soul of the music.
Recently I had a few friends over and they all
managed to squeeze themselves onto my love
seat, so I decided to offer them a special
treat. I lowered the tonearm on Johnny Cash’s
“The Man Comes Around,” from the LP of the
same title [American 440 063 336-1].
Initially, the staccato thwacking of Johnny’s
guitar focused their collective attention, but
when the man in black began to croon, “There’s
a man goin’ ‘round takin’ names,” the sheer
power and emotion in Johnny’s voice totally
floored the lot of us.
Caveats
For some, the fact that the NuForce output
terminals only accept spade lugs could be a
problem, albeit not one that can’t be solved
or cleverly circumvented.
Additionally, the Reference 8 amps have a
tendency to amplify the residual noise in
one’s system when a music signal is not
present. This makes them a little noisier at
rest than some of my other amps. One does need
to get up close to the speaker’s drivers to
hear it. This small amount of noise was not a
problem with my speakers but is something to
be aware of if using very high-efficiency
speakers. NuForce is endeavoring to address
the issue, again, not a big deal with most
equipment. Note that the balanced 8Bs are very
quiet, and noticeably quieter than the
RCA-type Reference 8s (at rest).
Early versions of the Reference 8 amps emit a
considerable amount of RFI interference, which
will not let you tune weaker stations on an FM
tuner. In an effort to fix (or diminish) the
interference, NuForce changed the internal
wiring from the silver-ribbon to Litz wire
that is wrapped around a choke and then
soldered directly to the output terminals.
The Litz-wire choke version has extremely taut
bass, and slightly better image focus than the
original silver-ribbon version. The original
version is a little smoother in the highs and
a bit more laid back. Both versions have
extremely high sound quality with the Litz
version having a touch more presence in the
upper midrange/lower treble area. As of this
writing, NuForce is planning to use the Litz-wired
choke version to maintain high sonic
performance while diminishing the RFI. I have
no qualms about supporting that decision.
And
Then…
Never content to leave well enough alone, I
couldn’t resist rewiring a pair of Reference
8Bs with QED Silver Anniversary wire. This
appeared to take the 8B’s to an exceptional
level of performance that left me grinning
like a baby having his first taste of ice
cream. Listening to tracks from Jack Johnson’s
mesmerizing new CD In Between Dreams
[Brushfire B0004149 02] was a revelation. The
close-mic'd acoustic
guitar and the percussion flowed forth
authentically and palpably, as the music’s
natural timbre and sweetness were effortlessly
conveyed by the QED-enhanced 8Bs. Indeed, it
is a very clean and natural sounding CD and
the Reference 8Bs let it shine to its very
best advantage.
Curiously, the QED-wired amps sounded more
natural and engaging with copper, heavy-duty
Belden AC cords than they did with the NuForce
Stealth AC cords. Go figure!
The
Beginning
So, you see, dear reader, this is not really
the end, but the beginning of a new era in
audio amplification. The NuForce Reference 8
amplifiers have solidly met all my criteria
for a true breakthrough product. Namely, they
perform better than any other amplifiers I’ve
tried in my system. And they provide this
level of performance based on patented new
technology. Moreover, these amps are
considerably smaller and lighter than
conventional amplifiers and are much more
energy efficient.
The best news is that this new technology will
be affordable to many audiophiles. Starting at
only $1,600/pr., these dynamic, musical, and
ultra-detailed amplifiers will seriously
outclass most amplifiers at anywhere near
their price—stone-stock, right out of the box.
From a practical standpoint, the NuForce
amplifiers will not sound better to all
listeners in all situations. No amplifier, no
matter how competent, can make that claim. If
you’ve take great pains to optimize another
amplifier in your system and you are in love
with the sound, don’t assume that these amps
(as good as they are) will automatically sound
better. System synergy and personal preference
are variables that should never be overlooked
or discounted.
As I end this review I am bracing myself for
new products soon to be available from NuForce,
including the Reference 8 Signature series,
and a 350 watt monoblock amp that will weigh
in at a trim 5 pounds. Stay tuned!
Frank Alles
_______________
NuForce
356 South Abbott Ave
Milpitas, CA 95035
Phone: 1-408-426-4165
Primary Fax: 1-408-262-6877
Secondary Fax: 775-245-9746
E-mail:
salesteam@nuforce.com
Web:
www.nuforce.com
Price:
Model 8, $800 each. Model 8B, $950 each
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