No, we didn't watch The Godfather. However, we did kick off a day-long audio session with some fantastic cannolis (thanks Jim). Furthermore, we all wrapped up the day with the same thought in mind - leave the sub, take the amp! The Nuforce Reference 9 amps to be specific. Before I go further, let me detail my system:
- Speakers: VMPS RM30M w/ TRT, Analysis+ and megawoofer upgrades
- Amp: Bryston 3B-ST
- Pre-amp: Sherwood-Newcastle R-965 preouts
- Source: Jolida JD100a
- Power: BPT Ultra2 w/ bybee filters, hubble outlets, auricaps, silver wiring & L9 PC
We started off the day plugging the Jolida JD100a into my system to replace my rather archaic DVD player. It produced a nice warm tonality that just gave everything a lush, full sound that I am learning to appreciate very much. I never thought I'd become a tube lover, but this unit is seriously making me reconsider. Additionally, we left the subwoofer disconnected entirely so we could focus on the sound coming from the main speakers only. We didn't want any excuse for confusion.
After some enjoyable listening with the Bryston, it was time to put the Reference 9s to the test. We swapped them in and our jaws simply dropped! WHERE DID THAT BASS COME FROM?!? Did we accidentally leave the sub in the line? We literally could FEEL the bass as if the sub was still running. Mind you, the bass with the Bryston isn't bad by any means. However, it still has always left me lingering for a little more presence and feel which forced me to use the sub. No longer.
To ensure we weren't dreaming, we pulled out a real bass kicker - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. I've always felt this song wasn't as bass heavy as people made it out to be. Perhaps it was my speakers, perhaps it was me, who knows. Now I know why! Now, had I not swapped in the much nicer Jolida, the bass improvement would have been somewhat diminished (we actually tried to be sure). I guess it goes to show you that even one bad link in the chain can slow you down.
Cut after cut, the bass just seemed tighter and more prominent. Additionally, it felt as if there was greater spatial separation between instruments. Auxilary instrumentation didn't get lost in the shuffle and everything was well balanced. Although I felt we heard greater width in soundstage when burning the Ref 9s in at Jim's, I didn't notice any variation in my setup. This could be due to my equipment being set in a corner while the speakers are pulled out into the room more. After 2 1/2 hours of listening, we plugged the amps into Tyler's system comprising of Parasound Halo amps w/ pre-pro and Dynaudio Contour S5.4 speakers. Ultimately, we concluded that the same characteristics which were revealed earlier presented themselves yet again, but enjoyed another fun 2-3 hours of listening. I'll let Tyler post his thoughts for people to get another take on things.
Here are some of the tunes we used:
Dire Straights - Private Investigations
Nils Lofgren - Little On Up
Roger Water - Late Home Tonight
Unknown - Cry Me A River (written by Julie London)
Dave Brubeck - cuts from Time out
Peter White - cuts from Glow
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (track #4)
B.B. King - various cuts
I will admit the amps do get a little bit warmer than I originally thought (point of clarification from my earlier posts). However, they are NOTHING like the big Krell guns that are too hot to touch. Second, to be fair the Ref9 does have some additional power available - 300wpc vs. the 210 @ 4ohm as spec'd by my Bryston sheet.
Are these amps right for you? I would argue it depends on your situation. If you are in the market for new amps, these should be at the top of your demo list. They are small, quiet and priced very competitively. Should you throw out your high-end amp? Not necessarily. However, if you aren't getting everything out of your speakers and feel the need to augment your setup with a sub...I'd recommend you "leave the sub, and take the amp!"
-KJ
- Speakers: VMPS RM30M w/ TRT, Analysis+ and megawoofer upgrades
- Amp: Bryston 3B-ST
- Pre-amp: Sherwood-Newcastle R-965 preouts
- Source: Jolida JD100a
- Power: BPT Ultra2 w/ bybee filters, hubble outlets, auricaps, silver wiring & L9 PC
We started off the day plugging the Jolida JD100a into my system to replace my rather archaic DVD player. It produced a nice warm tonality that just gave everything a lush, full sound that I am learning to appreciate very much. I never thought I'd become a tube lover, but this unit is seriously making me reconsider. Additionally, we left the subwoofer disconnected entirely so we could focus on the sound coming from the main speakers only. We didn't want any excuse for confusion.
After some enjoyable listening with the Bryston, it was time to put the Reference 9s to the test. We swapped them in and our jaws simply dropped! WHERE DID THAT BASS COME FROM?!? Did we accidentally leave the sub in the line? We literally could FEEL the bass as if the sub was still running. Mind you, the bass with the Bryston isn't bad by any means. However, it still has always left me lingering for a little more presence and feel which forced me to use the sub. No longer.
To ensure we weren't dreaming, we pulled out a real bass kicker - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. I've always felt this song wasn't as bass heavy as people made it out to be. Perhaps it was my speakers, perhaps it was me, who knows. Now I know why! Now, had I not swapped in the much nicer Jolida, the bass improvement would have been somewhat diminished (we actually tried to be sure). I guess it goes to show you that even one bad link in the chain can slow you down.
Cut after cut, the bass just seemed tighter and more prominent. Additionally, it felt as if there was greater spatial separation between instruments. Auxilary instrumentation didn't get lost in the shuffle and everything was well balanced. Although I felt we heard greater width in soundstage when burning the Ref 9s in at Jim's, I didn't notice any variation in my setup. This could be due to my equipment being set in a corner while the speakers are pulled out into the room more. After 2 1/2 hours of listening, we plugged the amps into Tyler's system comprising of Parasound Halo amps w/ pre-pro and Dynaudio Contour S5.4 speakers. Ultimately, we concluded that the same characteristics which were revealed earlier presented themselves yet again, but enjoyed another fun 2-3 hours of listening. I'll let Tyler post his thoughts for people to get another take on things.
Here are some of the tunes we used:
Dire Straights - Private Investigations
Nils Lofgren - Little On Up
Roger Water - Late Home Tonight
Unknown - Cry Me A River (written by Julie London)
Dave Brubeck - cuts from Time out
Peter White - cuts from Glow
Flight of the Cosmic Hippo - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (track #4)
B.B. King - various cuts
I will admit the amps do get a little bit warmer than I originally thought (point of clarification from my earlier posts). However, they are NOTHING like the big Krell guns that are too hot to touch. Second, to be fair the Ref9 does have some additional power available - 300wpc vs. the 210 @ 4ohm as spec'd by my Bryston sheet.
Are these amps right for you? I would argue it depends on your situation. If you are in the market for new amps, these should be at the top of your demo list. They are small, quiet and priced very competitively. Should you throw out your high-end amp? Not necessarily. However, if you aren't getting everything out of your speakers and feel the need to augment your setup with a sub...I'd recommend you "leave the sub, and take the amp!"
-KJ
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