DAC-9
Graham Abbott, Ultra Audio
"...The NuForce DAC-9 just ate this recording up (Kwetzinsky's Polyphonic Dances), communicating the intensity and impact of the piano's lower range while remaining fleet of foot, clearly describing and timing each note to perfection...did damn fine at meeting even that elevated standard...The depth and height of the soundstage were both phenomenal...the DAC-9 beat the Cary (Cary 303/200 CD player-processor) like a rented mule in every category that matters, and made the shoot-out a bit pointless...
...one of those all-too-infrequent products that is a true giant-killer, and whose performance must have put a collective smile on the faces of those who designed and built it. At its full retail price of $1695, I think NuForce offers consumers a stonking good deal...
...Don't let that price lead you down the road to audiophile snobbery, especially if you're shopping in a higher price range... I don't make every component I listen to a Select Component, but the NuForce DAC-9 gets that endorsement. I had to struggle to find any fault with it..."
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Tassie Devil, Head-Fi org.
"...Full of contrasts this block buster piece came through with astonishing dynamics etc. The transients are processed by the DAC-9 with astounding clarity and PRAT...Piano and harpsichord recording have an extra edge...It was probably always there but was not so obvious and hearing it gives an extra dimension to the artistry of the performer...
...inserting the DAC-9 also added a further dimension to the reproduction. The deep punchy bass reproduced on the Sennheiser headphones is awe inspiring...Brass is reproduced with more air and trumpets have a bite to them, illustrating just how well the DAC-9 handles transients...
...my long but nevertheless restricted, experience over the last 60+ years...Sooloos -> NuForce DAC-9 -> Sennheiser HD800 headphones IS the best I've ever experienced..."
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Mike Silverton, StereoTimes.com
“…There’s a signature sound to NuForce’s top-tier products: exquisite soundstaging, superb resolution, transparency, dynamics, and harmonic textures, to all of which the DAC-9 contributes substantially.
DAC-9 at $1695 approximate the price of the interconnects I removed to make way for a NuForce pair. I sacrificed nothing in the way of outcome. This NuForce ensemble raises a good recording to a more lifelike event than anything that’s preceded it…
...Along with its independent headphone amplifier with 6.3mm and 3.5mm output jacks, The DAC-9 accommodates all known digital sources and is configured to accept those that don’t as yet exist…in league with the CDP and its beefy linear DC power supply – a definite improvement over the provided power supply…The Auryn Quartet’s sound is meticulously detailed and diamond-bright…the DAC-9 so honestly reports, the Quartetto Italiano’s recordings show their age. The thing is, experiencing these distinctions as clearly as I did – and do – exemplifies our hobby’s rewards…”
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ALTA FIDELIDAD, Spain
...The conclusion is: "The DAC-9 is one of the best performance/ratio D/A for hi-res audio. In fact, I’ve not given it an even higher score because I am sure Nuforce will outperform themselve.”
...Quality level: High; Score: 8.6 Price/performance: 9.6.
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