Reference 20
Reference 20

Reference 20

US$ 3,800.00 (Discontinued)

NuPrime Reference 20 came from the evolution of esteemed NuForce’s award-winning Reference amps, after NuPrime has acquired the NuForce high end product line. While the Reference 20 retains all of the Reference 18’s superior sonic attributes, the amp’s higher 420W @ 4 Ohm output power brings one closer yet to the goal of supreme performance. The Ref 20’s low-ESR Cross Matrix Array (CMA) capacitor assembly features high-performance capacitors in a proprietary, non-resonant alignment. Unifying such refined technology with superior power yields truly unsurpassed speed, transparency and resolution, along with genuinely authoritative dynamics. The net response is a natural, non-fatiguing rendition of music that simply flows from a palpably real soundstage.

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The Ref 20s in a fine, audiophile-grade system will reveal the following qualities:

Thundering dynamics and lightning-fast transient speed
Sweeter, more natural highs
A near-palpable midrange and overall harmonic structure, resulting in a more natural and relaxed presentation
A beautifully textured low end exceeding even that of the Ref 20’s exemplary authority and control
A deeper, more coherent soundstage

Without a doubt, the Ref 20 is destined to be found at the very heart of any dream audio system.

  • Configuration: Mono Input: RCA and true balance XLR
  • Frequency Response: 20 Hz -0.3dB to 120 kHz -3dB
  • Power/Load : 8 ohm, 4 ohm, 2 ohm
  • Peak Output Power : 8 ohm (400W) 4 ohm (800W) 2 ohm (1600W)
  • RMS Power : 8 ohm (200W) 4 ohm (420W) 2 ohm (420W)
  • Input Impedance: 22K ohm
  • Input sensitivity : 161mV, 1W@8 ohm; 1.61V, 100W@8 ohm; 1.136V, 100W@4 ohm; 2.34V, 425W@4 ohm
  • THD+N : 0.01%, 1kHz, 1W to 10W, A Weighted
  • Input sensitivity for maximum power : 2.5V
  • Gain: 27 db
  • Worldwide AC voltage : 90VAC~130VAC or 210VAC~ 250VAC with voltage select switch.
  • AC Fuse: Slow blow, 5A, 250VAC

“…from the moment I powered-up the Reference 18s they immediately produced a more detailed, threedimensional, and dynamically expressive sound than any of the NuForce amps I’ve reviewed in the past…left behind the world of incremental improvements and instead offered a substantial sonic leap forward. ..Dynamic contrasts are one of the things the Reference 18 does best, so that at times the amp creates the illusion that it has, in a subtle and entirely appropriate way, unlocked and expanded the dynamic range of familiar records…I couldn’t help but notice how much sheer sonic information the amplifier was conveying…becomes noticeably more liquid, easygoing, and relaxed. As a direct consequence, musical details are allowed simply to happen, unfolding effortlessly and naturally without the amplifier imparting any excess edge…

…The Reference 18 does an increasingly good job of capturing the sense of air surrounding instruments or reverberating within the confines of recording spaces… The fascinating result is that both lateral and front-to-back imaging become at once more focused and specific, yet also exhibits a more natural and organic sound…it is hands down the finest amplifier NuForce has made, and I think it is good enough that it deserves to be included in most any discussion of top-tier amplifiers. Even if you have heard (and perhaps disliked) Class D amplifiers in the past, this is one I think you will find worthy of your time and consideration…keeps faith with the truth of the recording itself, which is all anyone might ask of a fine power amplifier…” – Chris Martens, AVGuide.com

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“…one day well into the review period, while working out, I was playing Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat (CD, Reprise 49975). Out of the corner of my ear, I heard what I’d been missing. I sat down in my listening seat and there it was: the dimensions of both individual instruments and the recording venue were revealed. This screwed up my workout, but I sat there and listened to almost the entire CD — the Reference 18s were unraveling and presenting this recording in a new way…”, – Tim Shea, SoundStage!HiFi magazine

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Amp & Preamp (3)

D
Can the amplifier’s speaker terminals be used as source inputs (e.g. to REL Subwoofer) ?

In some applications, the speaker outputs from the power amplifier are used as source signals for devices such as REL sub woofer. For such application, usually the receiving devices should have DC offset blocking capability because some amplifier by design has floating ground (DC offset) on the speaker outputs.

The following models have no DC offset on the amplifier speaker outputs and the negative terminal is also the ground:
NuPrime STA-9, MCH-K38, IDA-6, IDA-16, STA-9X, AMG STA

The following models’ speaker outputs can not be connected directly to sub woofer input:
NuPrime Reference 20, ST-10, IDA-8, ST-10M, Evolution One, Evolution Two, Evolution STA, AMG One, MCX-1,2,3,4

REL has provided instructions for connecting Class-D amp with floating speaker outputs to their sub woofers, please contact REL. All currently shipping REL sub woofers can be connected directly to any Nuprime amps.

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D
Speakers for IDA-8 ?

IDA-8 is an extremely popular and award winning integrated amp. New users are welcome to read this long topic on audiocircle.com: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=134697.0

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D
What kind of trigger cable can be used for your products?

When a device has a 12V trigger input, it is designed to be turned on when a 12V is detected. You can use any standard male to male 3.5mm (3-pin type) cable.
https://components101.com/connectors/35mm-audio-jack

The Tip section is +12V, the bottom Sleeve section is GND, and the middle Ring section is not used. Nuprime’s trigger design uses 3.5mm stereo cable pin 1 and pin 3. A mono trigger cable shorts pin 2 and pin 3, it can be used to connect the Nuprime device to another device’s trigger that only uses a mono cable.

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Ref_20_Manual

Nuprime R20 Service Manual