NuForce/Aether Audio S-8 RARE!!! S-8 Loudspeakers For Sale w/ 3-Year Warranty

RARE!!! NuForce S-8 / Aether Audio Spirit-2 Loudspeakers For Sale w/ 3-Year Warranty

 

This listing is for one pair (2 units) of New – Never Used -
very rare NuForce S-8 Loudspeakers in Satin Maple Finish.

It is common knowledge to many in the high-end community
that loudspeaker designer and manufacturer Bob Smith of former SP Technology
Loudspeakers and Aether Audio celebrity joined NuForce, Inc in the fall of
2009. Among his many roles there, one of his projects was the development of
the S-8 loudspeakers for NuForce. Having already developed and sold a similar
model under the Aether Audio brand that he called the “Spirit-1,” Bob expanded
on the concept by designing a (2)-woofer WTW (D'Appolito) version that became
the S-8. In essence, what was originally intended to become the “Spirit-2”
under the Aether Audio banner was now the NuForce S-8.

 In light of the above, the S-8 is essentially an Aether
Audio product as Bob designed, manufactured and tested the speakers for NuForce
from within his own facility and with his own hands. Unfortunately, only a few
pairs were ever sold under the NuForce name because, being first and foremost
an amplifier company, many NuForce dealers were reluctant to offer it due to
the “politics” surrounding the model’s competition with other well-known brands
that they also carried. Much like its predecessor the NuForce S-9 (with its laminated plywood construction similar to the Magico Mini), sound
quality was never an issue as the S-8 offered a level of refinement and
performance that exceeded similar (and larger) products costing several times
their $5K MSRP. In fact, this was much to the chagrin of manufacturers’ reps
that sold other speaker brands to NuForce dealers. The resulting “politics”
contributed greatly to the relatively low sales volume of the S-9/S-8 models.
Consequently, it wasn’t long before the S-9 and then the S-8 models were both
discontinued. This was a lesson well learned by NuForce management and one that
many other amplifier companies attempting to enter the loudspeaker arena have
come to discover… the hard way. Either you build amplifiers OR you build speakers
– but not both.

 We offer the above info as a bit of background on the
product seeing that the S-8 never garnered much press before it was ultimately
discontinued. In lieu of any available reviews, the prospective buyer may wish
to investigate the numerous and varied reviews of other SP Technology and
Aether Audio speakers systems that are available on the Internet. Doing so may
give you some idea of just what to expect from this stellar performer. Bob
Smith’s designs were frequently heralded as “the best I ever heard” and even
comments such as  “I've never heard anything
like them before in my life.”

As many will attest, Bob Smith's designs have been pitted against and frequently
found to outperform such names as Avantgarde, B&W, Karma, Magico, Marten
Designs, Quad, Sound Lab, Thiel, Vandersteen, Von Schweikert, Wilson, etc.

Especially important to note, you will find that the majority of SP Tech/Aether Audio reviews are from private individuals, which makes them all the more telling and valuable to the prospective buyer. Unfortunately for Bob at the time, this was due to ongoing financial constraints and overhead such that he never had the spare resources to make extra units available to professional reviewers. Every pair pretty much had to be a "sale" to a private individual, or else there simply weren't enough funds to build them. Nevertheless, a Google search of SP
Technology “Timepiece 2.0,” “Continuum A.D.,” “Revelation MR-1” and Aether
Audio “Spirit-1” will yield a few professional reviews and give you a good
background which may help in your decision making. The ultimate archive for all
things SP Tech/Aether Audio can be found here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=65.0

The Design:

The NuForce S-9 was predecessor to the S-8, and both were
more alike than not in many ways. The S-9 was discontinued as the result of the
first hard lesson learned. Before long into production it was realized that the
S-9’s laminated plywood construction and external crossover assembly were
simply too difficult and/or costly to build at its $5K price-point, leaving no
room for profit. Raising the price was out of the question because NuForce’s
marketing image was intended to convey that NuForce only offered products in
what was considered the “affordable” high-end range. As a sort of an
alternative “replacement” model, the S-8 was then developed. Just as in the
S-9, it would offer Bob Smith’s proprietary waveguide design and
high-power/long excursion aluminum cone woofers.

The upside of going with a more manageable enclosure design
and an internal crossover was that the cost savings enabled the S-8 to include
a significantly superior “ring radiator” tweeter (from SB Acoustics) as
compared to what had been employed in the S-9 (a relatively cheap $10 SEAS
model).

This permitted lowering of the crossover frequency from 1,250Hz of the
S-9 down to an unheard of 525Hz!!! for the S-8, and thereby brought the S-8 in
line with the performance exhibited by Bob's previous designs.

In summery, the S-8 now offered and finally DELIVERED on
what was originally promised by, but due to cost-cutting requirements was never realized in, the S-9.

In closing, there are few speakers in the world able to
deliver the kind of performance offered by the S-8s, regardless of price.
Considering that we are offering them at a full 50% discount off their original
price, they represent an incredible value such that you may never find a better
deal in loudspeakers. To this day there are numerous former owners of SP
Technology and Aether Audio speakers that long for the day that Bob Smith will
once again begin offering his designs. “If” and/or until that day comes, the
S-8s are as close as you are going to get to a new pair of speakers designed
and built personally by Bob.

Please keep in mind that they are in “New,” condition with 0
hours of use (other than testing) and will need to be burned-in for at least 50
hours. They are being offered at a full 50% off MSRP and include a full 3-year
warranty (see below). Furthermore, Bob Smith is available to perform any
upgrades that you may be interested in after the purchase. These include
upgrading the woofers or tweeters, developing external crossovers and/or
high-end “boutique” crossover parts, custom binding posts & wiring, etc. If
you desire, they can be tailored to your exact personal preferences. If after
purchasing you are interested, just let us know and we will put you in contact
with him.

The Specs:

 

FREQUENCY RESPONSE
(anechoic)

47 Hz - 30 kHz +/-
2dB  (typically +/- 1dB) / –3dB @ 42Hz
& 32kHz

LOW FREQUENCY TUNING

Proprietary Hybrid
Ported Reflex

LOW FREQUENCY ATTENUATION
SLOPE

24 dB/Octave below 42
Hz

PHASE RESPONSE

Less than 360°
from100 Hz - 20 kHz

GROUP DELAY RESPONSE

Less than 1.5mS @
100Hz

Less than 1.0mS @
500Hz

Less than 0.5mS @
1kHz

0.0mS from 2kHz to
32kHz

POWER HANDLING
(continuous)

120 Watts RMS

PEAK POWER HANDING

Greater than 1,000
WATTS (10mS)

SENSITIVITY

90 dB SPL @ 1-W
/1-Meter

93 dB SPL @ 2.83 V

IMPEDANCE

6-Ohms (nominal) /
4-Ohms (minimum)

CROSSOVER (Summed
electrical/acoustical)

4th-order
symmetrical, in-phase, Linkwitz - Riley @ 525Hz

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED
AMPLIFIER POWER

20-Watts RMS /
Channel (150-W or more / Ch. preferred)

LOW FREQUENCY DRIVER

(2) 7” Black-Anodized
Aluminum Cone w/Solid Aluminum Phase-Plug

HIGH FREQUENCY DRIVER

Waveguide Loaded 29mm
Textile “Ring-Radiator”

DIMENSIONS

22” (55.88 cm.) H x
9.44” (23.98 cm.) W x 15.35”(39.0 cm.) D (w/Grill)

 

!!!SPECIAL
WARRANTY BONUS!!!

 

Coyote Sound is offering these units with a full
3-year warranty. As long as service parts remain available, sans
neglect, misuse or unauthorized tampering/modification, within 3-years of the
purchase date Coyote Sound will repair these units at no cost to the purchaser
other than the requirement that purchaser cover shipment of the defective
unit(s) back to our facility for service. After repairs have been completed,
Coyote Sound will then cover all shipping costs associated with returning the
repaired unit(s) back to the purchaser. All repairs are guaranteed for 90-days,
such that should the unit(s) become defective again within that period, we will
retrieve them from the purchaser at our cost and in addition, cover those costs
associated with their subsequent return to the purchaser after repair. In the
rare event that exact service parts are no longer available to repair these
units, Coyote Sound will submit them to the original designer (Bob Smith) for
redesign with the guarantee that they will equal or (most likely) exceed their
original performance.

So don’t miss out, as these “like new” S-8s are being
offered with warranty at BELOW dealer cost. Unlike similar offerings
from others, you can rest assured that these units have been checked and tested
by the folks that know more about NuForce high-end products than anybody else
this side of the Pacific. You’ll also have the satisfaction of knowing that Coyote
Sound will be there for you long after the sale too.

 

Happy Listening!

Wayne

Coyote Sound

[email protected]

(219) 344-7854

 

Who Is Coyote Sound?

"You have no feedback and no history. What's up? How
can I trust you and feel assured that you aren't some "fly by night"
outfit selling "junk" and/or inferior gear?"

Coyote Sound is a small "DBA" side-business set up
in association with (and for) a younger family member of a moderately well
known audio engineer/designer, active industry executive and entrepreneur. A
number of Audiogon members are presently owners of this gentleman's past
products that were developed and sold under previous business names. Due to
ongoing business activities outside of this present effort, it was decided it
would be best to avoid publicly disclosing the details thereof in order to
minimize any potential conflicts of interest, complexities or unwanted
publicity that other associated business entities might incur due to such a
disclosure.

 If you are interested
in knowing more, please contact us and we will gladly provide further details
privately. A number of you have likely had contact with us in the past for
various reasons and are old friends. Rest assured you would be dealing with a
reputable group of people that have been members of the audiophile community
for many years.