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NuForce Icon Integrated Desktop Audio Amplifier, Silver Color Description:

The NuForce Icon is an all-in-one desktop amplifier for speakers and headphones. It’s a miniature integrated amplifier with a USB DAC and a built-in headphone amp. Icon isn’t your typical amp for PCs. The audiophile-grade Icon is a 12-watt Integrated Desktop Audio Amplifier featuring two outputs, a 3.5-mm stereo input for connection to an iPod or other portable device, a USB input for operation with a PC or Mac, and standard RCA inputs. It gives you lots of flexibility and has incredibly capable. “The Icon is a ‘Now I get it’ product for people who think good-sounding audio is expensive and silly… I think I now know why the Icon has a capital I and the other iPod-inspired products don’t: It deserves it,” says Wes Phillips in Stereophile magazine. For the headphone enthusiast, the Icon also offers a high-performance headphone output. Of particular interest to the computer user, the Icon’s line-out functions as a PC or Mac USB-to-analog audio converter or can also be used as a connection to a subwoofer. With the same patented technology that has won a string of prestigious awards, the tiny Icon brings NuForce¡’s celebrated sound quality to the music lover’s desktop. As the core of a desktop audio system, the Icon connects to an Ipod, CD player, PC or Mac. To fully utilize the Icon’s sonic capabilities, we recommend high-quality monitor speakers with a sensitivity of 87 dB or higher. Via the best, jitter-free USB technology, the Icon operates as a USB DAC for converting a PC or Mac’s audio signal to high-quality analog sound. For optimal headphone performance, the Icon includes a discrete, high-performance headphone amplifier. For operation as an audiophile-grade preamplifier, the Icon’s linestage can be connected to a power amp or active speakers. As a high-quality auxiliary power amp in a surround-sound setup, the Icon can be used to drive tweeters or rear-channel speakers.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17827 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Silver
• Brand: NuForce
• Model: Icon
• Released on: 2008-04-25
• Dimensions: 1.00″ h x 4.50″ w x 6.00″ l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Desktop power amplifier for PCs
• Built-in USB DAC
• Dedicated headphone stage
• Inputs: RCA, USB (USB 1.1, 2.0 compatible), 3.5mm Stereo
• DAC: USB 1.1, 2.0 compatible. USB native bit rate: 32-48kHz, 16-bit

Customer Reviews:

Incredible big sound from such a tiny amp!
If you’re looking for a modestly priced tiny amp that does a great job driving real world speakers, the Nuforce Icon is the one! When I say “real world speakers” I’m talking about most any decent pair of reasonably sensitive speakers, not some funky super high efficiency audiophile contraption.

In addition to typical RCA audio inputs, the Icon also has a USB input for use with a PC or laptop computer. I haven’t tried the USB input.

At 12-watts per channel one would think this tiny amp wouldn’t stand a chance against much larger power amps but with the Icon, it’s more about audio quality vs quantity.

This amp sounds very nice! It’s clean, crisp, transparent, and smooth with deep tight bass and extended clear treble.

The Nuforce Icon is significantly more powerful sounding with much tighter bass impact and definition vs any of the low power Tripath chip based amps like the Sonic Impact line including the Sonic Impact Super T amp which I also own.

I’m using the Icon in a small kitchen audio system with wireless (WiFi) streaming audio from my Slim Devices (Logitech) Squeezebox with my playlist and audio files residing on the PC in the basement.

I took my Sonic Impact Super T amp out of the system and replaced it with the Nuforce Icon. It sounds so much better now!

Because of it’s Class D design the Icon is very efficient and runs cool so I just leave it powered ON 24/7.

Nice but noisy
I’m using the Icon with a Logitech Squeezebox in my bedroom system. They’re a great pair: the whole system is *tiny*, and the Icon is exactly the same width and height as the Squeezebox, so they stack very nicely together.

It would also make a really great little computer-system amplifier for the home/office/kids. Actually, I could see mine ending up there, for reasons I’ll get to in a while. But so far I haven’t tried the USB input, only the RCA analog inputs.

The box runs slightly warm to the touch, but nothing that would worry me even if it needed to stay inside a closed cabinet. The two front controls are nice, and the whole unit is really solid and neat. I’m even a fan of the unusual RJ45 speaker connections, because they give a really positive “click” when plugged in. The external power supply is an unobtrusive enough little brick. And although I don’t like fancy plastic packaging, generally, the presentation of the new boxed product is slick and smart enough to give you that “whooooo! presents!!” feeling for the very short time it’ll take to unpack and plug in.

Sound quality is really excellent. Crisp and detailed and plenty of power. OK, you probably won’t be shaking the foundations or slamming out big beats at a block party, but twelve watts give plenty of punch for domestic listening or even outdoors in the yard.

So, what are the downsides?

First: the supplied speaker cables are short. Not a problem for a desk-based system, but for a bedroom or living room you’ll want to buy the longer versions.

Second: there’s a fairly big “pop” when switching the unit on. Don’t worry. I just leave it on all the time anyway.

Third: it’s noisy. This is my biggest criticism, and the reason I’ll only give the Icon three stars. In my bedroom system (with fairly efficient Lowther speakers) I can hear its hiss from across the room in bed. In my living room system (very high efficiency horns) it was quite obtrusive. On my much less efficient bookshelf speakers it’s still audible within a foot or so of the speakers. For comparison, I have Trends TA-10 amps (half the power output, great sound, and built with similar switching technology) which are absolutely silent.

Sure, the ad copy says you shouldn’t use it with very high-efficiency loudspeakers. But the booklet that comes with the unit makes a point of talking about low noise as a goal, and that just seems odd since this is the noisiest amplifier I’ve ever owned. Even my vintage Quad 405 (not renowned for quietness) isn’t so hissy as this.

Will you notice the noise, if you’re using normal low-efficiency speakers? Probably not. But maybe.

Perfect office setup, great service
My first Icon quickly fried itself (overheated to oblivion), but NuForce took care of everything quickly and I now enjoy it daily. This thing will make amazing sounds come out of your speakers.

The bass is AMAZINGLY deep and detailed, and I am listening to it through bookshelf speakers (listening to Massive Attack was like a sharp stick to the back reminding me to give some positive feedback – bass bliss!) It even has a pre-out if you need subwoofer bass. Frankly I cannot imagine that need.

This thing is very fast and detailed without being analytical. The detail allows me to listen at lower volumes without the music turning to mud, so I don’t constantly feel the need to crank it up (office, remember?)

Most of my listening is via the USB DAC. It can sometimes show some veil in low rent streams, especially in the mids – but keep in mind that I have pretty cheap speakers. Hook this to some nice Atoms and you would be in heaven.

The Icon is not super loud, but it is plenty for an office or bedroom environment. This leads me to my primary peeve – the speaker cables are entirely too tiny. You can roll your own, but you will need to crimp RJ45 (network) connectors. This also means that if you are the type to prefer cryogenically treated copper (or other exotic cabling) you may feel limited by the network connector. I used an RJ45 female to female and a network cable laying around the office to fix my cabling issues (cable snobs insert cringe here).

There is a minor pop upon powering up. Fit and finish are exceptional. The foot seems to be silicone.

I have not heard the other minor chip amps out there (T-Amp based) but I would believe it if you said this one trumped them. Given the USB DAC, 2 line in, pre-out, head-amp and amazing fit and finish, I think this to be the perfect office setup.

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