Home > Consumer Reviews > NuForce Icon (Integrated Desktop Audio Amplifier, Black Color)

I purchased the Icon along with the paired S-1 speakers to replace an aging but very good pairing of Celestion speakers and Denon receiver for use with my high end gaming/entertainment PC. I was happy with the older setup sonically, but the space it took up was prohibitive.

My main attraction, initially, to the Icon/S-1 was the small form factor. The fact that it got high ratings for sound quality was a big bonus as well. I'm not an audiophile, but I do own a fair amount of older near-audiophile audio components including Hafler preamp/tuner, Hafler amplifier and some SAE components so I'm not unfamiliar with "higher end" audio components.

That being said, the audio quality of the Icon/S-1 pairing has really impressed me. The clarity of the sound is excellent, FAR better than I could achieve previously even with a high end sound card (Creative X-Fi) paired with a solid receiver and quite good speakers. The fit and finish of the Icon is very impressive and the matte black looks perfectly in place with my other PC components.

So far, for me, the Icon has more than lived up to its reputation as a low (ish) cost near audiophile desktop sound solution. Well worth the money I paid for it and far, far better than any sound card/powered speaker combination I've ever seen for the PC.

Added note: my Icon and S-1 arrived the day after I placed my order via FedEx though I selected standard shipping. Nice!

The Nuforce Icon is a great desktop system, especially when hooked up to the usb port from a computer. I haven't try any other speaker, but the S-1 speakers specifically designed for the Icon are GREAT. Highly recommend this combination to anyone who wants a small system near a computer. If you are using the Icon in a large room or you want to enjoy your music from further away, you might need more powerful speakers.

The only downside I can think of is the included speaker cables for hooking up speakers other then the S-1 is a bit too short(the Icon output sound using a RJ-45 ethernet port). Since I am using the S-1, that is not a problem for me because the S-1 connect to the Icon via a regular ethernet cable, but beware if you plan to connect the Icon with other speakers.

This amplifier is for computer users who want to turn their desktop computer into a music player for a high quality stereo, a stereo system that is small and compact, but better quality than you get from desktop audio speakers that are built for gamers and multimedia. It could also be set up as a portable P.A. system with a laptop, to amplify a presentation for a small to medium size room and audience.

A digital-to-analog converter is necessary for good audio performance if you are playing music directly off a computer. Use this amplifier for a two channel configuration with small high-efficiency speakers. Adding a powered sub-woofer is also possible. It can also serve as a preamplifier for a traditional stereo.

Since it receives its signal through USB, only an audio card, built into most computers, is necessary. I am using ITunes through a Macintosh. I listen mostly to acoustic and classical music.

I am impressed by how cool the box is after several hours of playing. A class D digital amplifier uses almost no power, and the cool operating temperatures show it.

The thing sounds great in combination with the S1 speakers.

I have been using it through an USB connection stream .wav files and I couldn't be happier.

It is of course not comparable to larger systems, and is a tad bright, but still brillant associated to a Mac (or PC).

Functionwise, I would have loved it to have an optical in so as to be able to connect to the optical output of an airport express.

Cheers,
Bernard

Decided to upgrade my computer sound to some Paradigm mini monitors & a NuForce Icon. Received the Paradigms first and hooked them up to my father's old Sony receiver. I was disappointed in my Paradigms. Then my NuForce arrived the next day. Wow - clean full sound from this little thing! Now the Paradigms sound like they should. This little box is perfect - small, simple, yet feels and sounds expensive. I'm using the DAC (USB) connector to Vista. It sounds good, but there's a few weird behaviors on the computer using this connector - may switch back to the standard audio connector. There is a definite pop when it's powered on, but it's bearable. Buy one of these, but not until you can also afford some high-end speakers to go with it.