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

This is a very high quality product at a low price. Check the web for more reviews, but it lives up to them -- clean beautiful sound in a tiny package, competes with amps that cost much much more. The build quality is great too -- nice solid feel to the knobs, sturdy but smooth aluminum case. No cheap plasticky stuff.

BUT ... a big caveat is that it needs to be coupled with efficient (low-wattage) speakers. I connected mine to the small and very highly-rated bookshelf speakers from Era (D4s) and the Icon simply couldn't drive them to a room-filling volume. So I ended up returning the Icon. The amp I replaced it with was quite a bit more expensive, though, so if I hadn't had the Eras already it might have made sense to buy the Icon and pick speakers for it.

As I write this review I'm listening to reggae music with this amp through some Grado 325i headphones. The unit is connected to my computer via the USB connection so the unit does the DAC
work. Very good sound. Now here's the kicker. This will power small external speakers and allows a line in 3.5mm connection. Perfect for ipods. Three different uses all in one small mini amp. An excellent job. Do not get lured in and purchase the portable battery powered headphone amp that nuforce also makes. That product is subpar. This product however is perfect if you need a small footprint and high quality audio. Smooth and full sounding is the best description. I can recommend this product without hesitation.

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