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Again, I would have liked to see the high speaker sensitivity/switching noise fixed prior to the models release.3) There is a note in the user's manual that says "IMPORTANT. It should have been fixed during the design of this integrated amp. This is a low-power amp, 12 watts per channel, so having fairly efficient speakers is a must. Using Line Out without speaker connection could damage an internal filter." Using the line-out on the back panel would be common sense if you wanted to use the Icon as a preamp. I have the Icon paired up with my Polk TSi 100 home stereo speakers (rated at 89db) and am happier with this setup than I was with my 10-year old Adcom amp/Boston Acoustics speakers combo. And I bought the Icon to use as an integrated amp, not a preamp, so that line-out warning doesn't bother me. Using the Icon's rear 3.5mm line-out, I connected a Polk PSW111 sub and now have a small 2-channel system that I am very happy with.To be fair though, I do think there are some cons that should be discussed:1) The popping sound at turn-on.
The sound is fantastic. If you intend to employ the Icon as a preamp without speakers having been connected, use the Headphone Output on the front panel instead of Line Out on the back panel. But doing that could damage the unit. That is poor design and it shouldn't be that way. My speakers fit in the recommended 87-92db range so that doesn't bother me. NuForce recommend a speaker sensitivity rating of at least 87db. If I had the choice to buy something else or get another Icon, I would get the Icon again. But none of those three cons should be there.
I can live with the popping at turn-on because there isn't anything I can do about it. The USB input worked perfect for me when connected to a Windows XP Home SP3 computer or to a PC running Ubuntu. It is annoying and it shouldn't be there.
But they also has the following caution on it's Icon website: "Caution: If you have high efficiency speakers with sensitivity > 92db, you might hear high frequency switching noise." So, your speakers should have a sensitivity rating of at least 87db so they will play at a decent volume, but less than 92db or you might here "switching noise". Based on sound quality, ease of use, and features for the price, it's a 5-star rating, but I lowered it to a 4-star when you factor in the cons. They should have been identified and fixed prior to the Icon being released.
I've been using my NuForce Icon for over a month now and I am very impressed. Somewhere along the line someone made the decision to leave it, probably to save money.2) The speaker sensitivity recommendations. Nothing should get damaged if you make a wrong signal-level connection.With that said, I am still very happy with my Icon.
Buy one of these, but not until you can also afford some high-end speakers to go with it. This little box is perfect - small, simple, yet feels and sounds expensive. Wow - clean full sound from this little thing. It sounds good, but there's a few weird behaviors on the computer using this connector - may switch back to the standard audio connector. Received the Paradigms first and hooked them up to my father's old Sony receiver.
There is a definite pop when it's powered on, but it's bearable. Now the Paradigms sound like they should. I was disappointed in my Paradigms. Decided to upgrade my computer sound to some Paradigm mini monitors & a NuForce Icon. Then my NuForce arrived the next day.
I'm using the DAC (USB) connector to Vista.
I'll spare you the audio speak- This little system rocks, very nice highs and mids, adequate bass, it's portable w/an I-Touch as the source, and the footprint is economical (no small deal with my desk). This little dude is my computer audio for life. I was very aware of Nuforce and immediately went to research mode. Caught this while surfing for music purchases here at Amazon. I already own audiofile gear (Channel Islands, Arcam, Tyler Acoustics.). If you're looking for "headbanging" thunder bass out of a small bookshelf system, this ain't it. and didn't want to drop another $10K for a computer stereo. In the end, this and the matching speakers got me out-the-door for $500.
This is a great product I would recommend to anyone looking for a starter music system to consider it. I can hear the details in my music clearly and at a reasonable volume. Loads of clean power from this little guy. The Icon has worked exactly as promised from day one. It has been confidently powering my Energy bookshelf speakers and Creative earbuds. The small footprint works great on my desk next to my laptop.
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 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. 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. 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. 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. The fact that it got high ratings for sound quality was a big bonus as well. 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.
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