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User Submitted NuForce Icon (Integrated Desktop Audio Amplifier, Silver Color) Reviews Date: 2009-01-06 Really value for money Connected with Desktop PC through USB-DAC. Speaker is Tangent EVO. Not recommended to use the DAC of Icon itself. Still on the way of aging. But...Amazing quality sound for money.Sometimes totally forgot it as the music from PC.Recommended for the person who would like to up-grade the desktop PC music listening. Date: 2009-01-06 Little gem This little amp is a gem. i connected my computer to the usbdac and it sounds great. I found myself connecting this amp to my audiopro black diamond tower speakers 4 ohm and 90db sens.I was chocked by how well this 12w amp drove my speakers. i ended it up listening for hours and enjoying one cd after another. I bought mine for $199 and imo it is worth 3 times this price..Do yourself a favor and go buy one now. You will never regret it Date: 2008-12-10 This is the best amp I've ever owned! I have a sitting room off my master bedroom and have my computer and LCD TV performing double duty and I needed an amp that would fit on my desktop. After reading the reviews I bought the $199 one. Don't be afraid to save the $50 if you can find it from NuForce. I have it hooked up to Yamaha bookshelf speakers. The ICON accepts 3 inputs, including the USB connection. I use it as my primary audio from my computer and it is flawless. Second, I connected a Sony HD Radio tuner, which is also extremely compact and I am in audio heaven. Third, I use the last set of inputs to connect the TV audio out to the Yahamas. I use this everyday and I love it. Like another reviewer, I leave it on constantly. It runs cool, makes no noise and has plenty of power for my application. It is smooth sounding and precise. Note: I use the line out to connect to a cheap Phillips subwoofer and that completes the system. I'm sure I'll eventually buy another one. Date: 2008-11-02 small, powerful, precise. I like it so far, as a main amp for my (highly efficient, older, big) Klipsch speakers. Amazing how tyhis tiny, efficient box, fills the room with quality music. Better 'placement' than my old, warm, 2*80W mosfet Haffler it seems, with ample power for normal, as well as loud, usage. I have only used the RCA input and the 3.5mm plug. I still need to figure out how to tell my Linux based music center (HP DEC100) to use an USB audio device. The 12VDC for input input is a plus for me as at some point in time I expect have that readily available throughout the house with sol ar power feeding (old car) batteries... no more wallwarts, but that might still be years out. Cheers, Hein. Date: 2008-10-15 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.
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