Head-Fi.org › Head Gear › Headphone Amplifiers › NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp) › NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp) Reviews

Member Reviews: NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp)

Sid-Fi

Nuforce Icon HDP - Fantastic Value and Performance

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By Sid-Fi

Pros: Outstanding 24/96 USB section, sleek form factor, great price to performance, clear and detailed sound signature, fast, synergy with Sennheiser HDs

Cons: Might not go well with bright cans

I purchased the Nuforce Icon HDP along with Sennheiser HD 650 headphones as my first desktop setup about six months ago. I'll start off by saying that the HDP has been a fantastic purchase that I am thrilled with and enthusiastically recommend, especially as a starter desktop setup.   The HDP has loads of power and easily drives my Sennheiser HD 650s and other high impedence headphones such as AKG 701 with lots of headroom to spare. This is an awesome attribute for a unit at this price point as it will have ample power for almost any headphone on the market, regardless of price. With my Sennheiser HD 650, I usually listen from 11 am to 1 pm on the dial and never go past 2 pm....
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kite7

All around package for the price of one

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By kite7

Pros: Excellent pre-amp, headphone amp and dac for a great price

Cons: Nothing I can think of

After having a few dacs and amps , I wanted an all-in-one package that would leave me happy for a very long time. The size of this thing is small and portable which is an added bonus. I didn't like dealing with interconnects with amps and dacs so this thing was a blessing.   I only owned a handful of amps but I compared this Meier Corda Arietta and from what I was hearing out of my RS1 was better attack and speed. It is not as warm as the Arietta but for me this is a good thing. The transparency and soundstage depth is improved over the Arietta as well. I felt the HDP amp is a better match for my RS1 than the Arietta. If there was one thing that I wished it could improve on would be...
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arhandrei

Small & Smart

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By arhandrei

Pros: good sound, compact, functional

Cons: nothing special

I like this unit as it delivers much possibilities for not a big price. Besides  an excellent amplifier, it has a modern DAC, separated digital and analog power lines onboard. Well done.
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boyfrombluesea

Great Sounding DAC/Amp For My Senn 650

Posted
By boyfrombluesea

Cons: None So Far

    I mostly listening from my CD player and PC (flacs, HDTracks 24bit/96 and 192Khz files) with my Sennheiser HD650, so I decided to buy this NuForce Icon HDP as a DAC and headphone amp combo.   It is very decent DAC/Amp. It gives a more balanced, clean and transparent sound to my Senn 650. The build also has a very nice finished and touch. Overall, I'm satisfied!      
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jamm8805

Too good to be true.

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By jamm8805

Pros: Really steps up audio quality

So I purchased this last week and must I say, there is nothing else like listening to my HD 650.  Sound quality was great with using the hd 650 straight with my iPhone, but boy did this step ti up a notch.
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russelk

Superb!

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By russelk

Pros: Nicely balanced sound with good bass and soundstage. Detailed without being harsh. Excellent build quality and aesthetics.

Cons: None.

I was using a Meier Corda Move as a desktop DAC connected to active speakers. I know this is not how the Corda Move was intended to be used, and it definitely lacked something that I could not put my finger on. There's no shortage of desktop USB DACs these days but there aren't many with a headphone socket, which I do use for late-night music and gaming. I decided to buy the Icon HDP after reading a good review in HiFi Choice and the forum posts on head-fi. I was not disappointed. Even without burn-in it was significantly better than I what I was using before. The soundstage has opened up and the bass is no longer indistinct but now much tighter and deeper with increased slam. The...
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harpua

NuForce Icon HDP

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By harpua

Pros: Great DAC, Headphone Amp & Preamp for the money

Cons: wish there was a switch to enable output from headphones and speakers at the same time if/when desired

I just got an HDP (my first DAC/headphone amp!) a few weeks ago and have been enjoying it immensely since I got it.  So far, I'm just using it as a USB DAC and headphone amp plugged into one of my W7 laptop's USB ports and playing mostly lossless files with Foobar with the WASAPI plug in with Foobar's volume at zero db (max) going out to the HDP.  I've been pretty much blown away by the upgrade in sound the HDP provides over the stock sound of my HP laptop which I had previously thought was pretty decent with my 530 IEMs.  But now after experiencing the difference the HDP has made, I know better.   Compared to many here, I don't have a lot of money that I can spend on lots of audio...
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Stekos

Great headphone amp/DAC - from a newbie point of view

Posted
By Stekos

Pros: Great sound, high res DAC, analog volume control

Cons: Price?

I'd like to knock the price, since $450 seems like a lot for a little headphone amp/DAC, but you get what you pay for, especially in the high-end audio world.  And, in my opinion, this is a great product.   I am just getting back into high-end audio, building a new kit.  The first things I wanted to do were to digitize my CD collection in lossless, build a media server with direct digital out, get a really good headphone amp/DAC and good headphones.   After a long search, reading several forums, I bought the following:   Sennheiser HD650 Icon HDP Nuforce E7   I'm mroe than happy with all 3.     For the E7, I use that as a headphone amp between my laptop or my...
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gPope

My First Headphone Amp and it's Great!

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By gPope

Pros: Great value in a compact 3 in 1 package

Cons: Nothing yet - Does what NuForce said it would

This is my first headphone amp purchased with my first "better quality" headphones (DT 880/600) in years.  Nothing else to compare them with as of yet. The HDP is hooked-up to a Sony all-in-one desktop computer via USB.  The preamp outputs are connected to a pair of Audioengine 5 powered speakers.  The sound through the speakers is excellent for the type of setup, but with headphones connected, it is nothing short of Hi-Fi quality.  The volume turned up all the way, there is not even a hint of distortion.  Except for a slight bit of brightness at the higher end of the frequency range, the sound is dead flat with just enough bass impact and lively midrange.  Hopefully, I will have more...
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Where to Buy It

Amazon.comNuforce ICON-HDP-SILVER High Performance Digital to Analog Converter, Headphone Amp and Pre Amplifier (Silver) at Amazon.com$446.77See It »
Head-Fi.org › Head Gear › Headphone Amplifiers › NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp) › NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC, Preamp) Reviews