[budgetboy]

Alright well thats another point towards the icon.
Nothing else to do now but wait a couple weeks for that comparison.

 

[zero7525]

It really depends on the headphones. The Icon is a bright amp, so it has an emphasis on the treble and less on the bass. Pair it with something bright like an etymotic and you're in for some ear bleeding. Pair it with a sennheiser or anyother warm/dark phone, then it will balance it out. Not to mention the specs on the battery life is pretty poor for a portable amp. I expect no less than 20+ hours of battery life for an amp that I am planning to buy. The Fiio E7 is a good choice for an overall balance as it seem to have a flat frequency response, though it seems too big for portable use (IMO). I recommend the Ibasso T3 though, excellent sound quality with a bit of warmth, with good battery life. with the same price as both of those amps in that range ($99+)

 

[roker]

13 hours for the Icon Mobile is not that bad.
 
 

 

[budgetboy]

I was actually looking at the ibasso line. The problem with the T3 is that it doesnt also function as a DAC, which i requested in my original post. The D2+ might be good, but its a bit more than 100 dollars.
 
Also, i'm with roker on this one. 13 hours out of the house is plenty for me

 

[acosta]

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but I've been all over these forums and I'm also trying to decide between these two amps. So tell me if I'm wrong, I know they haven't been compared directly yet but this is my synopsis thus far: NuForce Icon Mobile is a little bright, less battery (though kinda insignificantly so). FiiO F7 has less color, but options for more bass, though it might muddy it up a little if you use it past the first bass setting. Good so far? or am I oversimplifying it?
 
I'm not too familiar with amps, but by my understanding, with the information we have up till now, since I have the bass heavy Beyer DT770-80's, the NuForce might compliment it better, but lets say I get another set of headphones, am I more likely to do well by both sets by getting the more neutral F7? especially since it seems most other headphones would enjoy a slightly richer bass rather than extra brightness? (I know the question is slightly unfair since it boils down to preference).
 
The biggest thing I was wondering about these two (and amps in general) is how do you know if the power is enough? because from what I hear DT770's are hogs due to the bass. I hope these questions help to put out more information on these two amps rather than to make it seem like I'm stealing the thread, thanks

 

[Conrthomas]

I own the E7 and IMHO the bass boost does not "muddy" anything at all. It sounds incredible compared to any built in or stock sound card IMO. It has much more battery life and a good amount of output power and frequency response. I'd go for that if I were you.

 

[mark2410]

btw some super brief comparisons
 
the icon does treble better, more detail, more finesse but there is rather alot of it on the icon
 
mids, the icon is dryer, the E7 is more neutral to tiny bit warm
 
lows, icon is dry and no bass boost button, E7 has 3 bass boosts button settings,
 
clearly nothing in depth here but they i think are going to come down to what your listenenig to them with or where you live (icon much more expensive in UK)

 

[Bomo.is.ooc]

Some thread rezzing here, but has there been any development in this area?  I'm looking for something cheap to velcro to the back of my netbook for when I travel, I can't stand the headphones out on it anymore.  Which of these two (or some unknown third) would be the way to go at this price point?

 

[budgetboy]

I completely forgot about this thread.
 
Now I don't care about the DAC part I just need something cheap to drive the DT 990/32 from my Cowon S9.
 
Mark2410 - Thanks for your impressions, it seems that I would prefer the sound signature of the E7, as I like having sound tuning options and I think i like more bass than treble.
 
Bomo - I would go with the E7 or the iBasso T3, aka the picture I mistakenly used as the icon mobile in the first post. lol

 

[lexxmexx]

Sorry to resurrect this thread.
Since both are on USB, are the Nuforce Icon Mobile and the Fiio E7 audio interfaces (soundcards) that will overtake whatever soundcard in the computer? Or I can use them with my own soundcard and improve it?

 

[billybob_jcv]

The DAC appears as a new sound device in your computer.  The computer's onboard sound HW is not used.

 

[DocBlasto]

If it's meant to be hooked up to a computer full-time, what about the uDac2? The headphone-only version is available for $99, and for $129 you get line-level outputs and a digital coax out. It runs from USB power and is very compact, but doesn't have a battery. It's very solidly built and the reviews I've read put it head and shoulders above the Icon Mobile for sound quality, but I haven't compared them myself. Power-wise, my DT770 Pro-80 phones hit the "too loud" mark at about 35% volume on the uDac and I'm certain it's capable of driving more demanding headphones.
 
I've only had mine since Monday, but I really do like it.

 

[MorbidToaster]

If you don't get the uDac I would strongly suggest the E7 over the Icon Mobile. I recently ordered an Icon Mobile, got it yesterday and am returning it today. They build quality is absolutely awful, and the lack of an off switch is one of the most annoying things I've encountered.
 
The E7 is much more solid, can but upgraded for home use by the E9, and has a better battery...Oh, AND AN OFF SWITCH.
Quote:

If it's meant to be hooked up to a computer full-time, what about the uDac2? The headphone-only version is available for $99, and for $129 you get line-level outputs and a digital coax out. It runs from USB power and is very compact, but doesn't have a battery. It's very solidly built and the reviews I've read put it head and shoulders above the Icon Mobile for sound quality, but I haven't compared them myself. Power-wise, my DT770 Pro-80 phones hit the "too loud" mark at about 35% volume on the uDac and I'm certain it's capable of driving more demanding headphones.
 
I've only had mine since Monday, but I really do like it.

 

 

[Kagelou]

I am planning to get the E7 for my Cowon J3, but would it be able to power the AKG K701? I understand that the K701 requires quite a bit of juice, but would the E7 be sufficient? Thank you~

 

[MorbidToaster]

I honestly think it could. The E7 is a great little amp. Can't say for sure though. It's a great pair with the J3. I use that combo atm.
 
Quote:

I am planning to get the E7 for my Cowon J3, but would it be able to power the AKG K701? I understand that the K701 requires quite a bit of juice, but would the E7 be sufficient? Thank you~