[sid311]

Running my Icon Mobile out of my 3g iphone with mini to mini attachment I have to pretty much turn the IM all the way up, and even then it seems that the volume slider on the iphone is very near where it would be without an amp. However, they sound great out of my laptop via foobar and asio out. Would purchasing an LOD cable eliminate this problem? Thanks in advance

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-sid

 

[boomy3555]

I don't know if you and I are doing anything wrong but I too feel that the volume coming out of my Iforce Icon Mobile is rather lacking. It have checked the Volume limit on my USB output and it is at max and I feel that the Icon still does not perform loud enough even in Non-Dac mode. I have a Headroom Total Airhead ( non-DAC ) and it has much better volume.

 

[pryan208]

I had the same complaint regarding output volume on these icon mobile using full size headphones. Though they do sound good, it didn't produce a higher volume than my iphone 3g so i email the folks at nuforce and got this reply:

"Hi Paul, Yes, you are correct that the maximum volume with iPhone is not louder. The Icon Mobile's gain is set to 1x gain, and at the maximum it cannot become louder than iPhone, the Gain switch at Lo setting would bring down the volume. If your headphone is very inefficient, they may not be enough boost, you're free to return the IM to Nuforce. Regards, Casey Nuforce"

For this reason i returned the IC for a full refund, thanks to jason for the help. I am now currently using the E5 and it does give a noticeable volume increase from the Iphone. Does anyone know of a portable amp that would increase sound output for use on full size headphones but not be soo bulky. I like the size of the IC and sound quality, it just didn't provide a higher output. T4 maybe?

 

[boomy3555]

The Travagans Colors (dogbone) is surprisingly powerful for it's size. It's my favorite Micro amp. It's about the size of the Fiio E-3 but flatter and has an excellent SQ. and is USB rechargeable. I use it with both my custom IEM's and my Denon AHD5000's.

It's default volume is just about perfect for the Denons but the IEM's require an in-line volume or set value attenuater between the amp and the IEM's to avoid low volume "hiss" from the source.

 

[Argyle Shepard]

Yeah I mentioned this in the other thread. My PA2V2 at 12 o' clock will be as loud as the Icon mobile at full blast on high gain. It's the same with the USB out, if I'm listening to itunes I need to have the volume in the program 3/4 full and the icon's volume at about 90% to hear music at a good volume. This is on ESW9s BTW.

 

[sid311]

I don't foresee this being a problem, hopefully. I am able to obtain enough volume from either my iPhone or laptop by adjusting the volume on each device but I leave the amp maxed out. Is this the optimal setup? Should I lower the volume on the amp and increase the volume of the source?

I used to own a Portaphile of some sort, it was the lower version not the maxed out. I bought it about 5 years ago, sorry I don't remember the exact name. It would run fine at about 2/3 volume which is why I'm so confounded by the Icon Mobile.

I read a lot on this amp before purchasing it and never came across anyone mentioning this problem. This is a little disappointing considering the many positive reviews I came across. I must have missed your comment about this problem in the other thread you mentioned Argyle Shepard. Did you get many responses on your observation?


-sid

 

[Argyle Shepard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sid311 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I read a lot on this amp before purchasing it and never came across anyone mentioning this problem. This is a little disappointing considering the many positive reviews I came across. I must have missed your comment about this problem in the other thread you mentioned Argyle Shepard. Did you get many responses on your observation? -sid

Actually, from what I read I think you and I received our Icons right around the same time. I just wrote that yesterday or today and no, I got no responses. I don't think it's a problem for my ESW9s as it's possible to get the volume loud enough, but I can't imagine being able to drive anything that requires more juice like the AKG 701s.