[Jon L]

Nuforce Icon-1 - the next big thing from Nuforce (in a small package)

NuForce's bigger amps sound *real* good, so I for one hope these give the Super T amp, Trends, etc a real run for their money

 

[blippster]

Any updates on this?

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blippster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Any updates on this?

Check this review out with nice internal pics.

US$200 nuforce class D?

 

[J.D.N]

Looks great, might be just what im looking for if im in uni halls again next year.

Will have to see what Skylabs TNS Sweet 2 review comes out like, as they are roughly the same price.

 

[LostOne.TR]

What are the 2 knobs for? And how common is the RJ45 out?

 

[J.D.N]

One knob volume, one knob input selection. It comes with RJ45 to bannana plug cables so no need to worry about compatability.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

Hmm... this looks like the solid state version of the TNS Sweet I've been looking for. No longer will I have to survive on simply headphones, now I could get some bookshelves and listen to those when I'm not in the 'phone mood

 

[Sovkiller]

The RJ45 is the same plug use in the telephones, and faxes, that is where they messed it up IMO, a very poor choice for an output speaker out jack...the contacts on those jacks are not very good, and tend to be really poor done, why using them? I do not get it, with all the choices of the market for that

???

 

[Budgie]

Hold tight Count- I see from the Newforce web site, some very nice looking speakers are to be offered soon.-
Nuforce, Inc

 

[CountChoculaBot]

Actually I was just going to get some cheapo $50 Polk R150's

Oh, and this doesn't sound too good...

For optimal headphone performance, the Icon includes a discrete, high-performance headphone amplifier.

It makes it sound as if they stuffed an el cheapo headphone amp in the unit instead of running it off the primary amp. Can anyone confirm? I notice the people in the threads linked asked this as well, but no one ever answered.

 

[lobehold]

Not familiar with the company since I got into hi-fi audio from headphones...

This amp got a USB DAC also and seems the initial impressions are mainly speaker based, haven't seen any detailed review on the headphone amp + DAC.

It looks really interesting and could possibly be the next EMU 0404 USB in terms of versatility and value (less computer audio uses, more speaker uses).

I'll adopt a wait-n-see attitude, but from the look of things it might be better to nab one at the intro price if one has the funds to spare since it seems Nuforce is going to be backlogged for a looong time when/if the word does get out that it is indeed an amazing product like the early reviewers claimed. (if not already)

 

[majid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif The RJ45 is the same plug use in the telephones, and faxes, that is where they messed it up IMO, a very poor choice for an output speaker out jack...the contacts on those jacks are not very good, and tend to be really poor done, why using them? I do not get it, with all the choices of the market for that ???

RJ11/RJ14 is used in phones, RJ45 is the kind used for Ethernet. Cat 5 cable (the most common variety) and connectors have to handle 100MHz signals, I would trust them far more than most of the audiophile snake oil out there. The conductors are solid, not braided. Obviously, they are limited in their ability to carry significant amps, but 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) carries 12-15W DC power over these same cables. Then again, NuForce is a company run by a real engineer, not a snake oil peddler (I remember reading a profile on him in IEEE spectrum).

You may be interested in this preview of the Icon at SonicFlare

 

[n3rdling]

I'm confused; how come sometimes I'll read about amps that are 100wpc that "can't drive x speakers", but then there will be some tiny 10 or 12wpc amp like this one that's driving inefficient speakers? Is that the advantage of T-amps? Would this amp be able to run a 4Ohm, 86dB loudspeaker?

 

[Budgie]

It's a bit complicated. A speaker that is "rated "at 8 ohms actually isn't always 8 ohms. At some frequencies some speakers can drop down to just a few ohms, like 2 or 3 (or even less in some instances), and at other freq's it can be much higher then 8 ohms. When a speaker drops to a lower resistance, it demands more current from the amplifier. If an amp can't provide that current, it is often described as not being able to drive that speaker.

Ideally, an amp should produce twice as much power when driving 4 ohm loads as it does at 8 ohms. If you look at the specs for most amps, you will see not that many amps can do that. Thats as much a problem with the speakers design as it is with the amps design. Some speakers designs are known for being demanding loads for any amp.

I looked for an 4 ohm power output spec for this amp, and didn't find one (thats not unusual), but if I had to guess, I would say that it can drive 4 ohm/ 86 db speakers for typical listening. But that also depends on how loud you like to listen. Before buying one I would wait for further info and reviews, or e-mail Nuforce with your question, if this is important to you. Nuforce's other amps do have a good reputation with reviewers, however.

More info-
Loudspeaker Impedance

more detailed info on speaker impedance and power-
Home Toys Article - Speaker Impedance, Your Amplifier And You.

 

[kodreaming]

Is the $199 silver one sold out or something ?

The only one I can add to cart is the $249 red one.