[abellaw]

I would say definitely the amp needs to be burned-in. I got mine for Christmas and i never burned it in just kinda of listened. I am approximately near the 100 hr mark and i can say the sound has definitely improved.

It went from not hearing a difference, to now i can barely stand to listen to music without it. I haven't paid too much attention to the highs but for the lows it does a great job.

I hooked it up zune -> nuforce icon mobile -> the auxillary in my girlfriend's car and it transformed the sound. Even with the bass turned all the way up it sound tight clean and punchy as compared to un amped the sound was really boomy and grainy if that is even the word.

How do other owners of the icon like its low end performance??

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b_jay_k /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll bet. I really wish I could resist the urge to spend but I'm also in need of a good pair of closed backs (upgrading from HD202!), considering the HD25-1. Surely the Icon Mobile will be happy with those too? Any suggestions on great value for money in the HD25 range to be paired with the Icon Mobile?

The D2000 are a great match with the Icon Mobile. I imagine the HD25 would be too. I had a pair but sold them a long time ago due to the small soundstage. I am told the ESW9 are also a great match, by slswiser.

 

[bakhtiar]

Mine with more than 100 ++ hours of music, seem to be more smoother and highs are cleaner. I am using primarily as USB-DAC and it is more than adequate. Really enjoyed it.

I took a peek inside the Nuforce IM, and there is a CMedia CM108 chip. From the data sheet, it has SPDIF OUT (pin 1) capability, and, I think it is possible to transform it as USB->SPDIF converter

.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b_jay_k /img/forum/go_quote.gif You may want to lower your asking price a little as the Icon Mobile can be purchased from here brand new for less.

Amp sold this morning (GMT).

Hope buyer enjoys it as it really is a nice little amp, and the few hours I listened to music through it (after 200 hrs burn-in) I really enjoyed the sound.

 

[coolbluewater]

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one of these to pair with the Phonak PFE's.

So, what's in the box? Do they include an IC cable? I'm thinking not, but it never hurts to ask.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolbluewater /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one of these to pair with the Phonak PFE's. So, what's in the box? Do they include an IC cable? I'm thinking not, but it never hurts to ask.

I don't recall 100% for sure, but I believe I got a USB cable and a mini-mini with mine. The Phonak with black filters work well with this amp.

 

[LeftyGorilla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coolbluewater /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one of these to pair with the Phonak PFE's. So, what's in the box? Do they include an IC cable? I'm thinking not, but it never hurts to ask.

1. mini-usb cabe
2. right angle plugged mini-mini IC
3. plastic tool to change gain "do not use a pen or screwdriver..."
4. rubber to bind your amp + player
5. user manual

 

[fiddle]

Can't wait to get my hands on one. Just placed an order for it. Its gonna be my first amp and seems to offer the most bang for the buck. Something tells me that this is not gonna be the end of it. Probably get a desk top next...

Thanks for all the insightful reviews!

 

[jimmyl930]

Has anybody used these with Sennheiser 595s?

 

[Goh]

Can someone tell me how the gain select works? How many options are there? I'm thinking of using this with the 150 ohm Yuin PK1 earbuds.

 

[Rex81]

To anyone thinking of buying the Icon Mobile: if I were you I would buy a Fiio E5 at the same time. Compare the two and see which one you think is better.

Now I gotta say, I didn't give my Icon much chance. I bought it brand new and burned it in for about 48 hours. Some claim it takes more than 200 hours to fully mature. I didn't notice any difference between brand new and 48 hours, so I let it go. I decided that the $25 Fiio cranked louder and sounded better. And it was 1/4 of the cost and 1/4 of the size.

Obviously some people really like the Icon. I MUCH preferred the Fiio and was too impatient to wait around to see if the Icon got MUCH better. So I sold it and bought a pair of DT770 Pro/80 with the money.

As for the gain select, its just a little switch that goes between "high gain" and "low gain". On low gain, it barely got any louder than unamped and on high gain it added a ton of hiss to the sound. I tried the Icon with my AD700 and HD565. Maybe other people got different results.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rex81 /img/forum/go_quote.gif To anyone thinking of buying the Icon Mobile: if I were you I would buy a Fiio E5 at the same time. Compare the two and see which one you think is better. Now I gotta say, I didn't give my Icon much chance. I bought it brand new and burned it in for about 48 hours. Some claim it takes more than 200 hours to fully mature. I didn't notice any difference between brand new and 48 hours, so I let it go. I decided that the $25 Fiio cranked louder and sounded better. And it was 1/4 of the cost and 1/4 of the size. Obviously some people really like the Icon. I MUCH preferred the Fiio and was too impatient to wait around to see if the Icon got MUCH better. So I sold it and bought a pair of DT770 Pro/80 with the money. As for the gain select, its just a little switch that goes between "high gain" and "low gain". On low gain, it barely got any louder than unamped and on high gain it added a ton of hiss to the sound. I tried the Icon with my AD700 and HD565. Maybe other people got different results.

I found it really did take 200 hours to finish maturing and changing, but the Nuforce also sounds a little better via USB input than analog input. Via USB input it is only slightly brighter and slightly more forward than my Meier 3MOVE, with slightly less bass impact than the 3MOVE. Overall pretty good for the price. Via analog input from iPod it is a bit brighter and more forward. That is fine with my Westone 3 but a little too much with my Phonak Audeo IEM, so it depends both on what headphone you use with it and what input you use.

I don't have an E5 but I tried the E3 and the E3 is not terribly bad (beats the Boostaroo) but it takes away some of the micro-detail and flattens/narrows the soundstage a little, while the Nuforce retains everything in the music. I have read that the E5 sounds better, but I don't know.

Also, if you will NEVER use the USB and only need analog input, the iBasso T4 is a tiny amp that is a bit more refined sounding out of an iPod - but if a USB DAC is important the Nuforce makes much more sense. That way you can carefully select your headphones or use EQ for the times you will use the Nuforce with the iPod, and usually those headphones will also sound great with it via USB. I have no plans to sell off the Nuforce even though I have more costly and better amps around here. With 5 Macs around the house, it will always come in handy.

 

[fiddle]

My NuForce is finally here. Ordered a black and its a lot smaller than expected. Very good build quality for the price.

This is my first foray into the world of headphone amps and I listen to uncompressed music through my laptop. I listen to mostly classical and I tested this out with my AKG 271s and and Senns PX100. Music used was Stravinsky's Infernal Dance from Firebird, Glorification of the Chosen One from Rite of Spring, both by San Francisco Symphony and MTT, and a couple of violin solo tracks.

General Impressions : Huge difference in sound quality from my laptop's headphone output. Soundstage is much larger, muddied bass was immediately clear, attacks are faster and there's a much nicer bloom to the sound. I can't go back to using only the laptop's output anymore. Total convert now.

AKG 271S : I had to put the amp on high gain and on max volume, the output was just nice to drive this adequately. But barely. Its still a world of difference though since the laptop output cannot drive these cans at all. Would have loved more power as I don't like the idea of maxing out the volume output.

PX100 : Mids are a little overwhelming but the bass response is satisfactory. Bass drum and timpani were clearly articulated. Cymbal clashes were a little on the shrill side. So I suppose the treble is a little on the harsh side.

With the full orchestra, the sound was fine. But there was an artificiality to the sound of solo violin. Sounded nasal and a tiny bit congested. Hopefully this will improve with sme burning in.

Overall I'm pleased with the initial results. For $99, I'm quite happy for now. Will let this burn in for the recommended 200 hours and hopefully it gets a lot better. Now I'm very tempted to get a desktop amp/DAC as well!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiddle /img/forum/go_quote.gif My NuForce is finally here. Ordered a black and its a lot smaller than expected. Very good build quality for the price. This is my first foray into the world of headphone amps and I listen to uncompressed music through my laptop. I listen to mostly classical and I tested this out with my AKG 271s and and Senns PX100. Music used was Stravinsky's Infernal Dance from Firebird, Glorification of the Chosen One from Rite of Spring, both by San Francisco Symphony and MTT, and a couple of violin solo tracks. General Impressions : Huge difference in sound quality from my laptop's headphone output. Soundstage is much larger, muddied bass was immediately clear, attacks are faster and there's a much nicer bloom to the sound. I can't go back to using only the laptop's output anymore. Total convert now. AKG 271S : I had to put the amp on high gain and on max volume, the output was just nice to drive this adequately. But barely. Its still a world of difference though since the laptop output cannot drive these cans at all. Would have loved more power as I don't like the idea of maxing out the volume output. PX100 : Mids are a little overwhelming but the bass response is satisfactory. Bass drum and timpani were clearly articulated. Cymbal clashes were a little on the shrill side. So I suppose the treble is a little on the harsh side. With the full orchestra, the sound was fine. But there was an artificiality to the sound of solo violin. Sounded nasal and a tiny bit congested. Hopefully this will improve with sme burning in. Overall I'm pleased with the initial results. For $99, I'm quite happy for now. Will let this burn in for the recommended 200 hours and hopefully it gets a lot better. Now I'm very tempted to get a desktop amp/DAC as well!

Yes, please let us know what you think after the 200 hour burn-in. I wasn't impressed out of the box, 24 hours later it was much better, and even more better at 200 hours.

 

[neddamttocs]

Mine should be here on the 18th of Feb ...

Ill post up my initial observations as well as after 24-48 (depending on time) observations.

Seems like a bargain for ~120CAD