|
I tested it using Grado SR60i and BOSE Quiet Comfort II. I received mine very quick and it's a good product when used in my computer. I cannot notice a difference w iPod.
The spectral balance is also much different with quite some emphasis of the mids. The spectral balance is better with less emphasis of mids but still high clarity and definition. It seems the Icon Mobile prefers high impedance loads. Not a problem, because bass are of good quality (and I prefer quality to quantity ). But having said that, the Icon Mobile remains a good device for the price. This is really nice on vocals, which are very clear and detailed.
The highs become also more silky. Browsing the net for finding a USB DAC of decent quality at reasonable price, I found the Icon Mobile. It seems not yet available in France where I am from, but no problem, I ordered one from Amazon US and got it in less than a week.Before starting the review, maybe worth to say that I listen to lossless encoded music from my computer, of any kind (pop/rock/jazz/classical) and that I never use tone correction with any of my audio sources (computer or HiFi).First impression when plugging the Icon to the USB output of my computer was clarity of sound. To be honnest, I have not listened to music for many more than 10 hours at the moment, so maybe I can hope of an improvement later according to other reviewers who have reported better sounding after several 10 hours.
I noticed that on different records from Miles Davis for example, where cymbals become rapidly tiring. This is mainly when listening to jazz that I found the highs somewhat harsh, not silky as others have said. Next, I will test it with my Sennheiser HD600 (much better sounding than the Philips headphone) but I need to buy a 3.5 to 6.5mm jack adpater first. So, I would put now 4 stars if I could have changed the rating.
I could still have sufficient level on the low gain switch position but with volume at maximum. but surprising. Maybe then I will revise my judgement.--- Review update after more trials ---I tried the Icon Mobile on high impedance headphones (an old AKGK242 and a Sennheiser HD600). There are much more details than when listening from the analog output of the sound card, using the same headphone (Philips HP910).
The good thing of its high clarity is that you can listen at lower level, and hence also without (too) much fatigue. I did not notice that really at first when listening to classical music or opera. The bass, normally well present with this headphone, are a little bit behind with the ICON as source. However, I am a bit disappointed by the highs.
The USB DAC (essentially, an external soundcard) fixes that problem. I use these with my Grado SR-80 and can listen to music for hours without fatigue.
It's a slight inconvenience to have to unplug my headphones whenever I'm not using it. The only negative on this device is that it doesn't have an on-off switch.
This device does what it's intended to do. The Nuforce IM delivers.
It would also be nice if it had a line-out so that it could function as a DAC only. Noticed that listening to music from your computer is distorted by fans and hard drive accesses.
Need a neutral-sounding amp for your nice headphones.
The headphone amplifier drives my phones well to moderately high volume levels. As another reviewer noted, the device does take a bit of time to burn-in, probably ten or more hours before it delivers sound at the fidelity intended. I've been looking for an outboard DAC to improve my laptop's sound and for a headphone amp to drive my Sennheiser 580's. In using the NuForce headphone amplifier/DAC, I haven't noticed any hum or distortion-- just pure source oupput. Highly recommended. Now I have both at a most reasonable price. The improvement of resolution, pacing and fidelity through the USB DAC is very evident through external speakers and headphones.
It also lets you easily compare two different sets of headphones quickly and easily. Plug it in, change the sound output in your sound settings, and you are good to go. It also comes with an elastic band that you can use to keep the two together. While connected via USB it will charge the unit, so you can use it with an iPod while on the go.
Even though I already have the Icon amp working wonderfully on my desktop system, I wanted something else to play with at home, and also something that would work better on the road. You can adjust the gain on the unit to work with either high or low impedance headphones, too.This really is a wonderful product.should be required equipment in every laptop bag for anyone who even remotely likes music or movies. A cool function of the Icon Mobile is that it has two headphone outputs that work simultaneously.this is great for plane rides with a friend, as you can both listen to the same source without using splitters or anything like that. The Icon Mobile does just that.Like the Icon amp, it functions as a USB DAC.
Of course, this will give you another "thing" to carry, but the Icon is so small (smaller than an iPod) it really doesn't matter all that much. At the price, you can't lose. Setup could not be easier. The unit does not have a power switch.rather, it will turn on when you plug in headphones, and turn off when you unplug them.
|
