| | |  | Accessory | Home » » NuForce Icon HDP (High-end Headphone Amp, USB DAC 24bit/96kHz, Preamp), Silver | | | | | | | Description: | | The Nuforce Icon HDP incorporates a full-speed USB DAC and full-function S/PDIF D/A converter, plus a headphone-amplifier circuit and preamp output. Supporting digital USB, S/PDIF in coaxial and 3.5mm optical (3.5mm) modes, along with an analog line input, the HDP's flexibility has been designed to accommodate all manner of audio devices. Icon HDP is expected to compete with other DAC and preamp costing up to several times its price and serve as the heart of a high performance audio system. | | | Features: | |
• USB 2.0 Full Speed compliant and 1.1 supported, 8-96kHz/16-24-bit
• S/PDIF input: Coaxial up to 192kHz/24-bit or Optical up to 192kHz/24-bit
• Analog input: 3.5mm or RCA input
• Audiophile-grade DA converter
• Low-distortion, high-current headphone amplifier
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 4.02 inches | | Product Width:
| 3.54 inches | | Product Height:
| 5.91 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.99 pounds | | Package Length:
| 14.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 12.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 4.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 2 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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Very good unit with a few caveatsAug 12, 2010
I've had the unit for about 3 months now. Overall, I would give it 4.5/5 stars.
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Here were my initial impressions on the first day:
The unit was packaged very nicely when it arrived. What I didn't like was the packaging within the box. The HDP and its accessories were stuffed onto a thin plastic with a velvet texture on one side. It definitely feels cheap, so if I wanted to transport the HDP, I'll probably need to buy a separate case.
The silicon stand that the HDP comes with feels solid and securely holds the HDP in place. What I didn't like is how it smelled like feet (chemical smell) when I got it. I tried washing it with soap, which helped the problem slightly.
With the unit standing upright on the stand with the volume knob at the top, the off position is at 7 o'clock, and the max position is at 5 o'clock. There is no sound that comes from the unit until the knob is turned to 8:45-9 o'clock. The volume will suddenly come up at that point. I can only hear channel imbalance between 8:45-9 o'clock, where you can actually hear the slightest bit of sound from your headphones. Past this, it sounds very even. I use the HDP with my HD650 almost exclusively. There's no turn-on popping sound, and it's completely silent with no music playing until I turn the volume knob to 3 o'clock, where hissing begins. I can't imagine anyone needing to turn it past 12 o'clock, so the hissing isn't an issue.
There is a little bit of play in the USB (type B) plug when it goes into the HDP. It's not a tight fit, and the cord wiggles a little bit.
I wish they designed the power plug that goes into the HDP a little better. The L-shaped male plug fits semi-loosely into the female port on the HDP, so it rotates very freely. Additionally, the plug must be staggered (rotated) with the RCA inputs in order to insert the power plug all the way into the unit.
With my HD650, a normal listening volume for me is at 10 o'clock with my Windows 7 computer sound set at 100% and my Winamp set at 80% sound. If the album is fairly soft like the Head-Fi "Open Your Ears" album, I need to turn it up a little to 11 o'clock.
I plugged in my HiFiMan RE0 IEMs into the unit only to discover that there is hissing -- a very low level amount of hissing. When I unplug it, there's silence, but when I plug in my RE0 1/8"-->the 1/4" provided adapter-->HDP, I can hear a low level amount of background hiss. It's not so much as a hissing sound as it is a low level humming sound. It's definitely there and audible to my ears. When there's music playing, I don't notice it at all because the hum disappears into the background with the music. I guess this is due to the fact that Nuforce designed the HDP to be used with circumaural/high impendance headphones and not IEMs. Apparently the problem can be fixed by buying a 75 ohm high impedence 1/8"-->1/4" adapter.
Occasionally I'll hear the "badada, badada, badada" buzzing sound. I've also heard it with my previous Meier Move. I'm thinking that it's noise generated by my computer associated associated with anything plugged into a computer. It's very intermittent and occurs maybe once an hour for 2 seconds.
In contrast with my HD650 directly plugged into my Sansa Clip+, with my HD650 plugged in using the HDP as a DAC/amp combo, there's definitely a noticeable improvement in the lower frequency response. The sound is cleaner and more crisp, with noticeably more "oomph" in the bass. The midrange and higher frequencies sound noticeably more realistic. I can hear micro-details in the background like the musician counting softly to the band "1, 2, 3, 4" to synchronize before the start of a section or the instant when a violinist stops his vibrato on the ending note to a piece.
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Here are my impressions now:
Letting the silicon stand air out has definitely gotten rid of the smell almost entirely.
The unit will continue drawing power even if the unit is turned off using the knob on the front. I noticed this because the unit stays warm even if it's turned off. In order to cut off power entirely, you must remove the power plug from the back.
I haven't used the RCA input or RCA outputs yet, so I can't really comment on it.
I think I have over 500 hours of time on the unit already. Violin sounds silky smooth, and I can really hear the reverberation when something has been recorded on a stage. I can really hear the biting of the bow into the strings during spicatto.
Listening to Diana Krall - "Live in Paris" album is amazing to listen to. I can hear everything as though I'm there, from the very soft scatting in the background to the last bit of decay in cymbals. Songs like "Take it easy" by "The Eagles" make it hard to resist tapping your feet to the music. Guitar and the human voice in "Simple Man" by Shinedown sound so natural that they send shivers down my spine. Classical music like Itzhak Perlman's 24 Caprices by Paganini sound as though you're getting a private performance.
I was looking for a DAC/Amp all in one solution that is small enough to be transportable while powerful enough to drive full-sized headphones so they sound good, and in my opinion, Nuforce really delivered with their HDP. It should be noted that the unit should really be used with higher-impedance full-sized headphones that require an amplifier to sound their best. With my IEMs, RE0, I can hear a low level hiss, but I haven't used a 75 ohm adapter to fix the issue since I use the unit exclusively with the HD650. I can't really find any fault with the unit performance-wise.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Almost perfect, 1/2 star deduction for one small criticismAug 04, 2010
I purchased this for use at my computer because I could connect powered speakers to it as well as my headphones. The headphones are Sennheiser HD650's, and the speakers are Audioengine A5's (chosen to be bit more forgiving of rock and pop recordings which can sometimes sound too harsh on more revealing equipment). My music library is in FLAC format, a combination of CD rips, high-res releases from audiophile labels, and DVD-A rips. I'm using the USB DAC of the HDP.
The DAC is quite good. I don't claim to be a golden-ear who can hear minute differences between mega-priced audio components and cables, but I do care about sound quality. I'm of the belief a DAC should be transparent, not adding its own colorations to the sound (you choose your amp and speakers/headphones for that if desired). The HDP delivers in this regard, with excellent dynamics, deep clean bass, and revealing highs.
The headphone amp is sufficient to drive my 650's louder than I would want to. I usually have volume between 1/2 to 3/4 (depending on source material) when using headphones. That's a bit higher than I would have expected, but means I still have some headroom so I think it's sufficient. The sound is never fatiguing with this combo, even at high volume levels.
In addition to its reputed audio quality, I chose the HDP because of several key features:
- Both headphone and pre-amp outs, with auto switching (speakers disabled when headphones are plugged in).
- High quality analog volume control for both headphone- and preamp-outs. This gives me easy access to a volume control on my desktop (leaving the computer's software volume at 100% where it should be for maximum audio quality), and allows me to leave the volume control on my powered speakers at a high enough level to avoid channel imbalance issues at lower listening levels.
- USB DAC that can handle 24-bit/96khz sound. All the other devices I researched only support up to 24-bit/48khz over USB.
- The USB DAC can auto-switch between output formats when using WASAPI exclusive mode, without the need to go into the Windows Sound settings to change the default output format. So I can seamlessly switch between a CD rip and an high-res FLAC with no extra configuration steps.
My one minor complaint, and the reason I give 4.5 stars instead of 5, is that the USB DAC does not support 24-bit, 88.2khz sampling level. For the few recordings I have in this format, I have to use a re-sampling plugin. I don't see any reason for this format not to be directly supported except simple oversight, given that 24/48, 24/96, and 16/88.2 are all supported.
If all you need is a DAC, the Musical Fidelity V-DAC is probably a better value. But if you also need a headphone amp, multiple outputs, or 24/96 over USB the Icon HDP is worth the price premium IMHO.
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