| | |  | Amplifier | Home » » NuForce Icon uDAC (USB DAC and headphone amp) | | | | | | | Description: | | The NuForce uDAC is a high-performance USB Digital Audio Converter (DAC) that connects your personal computer's audio with your home stereo, desktop sound system, or headphones. The quality and versatility of the uDAC's performance belies its diminutive size. With its extensive power supply, filtering capabilities and charge-pump circuit as a foundation, the uDAC processes incoming data via a USB audio receiver. A D/A converter chip then translates the data to a two-volt analog signal. The NuForce uDAC's performance equals or exceeds that of a great many audiophile CD players. The unit's exemplary flexibility -- analog RCA, digital coaxial, and high-performance headphone outputs -- is bound to satisfy the needs of the most critical music lover. | | | Features: | |
• Discrete USB audio receiver and D/A converter
• Coaxial S/PDIF output (turn off volume control to activate)
• Double jitter-reduction mechanism at data level and at oversampling filter stage
• High voltage 2V analog output
• High-quality analog volume control
| | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 27 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Everything I expected and moreAug 17, 2010
I've long been unhappy with the headphone output on my laptop due to the system "noise" I could hear. No matter what laptop I used, I always heard sounds whenever I opened or closed windows on my screen (when wearing IEMs). A couple of years ago I purchased a Creative X-fi which is a USB powered DAC. Although the system noise went away, I was never fully satisfied with the sound quality of the unit, regardless if I used low or high impedance headphones.
After reading multiple online reviews I decided to give the v1 uDAC a try since they seem to be making room for the v2 units and the price was right.
In short, just get it (if you can still find it, if not, get the v2). The difference in sound quality versus the factory headphone jack on your laptop or PC will be substantial. The first thing I noticed was the immediacy of the sound and the bass extension. It made my Grado SR80s come alive. Secondly, it's small and unobtrusive which is a plus if you move it between systems. Lastly, it's built very, very well with a metal chassis and gold plated connectors. Very impressed.
Excellent product for the priceJul 23, 2010
I wouldn't consider myself to be an audiophile; rather, I am an audio enthusiast. I don't go for the top end in stuff but rather spend money to get the best bang for the buck. Keeping in line with the philosophy, i was looking for a good portable DAC, which I could connect to my macbook at office and listen to music using my Shure SRH440 headphones. Now if you think that this is some magic device made out of unicorn tears which will magically make everything sound better, than its a false expectation. Cause a lot will depend on the kind of music, the encoding and the headphones being used. What you would notice is the extra headroom added by this amp. The music is gonna become much clearer (This can be good or bad, cause if you have badly encoded music, you would start hearing a lot more hiss!), you would be able to hear instruments played in the background more clearly and you would have amplified volume in case you really like to punch it when it comes to music.
Overall, considering the build quality, which I might add is quite good and looks down right professional, for [...] this is a great deal. Highly Recommended!!!!
Also, I would like add a few lines about the customer service at Nuforce. USPS accidentally routed my package some place else. I called up Nuforce regarding the same and they immediately sent me a replacement. So customer service wise too I am quite happy.
Ultimate flexibility at a great priceJun 22, 2010
When I bought an iPad, I figured I would be using a line out dock to bypass the iPad's headphone amp for better sound quality, but I would be stuck with the iPad's DAC. However, Apple released the camera kit and it actually enables the iPad to send out a digital signal via USB. For those that want the best sound quality possible from their lossless files (or from any audio file for that matter), getting a digital signal is the first step to achieving that goal. Many have purchased the ($300+) Wadia Transport to get the same digital signal from their iPhones/Touch.
Now that the digital signal is available via USB (thanks to the camera kit), the question is what do I do with the signal? Obviously, a USB DAC is the answer. I have a couple of those around the house and they work fine with the USB output. However, I have an older DAC and a couple of receivers that only have coax and optical digital inputs. As a result, I wanted something that could get the USB output and convert it to coax or optical. The uDac does just that. You plug the USB in and it will send out a coax digital signal. I tested this with my Beresford DAC and it works without a hitch.
Next, I thought I would be using this around the house, in the backyard, in our sunroom, and on vacation. Therefore, a portable USB DAC with a built in headphone amp would be perfect. Well, the uDac works great for this, too. I have tested it with ATH-AD700, Grado SR60s, and ETY ER-4P headphones and can drive any of them with no problem.
The last feature is also nice if you have an older stereo or radio without a digital input. It will then send out an analog signal through the RCA outputs on the back. The uDac has its own DAC (which is pretty decent given the size). The amazing part is that the uDac manages to put all of these features into such a small package!
Of course, you can also use the uDac with a laptop or with a PC. It is a plug and play device that does not have the headache of extra software. I am very pleased with the uDac and for the price I would highly recommend it to the music fanatic that wants something that will help provide very good sound quality for home and on the go.
Wow! Well worth it. I'm NuForce's new biggest fan!May 19, 2010
So I was on the edge about buying this. I went back and forth on so many reviews and message boards trying to figure out what would suit me best. I am not an audiophile but certainly appreciate great audio. I love music and find myself buying more and more vinyl lately. I have rather nice equipment but certainly not the audiophile grade stuff. I recently picked up a pair of Shure SRH840s after being a huge fan of their IEM. I wanted something to listen to my digital collection at home off my 27"iMac in my office or the MacMini Media center. I was impressed by the SRH840 but not as much as I thought I would be after reading the glowing reviews. It turns out I just needed a decent source.
I picked up this uDAC after reading some reviews and connected to either my iMac, Mini, or AIr it sounds amazing!! I am immersed in incredible sound. The only word I can think of is intoxicating. It is much warmer then straight off the Mac. Bass is stronger and Treble comes through clear and beautiful. It gave me a lot of trust in Nuforce, plus their shipping was fast, and the little package of the uDAC is beautiful.
I just added a HDP and an Icon amp to my cart and looking to build a little desktop audio system with PSB Alpha B1s. Look for my reviews on the other pages if interested I'll be sure to share my experiences.
Thanks again NuForce!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Big improvement for a small amountMay 17, 2010
I've had my uDAC for a couple of weeks now. I'm running it with my Sony SZ140 laptop and a pair of Swan M200 powered speakers. I bought it after switching from my desktop, which had a good sound card, to my laptop, which had Intel HD sound. My speakers lost their sparkle. There are quite a few USB DACs out there in this price range. I considered several, but the headphone output made the difference. I sit within a few feet of my wife and daughter, and they're not always up for listening to what I'm listening to.
The sparkle is back in the Swans now. The first song brought back the snap of guitars and the air around all the instruments. Everything wasn't as flat and jammed together. Also a better sound stage with the uDAC. If I sit in the sweet spot (I'm usually closer to one speaker than the other, unfortunately) and close my eyes I can really locate the instruments better.
As for compatibility, I'm using the Sony running Slackware Linux. I'm on the 13.1 beta now, and the system picked the uDAC right up (though NuForce apparently didn't supply a good vendor string so it says something like "vendor information goes here. NuForce uDAC..."). I use the KDE music player Amarok and just go in the preferences, pick the uDAC for playback, restart the program and it's on. You lose the ability to adjust the volume via software, but the uDAC sits right next to the PC and it changes the volume.
If you want a good internet radio station to hear these differences, try Radio Paradise's 128 bit AAC stream. You can really hear the difference between it and the 128 bit MP3 stream (and they play good music). It's a notch below CD quality, but a definite notch above most MP3 streams.
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