About the NuForce Icon Mobile
Smart phones and portable music players are pretty amazing devices, but sometimes the sound quality of their headphone outputs can leave you a little flat. That's because cost constraints and power consumption issues usually rule out the use of high-performance headphone circuitry. That's where the NuForce Icon Mobile comes in. Small enough to take almost anywhere, it connects between your music player's headphone jack and your headphones to restore the punch and clarity your tunes deserve. This potent little headphone amplifier's rechargeable battery supplies the power you need to pump out bigger, bolder sound. You'll immediately hear greater bass extension and low-frequency impact, along with more dynamic, detailed sound.
Add some punch to your tunes
Smart phones and portable music players are pretty amazing devices, but sometimes the sound quality of their headphone outputs can leave you a little flat. That's because cost constraints and power consumption issues usually rule out the use of high-performance headphone circuitry. That's where the NuForce Icon Mobile comes in. Small enough to take almost anywhere, it connects between your music player's headphone jack and your headphones to restore the punch and clarity your tunes deserve. This potent little headphone amplifier's rechargeable battery supplies the power you need to pump out bigger, bolder sound. You'll immediately hear greater bass extension and low-frequency impact, along with more dynamic, detailed sound.
Outstanding sound from your PC, too
The NuForce Icon Mobile can also give your computer's audio performance a shot in the arm. Just plug it into a USB output on your PC and it automatically installs itself in seconds, bypassing the sound card inside your computer a noisy environment prone to producing poor sound quality. From there the Mobile decodes your music files through its own high-quality, digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Your tunes will be output as fantastic-sounding analog audio signals ready for playback through your headphones, or even a pair of amplified desktop speakers. If you've never heard your digital music played through a high-quality DAC, you're in for a big treat. Every instrument and vocal stands out clearly and distinctly in its own separate space, allowing you to easily follow each one note-for-note. And you'll feel immersed in sound, with a greater sense of ambient space around you.
Product highlights:
- built-in USB DAC supports 44.1kHz and 48kHz native sampling rates
- high-performance headphone amplifier (12 ohm to 300 ohm headphone impedance recommended)
- tiny, pocket-sized design for great portability
- built-in, rechargeable lithium ion battery with charging through USB connection (2.5 hour charge-time provides 13 hours of continuous playback with maximum power)
- external line-level input (3.5mm stereo minijack) for connection to portable music player
- two headphone/line-level outputs:
- 3-pin stereo minijack (3.5mm) for driving standard headphones and line-level sources such as powered desktop speakers
- 4-pin stereo minijack (3.5mm) for headphones with in-line microphone
- both outputs can be used simultaneously
- rotary analog volume control
- gain select switch provides compatibility for a wide range of headphones and earphones
- 8" minijack cable (3.5mm stereo minijacks on both ends)
- 20" USB (Type-A to mini Type-B) cable included
- 2-3/16"W x 3-1/2"H x 9/16"D
- warranty: 1 year
- MFR # NF-ICONMOBILE-BLK
What's in the box:
NuForce Icon Mobile owner's manual
- Portable headphone amp
- 20" USB cable (USB Type-A on one end and mini USB Type-B on the other)
- 8" Mini-jack cable (3.5mm stereo mini-jack on both ends)
- Plastic gain tool
- Silicone band
- Manual
Customer reviews for NuForce Icon Mobile
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More details on the NuForce Icon Mobile
Features & specs
Design | ||
---|---|---|
Type | --- | |
Built-in Rechargable Battery | --- | |
Built-in DAC | Yes | |
Amplifier Output Specs | ||
Output Power | --- | |
Output Impedance (Unbalanced) | --- | |
Output Impedance (Balanced) | --- | |
Audio Specs | ||
Bit Depth (USB) | --- | |
Max Sampling Rate (USB) | Not given | |
Bit Depth (S/PDIF) | 0 | |
Max Sampling Rate S/PDIF | Not given | |
S/N Ratio (Unbalanced, in dB) | --- | |
S/N Ratio (Balanced, in dB) | 98 | |
THD (Unbalanced) | --- | |
THD (Balanced) | 0.054% | |
Supported File Types | ||
PCM | --- | |
DSD | --- | |
DXD | --- | |
MQA | --- | |
Inputs | ||
Total Inputs | 2 | |
USB | Mini Type B | |
Optical Digital | None | |
Coaxial Digital | None | |
3.5mm Digital | None | |
Stereo RCA Analog | None | |
Stereo 3.5mm Analog | 1 | |
Stereo XLR Analog | --- | |
Headphone Outputs | ||
3.5mm Unbalanced | --- | |
1/4-inch Unbalanced | --- | |
4.4mm Balanced | --- | |
XLR4 Balanced | --- | |
Other Headphone Outs | --- | |
Line Level & Digital Outs | ||
RCA Line Out | None | |
3.5mm Line Out | None | |
XLR Line Out | --- | |
Subwoofer Out | None | |
Optical Digital Out | None | |
Coaxial Digital Out | None | |
Wireless Connectivity | ||
Bluetooth | --- | |
Wi-Fi | --- | |
Apple-compatible | --- | |
Android-compatible | --- | |
General Info | ||
Width (inches) | 2-3/16 | |
Height (inches) | 3-1/2 | |
Depth (inches) | 0-9/16 | |
Weight | --- | |
Parts Warranty | 1 Year | |
Labor Warranty | 1 Year |
Product Research
Features
Overview: The icon mobile is a portable headphone amp and digital to analog converter. There are USB and stereo 3.5mm analog inputs, along with two 3.5mm headphone outputs.
Battery: The internal Lithium Ion battery is charged using the USB port. After the initial charge (4 hours), subsequent charging should take approximately 2-1/2 hours and provide approximately 13 hours playback.
USB Port: The USB port is designed to connect to your computer to charge the internal battery. The icon mobile can also act as a computer soundcard, providing high quality sound to headphones and/or powered speakers.
Headphone Outputs: The two 3.5mm headphone outputs are active simultaneously; both outputs are controlled by the volume control. One of the headphone jacks supports an in-line microphone for use with internet voice applications (Skype, Messenger, etc).
Controls:
- Volume: rotary (thumb wheel) volume control on the side panel
- Gain: two position switch; set to (+) for full size headphones, (-) for in-ear monitors; tool included for adjustment
Connections:
- Side: mini USB Type-B input; connect to charge the battery or use the icon mobile as an outboard soundcard for your computer (which also charges the battery)
- Top:
- Headphone: two 3.5mm outputs; one supports microphone input
- Line Input: 3.5mm stereo mini-jack input; plugging a cable into this input overrides the USB input
Specifications:
- USB: side panel mini USB Type-B; compatible with USB 2.0 (high speed); supports audio input and output (microphone support for computer voice applications); USB cable included
- Headphone Outputs: compatible with headphones from 12 to 300 ohms; 80 mW x 2 @ 16 ohms
- THD+N: 0.054% @ 25 mW, 1 kHz
- S/N: 98 dB @ 40 mW
Status LEDs:
- Power: blue LED illuminates when unit is on; power is turned on automatically whenever headphones are plugged into either output, turned off when headphones are unplugged
- USB: white LED indicates a USB connection is active; blinks when the USB port is transmitting data
- Ext: yellow LED illuminates when any cable is plugged into the line input
- Battery Status: dual color LED; red when the battery is low, green when the battery is charging, not lit during normal (portable) use
Dimensions:
- Width: 2.174" (3.361" including USB cable)
- Height: 3.460" (3.924" including mini cable)
- Depth: 0.517"
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