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NuForce - US audiophile headphones, portable & desktop digital audio

NuForce NE-7M - Headphones & microphone set £74.95

NuForce NE-8 - Headphones £94.95

NuForce Icon Mobile - Battery powered portable Headphone Amp & DAC. Only 88 x 55 x 12mm. £119.95

NuForce Icon HDP - High Performance desktop DAC, Headphone Amp & Preamp. Only 155 x 115 x 25mm. £344.95

NuForce Icon Amp - Audiophile grade desktop power amplifier. Only 155 x 115 x 25mm. £199.95

NuForce Icon HDP

High Performance Headphone Amp, DAC and Preamp
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.
Note: Icon HDP uses the same DAC as the high-end CDP-8 (MSRP $1450.00) and similar preamp as P-8S (MSRP $1650.00). The following design features contributed to the performance of Icon HDP
• The digital input has no capacitors in its signal path. The analog input utilizes a single DC-decoupling capacitor.
• Components along the signal path are minimized.
• The 24/96 USB interface outputs a I2S signal to a high-quality DAC.
• The digital circuit occupies a separate daughter board.
• The DAC chip consists of four internal 24/192kHz DACs that provide a fully differential and balanced output. The differential signal's DC offset operates without a need for decoupling caps.
• Digital and analog voltages each have separately isolated internal power regulations.
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
• High quality analog volume control
Subwoofer connection - a RCA male to two RCA female AudioQuest adapter can be used to provide extra connection to subwoofer.

Specifications
Analog Inputs
• RCA or 3.5mm when inserted
Digital input
• S/PDIF - Coaxial or 3.5mm Optical when inserted. Coaxial up to 192kHz/24-bit or Optical up to 192kHz/24-bit
USB DAC
• USB 1.0 and 1.1 up to 44.1kHz/16-bit, USB 2.0 Full-Speed up to 96kHz/24-bit
RCA Output
• 2.6 Vrms (cuts off when headphone is inserted)
• Output impedance 100 Ohm
Headphone Output
• 6.3mm full-size headphone output jack.
• Output impedance 10 Ohm
Headphone power spec:
• 288mW rms @ 30 Ohm
• 210mW rms @ 120 Ohm
• 152mW rms @ 300 Ohm
• 123mW rms @ 500 Ohm
• 96mW rms @ 600 Ohm
• 59mW rms @ 1200 Ohm
• 43mW rms @ 1700 Ohm
• 35mW rms @ 2000 Ohm
THD+N
• 0.001% @ 1kHz.
Frequency response
• 10Hz to 100kHz (-0.5dB).
SNR > 100dB
Power Requirement
• 15V, 1.6A, 100-240VAC (Worldwide AC).
Dimension
• 6" x 4 1/2" x 1".
Weight
• 1 lb.
Package Contents Include
• Toslink to optical mini adapter
• 6.3mm stereo plug (male) to 3.5mm stereo connector (female) adapter
• Silicone stand
• AC adaptor (15V, 1.6A, 100-240VAC)
Optional Accessories
• Linear power supply
• High performance USB cable

NuForce NE-7M Headset

Works with iPhone 2G/3G, iPod Touch, BlackBerry Storm.
Works with iPhone 3GS without volume control on mic button.
Incompatible with LG phone.
Generally works with any device that support 3.5mm stereo in 3 or 4 pin plug.
Incompatible with Creative Zen and any 2.5mm connector such as Palm Centro.
Input
• Exemplary clarity and excellent bass response.
• The earphones in combination with our efficient microphone make it easier for you to hear your callers, who will hear you with equal clarity. The microphone transmits every word you speak without your having to position it close to your mouth.
• Comfortable, sound-isolating ear-tips reduce noise, thus minimizing distortion.
• Call-answering button (works with iPhone

NuForce Icon Mobile

Nuforce Icon Mobile, along with its accessories, allows the user to obtain better sound quality from mobile music players, smart phones and personal computers. The Icon MobileTMserves as arechargeable,high-performance headphone amplifier with adjustable gain or stand-alone USB DAC with support for Skype, Messenger or similar microphones.
Desktop Applications:
• Connected to a computer via USB, the Icon MobileTM can drive a pair of active, i.e., powered, speakers.
• The external 3.5mm stereo input, when inserted, takes precedence over the USB DAC. This function allows the user to listen to music from sources such as an iPod without having to disconnect the Icon MobileTM from the computer.
Mobile Applications
• Due to cost constrains or power consumption considerations, mobile devices such as an iPod or smart phone do not incorporate high-performance headphone amplifiers. The Icon Mobile's optional iPod connector permits the user to bypass the iPod's volume control. The compact, lightweight Icon MobileTM, which can drive a variety of headphones, connects to these devices via 3.5mm stereo input.
Why Icon Mobile provides better sound?
There are reasons your PC or Mac's audio output doesn't sound particularly good. Noise from the computer's digital circuits often bleeds into the audio signal. Also, design engineers who have been told to keep production costs down don't expend much effort on audio. Additionally, your computer's audio output has not been optimized for headphone use. Headphones require a low impedance output. The computer's output signal is normally high impedance. Briefly stated, your computer's Audio Line Out really isn't suitable for headphone use.
And there's this to consider too: a digital volume control reduces 16-bit audio resolution, which is already somewhat compromised with respect to first-rate sound, to even less resolution. By reducing volume through the computer's software, you may be listening to resolution as low as 8 bits.
The Icon Mobile sounds better for several critically important reasons. Among these are a heavily filtered power supply, a DAC that's been implemented for optimal performance, and a circuit designed to drive low-impedance headphones. Last but far from least, unlike digital volume controls, the Icon Mobile's high-quality analog volume control does not compromise resolution.

Specifications
Features
• Two headphone/line outputs: a 3.5mm 4-pin mini stereo (with mic) jack and a 3.5mm 3-pin mini stereo jack for driving earphones and line-level sources such as active speakers.
• A 3.5mm mini stereo external input.
• A high-quality rotary volume pot for maximizing USB and iPod signal-to-noise ratios.
• A Gain Select switch provides compatibility for a wide range of headphones and earphones.
• A built-in, rechargeable Lithium Ion battery with USB featuring a 2.5 hour charge-time for 13 hours of continuous playback with maximum power. Note that the Icon Mobile consumes power during standby and it will have to be recharged after 60 hours.
• Support for USB audio input and ouput.
• The Battery-Low indicator blinks when the battery requires recharging.
• Headphones impedance between 16 ohm to 300 ohm are suitable for use with Icon Mobile.
Headphone Amp:
• Power output: 80mW x 2 @ 16-Ohm
• THD+N: 0.054% @ 25 mW, 1 kHz
• S/N: 98dB @ 40mW
Package Contents Include
• USB 2.0 compatible
• Supports 44.1kHz and 48kHz native sampling rates
• Microphone input: 16-bit ADC 4-pin mini stereo compatible headsets
Bundled Accessories
• 3.5mm stereo cable
• USB cable
• Silicone band
• Plastic tool for adjusting gain setting
Dimension
88mm x 55mm x 12mm

NuForce Icon Amp

The Nuforce Icon Amp has been conceived to operate as an audiophile-grade desktop power amplifier. Features include 2 x 24W outputs, an RCA analog stereo input, and 5-way binding posts. The high-quality volume control coordinates with a wide variety of sources, including computer and TV audio outputs, and (of course!) NuForce's own Icon HDP.
Features
• Award-winning NuForce Icon styling.
• High-efficiency analog switching-amplifier technology.
• Ultra high-speed switching frequency.
• Gold-plated RCA connectors.
• Palladium-plated 5-Way binding posts.
• High-quality analog volume control.

Specifications
• Input: RCA analog maximum 2Vrms
• Output: Peak power: 30W x 2 (4 Ohm)
• Output power at 1% THD+N, A-weighted: 24W x 2 (4 Ohm), 18W x 2 (8 Ohm)
• Gain: 22.2 dB
• THD+N: 0.02%
• Frequency Response: 20 to 20kHz +/- 1dB
• SNR > 90dB A-weighted
• DC requirement: 12-15V, up to 60W; 100-240VAC worldwide voltages. 60W PSU is included with Icon Amp.
• Dimension: 6" x 4 1/2" x 1"
• Weight: 1 lb.

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