World-class performance from your digital source. The Icon HDP is a versatile high performance digital (USB and S/PDIF) to analog converter, headphone amp and preamp for use with computer and entertainment devices.

Overview

NuForce Icon HDPTM

| MSRP $449

 

 

The Nuforce Icon HDP incorporates a full-speed USB DAC (24bit/96kHz) and full-function S/PDIF D/A converter (24bit/192kHz), 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 accommodates all manner of audio devices. The Icon HDP, which has been designed to serve as the heart of a high-performance audio system, competes head-on with DACs and preamps costing several times its price.

Nuforce USB Audio devices are designed to work with x86 architecture.  Tablet devices running Windows 8 (RT) are not supported.

 

Design & Features

View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://www.nuforce.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=26&Itemid=189/index.php#sigProGalleria8d8c744f07

 

Note: The Icon HDP employs the same DAC as our high-end CDP-8 (MSRP $1,450.00) and a preamp similar to that of the P-8S (MSRP $1,650.00).

 

The following design features contributed to the stellar performance of the 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 (88.2kHz is not supported)
  • 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

  • USB: 1.0 and 1.1 up to 44.1kHz/16-bit, USB 2.0 Full-Speed up to 96kHz/24-bit
  • S/N Ratio: > 100dB
  • THD+N : 0.001% @ 1kHz.
  • Frequency Response: 10Hz to 100kHz (-0.5dB).
  • Dimensions: 6
  • Analog Inputs: RCA or 3.5mm when inserted
  • Digital Inputs: S/PDIF - Coaxial or 3.5mm Optical when inserted. Coaxial up to 192kHz/24-bit or Optical up to 192kHz/24-bit
  • Coaxial input impedance: 75 Ohm
  • RCA Output: 2.6 Vrms (cuts off when headphone is inserted)
  • RCA Output impedance : 100 Ohm
  • Headphone Output: 6.3mm full-size headphone output jack drives headphones up to 600-Ohm (96 mW@600-Ohm)
  • Headphone 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
  • Headphone Jack: 6.3mm full-size headphone output jack drives headphones up to 600-Ohm (96 mW@600-Ohm)
  • Weight : 1 lb.

Awards & Reviews

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Featured Reviews

...The original NuForce Icon was a very nice, compact unit that served as an introduction to USB DAC's for me. As my headphones improved, and I acquired more 24/96 audio tracks, I started to see some limitations for it in my system, and the HDP version has come along to take care of all of those issues. With a DAC that offers better quality that $500+ players out there, and a headphone amp that was able to drive a difficult load, the HDP comes out as a fantastic bargain in my opinion..."