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9
Analog Connections
You need only connect headphones to your NuForce device’s headphone jack and adjust for volume with the unit’s
volume control. If connecting to an external amplifier or stereo receiver, you will require a quality stereo interconnect
with a standard male RCA connector for plugging into the NuForce device and an appropriate connector at the other end
(usually, an RCA).
Note on Headphone Use
Headphones present a challenge to amplifier designers. There are two basic types: the over-ear (OE) in general use in the
recording industry and the smaller in-ear (IE), a.k.a. ear-bud, commonly used with portable devices such as MP3 players.
Given the range of available OE and IE headphones, in attempting to deal with all of them, your computer’s headphone
output is optimized for none. Your NuForce Icon product will make a world of difference.
The reason is simple enough. Various OE and IE phones cover an expanse of electrical impedances from 16 to 600 Ohms
and differ in other significant ways. Sensitivity is a term that expresses how loud the headphones will play at a given
amount of electrical power, e.g., x number of decibels per milliwatt (0.001 watt) of power, expressed as xxxdB/mW.
Typically, OE types exhibit sensitivities of about 100dB/mW, whereas IE devices can be 10dB higher or more, e.g.,
110dB/mW. Assuming a 10dB difference, the lower sensitivity OE headphones require ten times more power to achieve
the same volume as the IE type. If you’re using OE headphones, you’ll appreciate the NuForce Icon Series’ power
capability. Your headphones will sound clearer and more natural. If you use IE headphones, owing to their higher
sensitivity, you may notice a small amount of background noise. Conversely, you will hear weak signals more readily than
would be the case with lower-sensitivity OE types.
We are not discussing a product defect. Electrical noise arises from many factors, one of which is the amount of
amplification the Icon product provides. Irrespective of type or design, electrical circuits introduce noise. If the device
amplifies the signal, the noise coming into it will likewise be amplified. Further, the amount the device itself creates will
also be greater. These are facts of electrical life that good design can mitigate. In the case of IE headphones, noise can be
minimized or all but eliminated by reducing the amplifier’s gain. But to do that, the advantage the amp offers to OE
headphone users would be sacrificed. Performance benefits for one type of product diminishes those of the other. As
always, effective engineering requires compromise..In this regard, the NuForce Icon Series of products offer good, real-
world solutions. Noise will be low in some cases, and in others, quite imperceptible. Most importantly, OE headphone
users will benefit from the power they require.
For further reading: http://www.nuforce.com/hp/support/icon-hdp-noisefloor.php
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