ICE is nice

[shep]

It's a quite sunny Sunday in France. Nobody around (not surprisingly since there are only 15 of us) Gobbling chestnuts I boiled up and listening to Ricky Lee "Pirates". Great album. Pretty nice sounding rig too. I have read a bunch of snide or un-complimentary comments about ICE amps lately of the web. Gotta tell you my little one is one hell of a musical beast. Wouldn't be ashamed to take it to any audio meeting and pit it against big boys. Just for the record, mine is a custom-made integrated, up-graded by Cullens. Anyone else on An using ICE amps? If so I would like to hear your experience. 

[Deton Nation]

I have the Nuforce SE v2s... Class D. I love them. With tubes up front in the pre, some of the most natural and dynamic sound around. The ICe amps are nice... maybe missing a tad detail in the mids... but good nonetheless. People always look at me like Im THAT guy.. but it really is personal and I have a good ear so whatever..
Mike

[hogg]

Sorry I don't like ICE amps.  They are flat-sounding to my ears.  Yes, they have great bass and a very strong treble but they don't make music for me.  The Nuforce's are a different design from ICE though still switching amps.

                                                               Jim

[topround]

I must admit I am biased...I like tubes, not because they are pretty or shiny or cool, but I like the way they sound.

I think you have to live with a good tube amp for a while to understand what they do.
I have had digital amps in my system, and they do impress, but having known what tubes do for me, they cannot replace the tubes.
You have tubes, SS , and digital, all good in their areas, you have to find out what you like in music, and then the technology will follow.
I believe digital amps can be great with tubes in front of them, I also believe they should cost under $300 to buy them, there just is not that much inside them.
I know a guy who bought the RWA mono's, he sent them back , asking Vinny to put the rest of the stuff back in!!
But it is a crazy hobby..we pay thousands for cable..so these guys figure why not pay thousands for an empty box. :rofl:or almost empty.

It is like wine $20 wine tastes good..$50 wine tastes better$200 wines tastes even better..but the $200 wine doesn't really cost that much more to make than the $20 wine...just more exclusive.

[Lizard_king]

Tubes Rule, Do Not be a Solid State fool

[shep]

Strangely enough I was hoping I wasn't alone in liking ICE  Well since I opened the door, I don't get to control what comes thru it. For the record, I'm no newbie. I don't make up stories to justify my purchases or to impress or otherwise pad out my audio experience and sharing of same. Ice and NuForce technology are very different beasts. I've never heard the latter so I have nothing to say. I have however had several Tripath-based amps in my collection, all coming thru the hands of Michel Mardis. I liked them but they were not keepers and I sold them on to happy campers. I needed power, which my ice amp has (relative to the T amps). I have several hundred hours on my ICE and have listened with great attention to detail; to every aspect, and asked a fellow audiophile/musician/instrument maker to do likewise. This is without a doubt a great little amp and it makes music, not sound, and there is nothing lacking anywhere (except power...it's only the 150 watt module). Maybe I just got lucky and synergy? While I respect everyone's opinion and taste, I suggest that as with every kind of amp, tubes or SS, there are mediocre examples of the art and ones that get it right. Mine gets it right. I suspect it's a combination of the great resistor pot in front and the magic worked by L. S. of Cullens (Wyred) inside. I have no need to defend it since it speaks for itself.
Pity I can't have the doubters hear it! Oh well I guess I better rest my case and hope that someone on the forum has as happy an experience with this as I.

[Carlman]

I'm not a doubter, just haven't heard an ICE amp that I enjoyed based on my tastes yet.  If I'm in France, I'll make it a point to invite myself over for a listen.    I think most of us keep an open mind but then have to have some degree of skepticism or we'd just buy every new thing that hit the market. 

I admit I can't remember what all the technology differences are and call everything 'digital' that's switching or ICE or Hypex.. etc.  That said...
Digital amps in the high-end market are new.  I liked the way the TacT amps did digital amplification, it was the smoothest I've heard.  I don't know what CIA D-200's used a couple of years ago but I didn't care for that...  The Nuforces I heard were undergoing repeated revisions when I heard them.. it was like Grover cables.. it was impossible to be listening to the latest version.   So, I don't know if I've really heard the final version.. but what I heard was great in the bass..

The ICE modules I think were used in Bel Canto and Rowland amps.. which I heard a couple years ago also.. the BC was nice but the Rowland, not so much.  There were these tall, skinny amps made in Sweden (I think) that we listened to at Tim's house about 4 or 5 years ago that were using ICE but they were brand new technology then.. and sounded a bit flat and gutless to me.. but others really liked them. 

I don't think gear should be judged based on whether the highest number of people like it.  It only matters to the 1 with the 'Nervosa' and then maybe his immediate fellow listeners.  If you're the only one that cares about perfecting the music in your house, then it should only matter to you.

-C

[rollo]

Yes, Ice is nice. Heard some Bel Cantos with vandersteen 3A sing and I tell ya Ice is nice. floated my boat. Toe a tapping trying to sing the lyrics, was totaly involved. Works for me.
  Knowing that Shep likes the sound of 6SN7 tubes and he likes these amps says a lot. When a tube ma likes ICe IMO its worth investigating.



charles

[shep]

" Knowing that Shep likes the sound of 6SN7 tubes " where in the world did you get that from??? I've never heard a 6SNT tube in my life! 

[rollo]

  Had you confused with someone else. Shek I believe. Thought you were a Tube guy before .  Sorry about that.  Anyway enjoy your ICE.


charles 

[Deton Nation]

Nuforce SE v3s on there way back to me. Should be back in my system in less than a week!
Cant wait.
M

[bacobits]

It only matters what you think.
Too many analysts out there.

D

[richidoo]

Nuforce SE v3s on there way back to me. Should be back in my system in less than a week!
Cant wait.

I bet they will be awesome. Can't wait to hear about it Mike. You're heard the DAC amps right? Have you heard any other class D amps too? like ICE or Hypex (channel island, etc.)

My first Beethoven awakening was with Nuforce 9SE.

[Deton Nation]

Ive heard the DAC amps (Very nice, really need to sit down longer to give a true assessment. Tommy is a nice guy too! (owner)

ICE amps also... missing some mid detail, at least the ones Ive heard.
And the Nuforce have been my favorites of all... though whenever I took them somewhere, they only sounded ok. I think because they needed a conditioner and tubes up front... I loved the V2s I cant imagine how the V3 will improve upon it.
Mike

[rollo]

  OK I found the Ice amp that we heard and liked very much. What this amp replaced was a Mac Intosh 402 driving vandersteen Ref 3As which BTW was one of the best sounds we have heard in a while. The D-sonic did not disappoint. If it lost anything it was weight and fullness.However you really had to listen hard to hear the difference.    It is a D-sonic Magnum series amp D-Sonic.net. we preferred this to te Bel Canto which was also on hand. Actually by a large margin. Ice should be Ice , A module is a module, right ? Wrong !
   Whatever D-sonic is up to in their overall design they have hit the proverbial nail on the head. Besides the wonderfull sound they are priced within reason. 525W/ch for $1575 or 250W/ch for $1275. They make mono,two, three, five and seven ch. versions.
  Hey how about two three channel amps for a [3] way pair of speakers. One channel for each driver. Hmmmmm! Sub amps Hmmmmm. Lots of potential. Maybe we can them to start a tour. I will contact them and ask. Check the site out and post your opinions . Not affiliated with D-sonic.



charles