Iconaudio Reviews 

I've owned items from Icon Audio over several years and have found the equipment to perform as excellent as it looks.

I understand the aesthetics and sound of equipment is a personal choice, for me Icon Audio hit the mark of both counts, I love the look and obvious hand made build quality which is matched in the sound delivered, especially from Vinyl.

I recently experienced an issue with an amp I've owned from new and have used extensively for longer than I care to remember. The response from Icon Audio was top notch with an immediate response and clear communication throughout the repair process. The price was very reasonable, especially compared to costs I've experienced with other solid state big brands, and I also had an upgrade completed at the same time.

If like me you appreciate real engineering, hand made high quality equipment, exceptional service and equipment which performs and will be with you for a very long time I'd recommend giving Icon Audio a listen.

The PS 1 is a fabulous amp. I bought the mc version. Sounds superb. Also the staff and David very helpful in troubleshooting when I initially had issues when setting up. It turned out my cartridge was dead, David offered to test it before this was known, free of charge. I didn't take him up as I was confident that it needed replacing. Their products are great quality, I've owned a few and David and his staff have always been helpful.

I have their HP8 headphone amp. I’m lucky because their Leicester HQ/Workshop is just round the corner, but their customer support has been good. One of the valves was dodgy and they replaced it under warranty – you may think that should go without saying, but with valve amps the “glass” (valves) are often excluded from the warranty. (No, they won’t replace valves for free if they fail three or five years down the line - this in response to complaint from another reviewer).

As for the sound, well… it’s a valve amp. It cost about a grand, and objectively it performs worse than a top-in-class 100 pound solid state amp. Subjectively, it can sound better for some kinds of music. It clearly is not as analytical/resolving as a well-designed solid state. Their marketing blurb is largely nonsense / audiophile babble: “This combination [of valves] will give you a simply stunning insight into inner detail of your favourite recordings whether analogue or digital.” No, whatever “inner detail” is, distortion / resolution is clearly worse than with a decent solid state amp, so there will be less “insight”; “The HP8 MK II is a heavy 7kg, and very solidly made, giving you an idea of how much iron you get for your money!” Yes, it is solidly made, but ‘kilos of iron’ is not a unit of measurement for audio performance; and it is *very* expensive iron: if I want iron, I can get it for free from the local recycling centre.

Just know what you are in for. The amp sounds lovely if you like a good tube amp. It is very well made, and the guys at Icon Audio are approachable. They probably even believe their marketing babble, about the “sonic purity” of the wire they use!

Have one of there HP8 £800 valve headphone amps, but after 3 years of very light use the paint started flaking off it and the valves supplied in the amp failed causing audio crackling and squeeling.

There sales literature stated valves should last 5-10 years. I requested they at least replace the valves considering I had now experienced two faults with the amp, but there general manager Adrain Feary refused.

It would have only cost them about £40, but It seems that's too much to ask to keep a customer happy and up hold there claims of quality and brand reputation.

Recommend avoiding Icon Audio and buying cheaper brand, as from my experience your not getting any better quality or service for the extra money you pay Icon Audio.

I will be sending formal letters regarding my disappointment with there product and company to there directors David Shaw and Dharmendra Khodiara, but not holding my breath on any reply or change of heart from them.