Paul Grand Audio
What the world’s audio press says about icOn
Independent reviews of icOn passive preamplifiers from The Ear, 6Moons, HiFi Knights, HiFi Critic, Positive Feedback, Hifi Pig and TNT-Audio.
The Ear
“The bottom line is that the icOn 5 delivers sonically at the very highest level; balanced and generous in all four musical pillars, transparent as can be and doing the least sonic damage to the output signal of any line stage that I have had through my hands. Period.”
6Moons — Blue Moon Award
Srajan Ebaen
“Today’s award wrote itself… One this good and flexible is simply more globally relevant than many will have thought. Being priced fairly and built to a high standard makes it a true standout.”
HiFi Knights
Dawid Grzyb — icOn 4PRO, May 2021
“In the past I’ve sampled many active preamps, but their passive subdivision eluded me for years. Today’s the day when I can finally cross this breed off my bucket list…”
“As far as sheer sonic excellence, maturity and completeness go, it sits as high as my reference linestage that now sells for roughly £17,000 before VAT and is the best one I know, okay? That’s why if you’re in the market for a preamp and don’t intend to purposely inject chunky syrupy flavor into your system, auditioning icOn 4PRO prior to anything else is my best advice.”
HiFi Critic
icOn4 — Martin Colloms, 2019
“Now with refined system design, excellent ergonomics and improved sound quality, the remote controlled icOn4 is a no-brainer for overall value.”
icOn 2 — Andrew Harrison
“Once set up the icOn 2 proved easy to operate and a delight to use… This unit is a revelation after using TVC units which lack remote switching and other creature comforts. Despite the banks of relays, the unit is effectively silent while sweeping volume.”
Positive Feedback
Sam Rosen
“Using the icOn4 was a pure joy… I found the dynamics shockingly good… it seemed like the preamplifier was simply not in the circuit.”
TNT-Audio
Richard Varey, New Zealand
“Occasionally I find a product that instantly raises the joy level from my audio system — this is one… a highly satisfying stand-in, yet at roughly a third of the cost.”
Hifi Pig
Janine Elliot — ex-BBC sound engineer & professional musician
Compared our icOn TVC preamplifier to her own 4× more expensive, “world’s best” preamp listening to her own compositions.
“This is an exceptionally well thought out and clever unit for those wanting the clarity and purity of passive but with additional features turning the technology truly into the 21st century… it is in many ways an outstanding product and well worthy of your attention.”
Hear it for yourself
Find the icOn for your system.
From the icOn Zen to the icOn 5 Balanced — see which model fits your setup, or ask Pal directly.
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