About

ICEpower // About

Who is ICEpower?

ICEpower is a supplier of superior audio solutions based on world class technologies and competences within class D amplifiers, switch mode power supplies, digital signal processing and system design.

We offer Intelligent, Compact, Efficient and Powerful solutions in the form of:

Audio IC’s
Integrated circuits for audio class D amplifiers
Amplifier Power Modules
Plug-and-play amplifier power modules for a wide range of audio applications
Turnkey Solutions
Including box builds, speaker backplates and custom designed modules
Audio Software
ICEsound – embedded audio solutions for mobile products

The power of ICEpower

The great advantage of ICEpower is the breadth of our offering. You can pick-and-choose the products and services that fit to your particular needs. In some cases this may be that you design and manufacture your own solution based on our IC’s and design support. In other cases, when you lack the time or resources, we can design and manufacture complete products for you on a turnkey basis.

Our co-operation with the largest and most prestigious audio brands in the world, enable us to establish branding and co-branding collaborations for the benefit of our customers. Our own brand, ICEpower, can also play a role in this connection.

So, if you are looking to bring high quality audio products to the market at a competitive price/value – this is us. This is the power of ICEpower.

Mission

“It is ICEpower’s mission to offer the highest product quality and best audio performance at the best price in the market.”

Vision

“It is ICEpower’s vision to become a leading turnkey provider of audio solutions to the Audio industry.”

Why choose ICEpower?

ICEpower entered the audio market in 2001 with our first products in the shape of plug-and- play class D amplifier power modules. A few years later our first Audio IC’s were introduced to the market – designed and manufactured in co-operation with world-leading semiconductor companies.

While all products we have introduced from 2001 onwards are still available in the market, we have today developed into a large-scale turnkey provider of audio solutions. We not only provide Audio IC’s and plug-and- play modules, we also provide complete speaker backplates (incl. amp, PSU, DSP, IP etc.), and box build products, such as rack amps for PRO Audio, home, or commercial installations.

We find that more and more of our customers work with ICEpower, because they have come to realize that to stay competitive, they need to focus their resources on the things they’re really good at. Mainly the part of the new products, where they add the most differentiation and value. Or they have challenges in introducing the required number of products in order to reach their ambitions for staying or reaching competitiveness.

This is where ICEpower adds the most value.

Competitive prices guaranteed

Some people don’t believe us when we say that we provide both the best quality and most competitive cost. The reasons why we can be price competitive in Turnkey Solutions are twofold:

We have a large number of market proven, high quality audio power platforms already available, which we can easily turn into speaker backplates or box build products. As the cost of developing the power platforms have already been amortized, we only have to charge customers for the new part of the product.
We have established a manufacturing set-up with an EMS partner in Thailand with a size, competences and attitude that matches our price competitiveness and high build quality.

This combination of Danish engineering quality with Asian sourcing and manufacturing cost enable us to offer our technology and know how at a competitive cost.

When engaging with customers on new projects, we work with you to analyze what solution makes the most sense for you in terms of your requirements and cost targets. In the following you can read more about our solutions and services according to the illustration at the top of the page.

Audio IC’s – products and services

ICEedge is our latest audio IC. We proudly claim it to be the most advanced class D amplifier chip set on the market. It is a scalable solution which allows you, not only to design anything from 50 W to 7 kW, but also to reach all of your performance criteria on audio quality, reliability, protection, monitoring, etc.

ICEedge is a technology platform that enables the design of the most competitive amplifiers in the market. We can approach the cost of monolithic amplifier IC’s, while providing significantly better audio performance.

Besides ICEedge, we have also designed other Audio IC solutions over the years, which are available for customers to design with.

Our experience in developing audio IC’s means that we also offer semiconductor companies the option to design new Audio IC’s together with us.

Please enquire for a meeting.

Amplifier Power Modules – plug-and-play

ICEpower has a wide variety of plug-and-play amplifier power modules incl. switch mode power supplies. Our pre-designed, high quality and cost-efficient modules range from app. 50-1200W.

Our most recent series of amplifier power modules is the AS Series (Amplifier including power Supply). The AS series of amplifier power modules include single and dual channel solutions from 100W to 1200W per channel.

When initiating the development of the AS series, we had two main goals:

To make them really easy for customers to design with by implementing all necessary system features in the modules. E.g. ErP compliant standby, universal mains, regulated auxillary supplies, pre-approvals for safety and EMC, etc.
To deliver industry best price value by offering the best audio performance, continuous power and features at an extremely competitive cost.

The AS Series is thus designed to beat any product on the market based on watt and performance per US dollar.

Turnkey Solutions

ICEpower has electronic, mechanical, digital, DSP as well as software competences in-house. In addition, we work with numerous specialists and consulting houses predominantly in Denmark, Sweden and Korea. This enables us to source specialist competences and set the right team for any project.

ICEpower can provide you with finished products, either through our or your sourcing/manufacturing channels. In most cases, the specification process is carried out as a mutual process between you and us. When the specification is done, we make an analysis together with you to decide the optimal sourcing and manufacturing setup.

In recent years, ICEpower has taken a tremendous step forward in becoming competitive as a supplier of turnkey audio products.

The main reasons are:

The establishment of the above mentioned competences at ICEpower.
Our business model in which we predominantly rely on technical platforms and products in which the investment is already amortised.
Our set up with an EMS partner in Thailand that:
– matches the typical volume levels in the audio industry
– matches the flexibility needed and high-product quality of ICEpower
– has a strong focus on the lowest possible manufacturing costs in Asia

These factors enable ICEpower to offer very competitive audio products on a turnkey basis.

An additional advantage is that working with ICEpower, you will be dealing directly with our experienced team of engineers and project managers. We will be your one point of contact as we will take care of the manufacturing set up for you. This means that you can minimize your travel, and instead will be able to concentrate on more value adding tasks such as introducing more new products per year.

Please enquire for a meeting.

Turnkey Solutions continued

– Speaker backplates and custom solutions

We offer DSP backplate solutions for speakers and subwoofers based on our market proven amplifier power modules. We also offer to customize backplates to your exact requirements incl. DSP and IP. We typically work out the specification together, and design the product according to your requirements. We analyze and listen to our customers in order to ascertain where the manufacturing makes the most sense.

We also offer development of custom module solutions. We can handle the manufacturing or you can manufacture yourself, based on a licensing agreement. ICEpower has experience with class D amplifier solutions within consumer audio, pro audio, home automation, professional audio and automotive. We have been working with a large number of the most well-known brands in the AV industry. Further, we have teams in China, Japan, Europe and the USA, enabling us to include local team members in the handling and communication of the projects that we run with you.

Please enquire for a meeting.

Audio Software

– what is ICEsound?

ICEpower is spearheading an audio revolution together with some of the world’s greatest mobile products. Our mission is to create the fullest, richest and most powerful sound experiences you will ever have from any electronic device. ICEsound – our intelligent enhancement software – improves the audio quality of a wide variety of global consumer products. From laptops and ultrabooks to smart phones, tablets and headsets.

The great challenge in audio development is to make increasingly smaller and slimmer products sound big. High quality audio reproduction simply needs physical space to generate dynamic and vibrant sound. But thanks to our highly skilled engineers, ICEsound is now capable of creating amazing sound experiences. Even from small speakers in compact multimedia products.

Our ICEsound customers are some of the world finest companies within mobile devices. Our embedded audio products and services are available either directly from ICEpower or through our partner, HARMAN, AudioEFX. Please see: www.embedded.harman.com/audio-technology.

Audio speaks louder than words, and we welcome you to experience our world of sound. Check ICEsound out now on www.icesound.dk – here you can listen to samples and demoes, and learn what it’s all about.

Please inquire for a meeting.

ICEpower

– Leader of the pack

Since 2012, ICEpower has worked on becoming not only best-in-class concerning audio performance and product quality, but also to be leading when it comes to cost – the price of our product/the price of your product.

ICEpower has decided to offer competitive pricing. We always present a price offer better than the competition or at the same level as the competition. There are two ways to do this. We have reached the first by a dynamic and well managed product innovation including best practices in product development and design for cost. Secondly, we have decided to always offer our products and services at prices better than others.

Since 2012, we have also been doing tremendous changes in innovation, processes and tools. The result is, that we have a new product program at a much higher level in terms of performance and features than previous, and at price much lower. ICEpower is price competitive in the market. Try us.

The ICEpower story

The story of ICEpower clarifies who we are and where we are today as well as provides the background for the current strategy, values – vision and mission.

But boy, could he play guitar

– 1999, year of foundation

ICEpower has close ties to the iconic, Danish high-end consumer electronics company, Bang & Olufsen. In 1999, a phD thesis on efficient, compact Class D amplifiers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) drew the attention of the Bang & Olufsen management. This resulted in a joint venture, which created the foundation for ICEpower a/s. From the start ICEpower became – not just a department of Bang & Olufsen – but a separate, limited company.

At that time, the practical application of Class D technology to audio was new and generating interest in the audio world. The advantages of high efficiency/high power density amplifiers made possible by the new Class D topology became apparent.

ICEpower’s close relationship with Bang & Olufsen made it possible to access resources, design tools, technical expertise, quality processes, and business knowledge at an early stage of the company. And more importantly, it laid the foundation of the high-quality level of ICEpower’s products.

The world’s most prestigious audio brands

– the 21st century

The relationship with Bang & Olufsen enabled ICEpower to quickly become one of the leading companies in the amplification world. Starting in high-end niche markets, ICEpower developed a range of premium quality audio power conversion engines used by some of the world’s most prestigious audio brands. Both within hi-fi and PRO audio brands, ICEpower served clients such as Bowers & Wilkins, Pioneer, Sony, Alpine, Jeff Rowland, Rotel, RCF as well as Bang & Olufsen’s own products.

Later on, ICEpower were used in Bang & Olufsen’s automotive platforms for AUDI, Mercedes, Aston Martin and BMW. The automotive platform co-operation is today continued with HARMAN. Gradually ICEpower built a powerful OEM business, delivering platforms used in low power systems (e. g. mobile phones) to large scale pro audio line arrays systems.

The song remains the same

– 2016 and onwards

In 2016, realizing the potential of the business as an independent entity, a management buyout supported by Industry Development (Industri Udvikling) – a Danish private equity company – allowed ICEpower to finally begin the development of its full potential.

The relationship with Industry development is not a “hit and run” kind of thing. Industry Development is funded by Danish taxpayer’s savings and the purpose is to turn SME’s (small and medium enterprises) into larger enterprises. The strategic direction and decisions are made by the management of ICEpower, and the management are also majority shareholders.

One of the first strategic moves of ICEpower in 2016 was to acquire Audio Bricks (Sweden) and it’s holding company, thereby also getting access to fundamentals from Anaview – a former competitor founded by Patrik Boström. The two founders of Audio Bricks, Patrik Boström and Lars Press Petersen, were well-known to ICEpower. ICEpower had co-operated with both earlier, and Lars held the position as Innovation Manager at ICEpower from 2003-2008.

Besides the Audio Bricks products (now ICEbricks), Patrik Boström and Lars Press Petersen also brought their patents and ODM-business agreements with a number of semiconductor and A/V companies into ICEpower.

The shareholding managers of ICEpower today are Keld Lindegaard Andersen, CEO, Mads Emil Solgaard Hansen, Sales & Marketing Director, Patrik Boström, CTO amplification and OEM, Lars Press Petersen, CTO SMPS, research and PRO audio.

Recently a number of engineers from TI (Texas Instruments) in Denmark have joined ICEpower at its new HQ in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Strategy and products

The Bang & Olufsen period has enabled ICEpower to develop into a high-quality amplification provider with high audio performance. ICEpower is also the most competitive solution among its peers. We always present a price offer that is better than the competition or at least at the same level as the competition, but with better product characteristics.

Our cost abilities have been reached by building up a best practice in product development and design for cost – also reflected in the latest AS Series (Amplification, Supply). Second and on top of this, ICEpower has decided to always offer our products and services at prices better than similar solutions from others.

Management

Today ICEpower has the agility, power and will to make our customers competitive in their respective market segments.

Supply Chain

The supply chain has been restructured partly by a new EMS co-operation, and partly by a new New Product Introduction-process enabling production of finished goods and cost-effectiveness.

Technology

ICEpower is a high-tech company with strong ties to the music industry. Here you can read all about or unique approach to audio solutions, and our contributions in the field of Class D technologies.

Class D amplifiers

The audio power amplifier plays an essential role in every system that generates audible sound. For decades, amplifiers have been produced using analogue (Class A and AB) designs, which are very inefficient and result in voluminous, heavy and rather expensive products. The innovation cycle of analogue audio power conversion has come to its maturity and hardly any innovation can be made there.

On the other hand, switching or Class D amplification techniques are only at the beginning of their development. These technologies carry a large potential for delivering much higher efficiency and audio performance, making audio products more reliable, of higher quality, smaller size, and involving lower costs.

Instead of linear power regulation used in Class AB amplifiers, which leads to energy losses in power transistors, Class D amplifiers use switching transistors that operate only at two stages – “on“ or “off”. Nearly no energy loss occurs at the transistor and nearly all the power is carried to the transducer.

Class D technologies have been around for decades, but until the 1990s their design and integration characteristics have not been developed to the level necessary for achieving high performance in quality audio and hi-fi applications. It is only in the 1990s that the semiconductor and digital technologies have been developed to enable enhancement of Class D technologies.

ICEpower have pioneered in developing new technologies to enhance Class D amplification and bring the audio quality to the level accepted by audiophiles. This allowed for subsequent introduction of Class D technologies into a wide range of audio applications.

Advantages

ICEpower® Class D amplifiers have the following advantages:

Audio performance on the level with or better than Class AB amplifiers
Significantly higher energy efficiency of audio products
Audio products can be made much smaller and lighter, external heat sinks can be eliminated
Significantly decreased manufacturing costs
Higher integration of components is possible
Resulting in more design freedom and more attractive products
Due to the possibility of designing smaller products, more channels can be integrated into a single solution or audio product

Higher quality of products
The possibility of increasing the standard of existing products
All of this taken together benefits our environment in numerous ways and makes Class D amplification a “green” technology
For examples, the 10-channel solutions that ICEpower has created for Pioneer Electronics’ Susano A/V receiver could not have been developed without applying switching technologies – Class AB amplifiers could not sustain this amount of channels with high audio quality in a single product.

Efficiency

Below is the graph of an ICEpower amplifier efficiency compared to the highest theoretically possible efficiency of a Class AB amplifier (the latter calculated under ideal conditions which can never be achieved in reality):

(Green graph: actual measured efficiency of the ICEpower Class D amplifier Conditions: mains 230V AC, load 8 Ohm, frequency 1 kHz sine, 1 channel driven – Red graph: the best theoretically possible efficiency of a Class AB amplifier)

Vice versa, below is the graph of energy loss in an ICEpower Class D amplifier vs. power loss in a Class AB amplifier with the best theoretically possible efficiency.

(Green graph: power loss of an ICEpower Class D amplifier Conditions: mains 230V AC, load 8 Ohm, frequency 1 kHz sine, 1 channel driven – Red graph: power loss in a Class AB amplifier with the best theoretically possible efficiency)

Careers

Want to work with some of the greatest audio brands in the world? Come join us at ICEpower. We are a market leader in our technological field. We work hard. We play loud. Students are also welcome.

Work with the best

ICEpower is a highly dynamic company. In seventeen years, we have grown from a small start-up to a world leading supplier of B2B sound solutions. With us, you will be able to actually participate in the development of cutting edge audio technology. ICEpower’s employees are among the most skilled in audio, power electronics, electro acoustics, control systems, digital signal processing and software. If you want to work with best – ICEpower is the place to go.

Being on the forefront of the world’s technological progress, we do business and closely collaborate with customers in high-tech centers of the world such as the US, Western Europe, and Asia. You will have the opportunity for direct contact with clients, a high degree of responsibility, and a variety of tasks. ICEpower provides a dynamic, challenging and fun environment – whether your work takes place in our in-house laboratory or abroad visiting customers.

As a successful R&D house, ICEpower offers competitive compensation packages and social plans. If you wish to send an unsolicited application, please send it to job@ICEpower.dk.

Interns and student projects

Motivated students interested in writing their exam project or doing special courses in a company where creativity, innovation and quality are in focus, are welcome to contact ICEpower. We continuously collaborate with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the Copenhagen University College of Engineering, and other European technical institutions on Bachelor-, Master- and PhD-level projects.

To find out more, please download our pdf: