Fosi Audio Box X5 Phono Preamp Review

[DanielT]

Wow... I'm surprised there are still a few who use a turntable?
It takes me back to the Stone Age when we also needed a record cleaner, a place to store albums and had to get rid of albums as they warped. Custom digital playlists whether local or streaming have become my favorite music delivery. No more being locked into playing all tracks on an album or wasting money looking for that favorite phono cartridge. Cheers!

Apparently. 57 pages, 1126 posts:

I can recommend #1117 in that thread:

Nice turntables. Attached picture is an absolute requirement.

Post a picture of a vinyl lathe that you think looks good.:D Performance information, optional. I am most interested in some nice pictures. How vinyl sounds is of secondary importance. For me anyway.:) Feel free to tell us about your youth's vinyl player. Take a trip down memory lane...

audiosciencereview.com

It seems that most people combine record players with CD and or streaming.
______
Then why? Even more pages, 527 of them and 10521 posts:

Can anyone explain the vinyl renaissance?

That's bull. It's just a vinyl-head talking point. It’s not like it’s “ not a thing” at all. Just a few pages ago, there’s a video of an audio engineer saying that he does just that: squashes the dynamic range for digital release, but not for vinyl. There’s also been previous videos posted...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Verig]

Wow... I'm surprised there are still a few who use a turntable?

Hobby without some never ending fiddling, collecting and testing things not with a meter but with wine? Oh no, got to keep it cousy and I like album art.

 

[Juhazi]

When can I get a unit with built-in rumble filter (highpass)?

 

[DanielT]

Hobby without some never ending fiddling, collecting and testing things not with a meter but with wine? Oh no, got to keep it cousy and I like album art.

Art, on the wall. Why not wallpaper? Or paintings?

Here is my limit for what I would set up, nop to:

 

[renaudrenaud]

Was waiting for the test, bought immediately after the first post. @Fosi Audio you should stop to offer plenty of inexpensive products too good for the price. I am starting to accumulate products from your brand, with great enthusiasm.

 

[aagstn]

It seems that most people combine record players with CD and or streaming.

I'm one of those and I still listen to my cassettes from decades back. Yes, the digital music is the best in most cases, but I do like pulling out a record and putting it on from time to time. With CDs in decline there are times lately where the record is the only modern physical version of new releases. At least there is a super affordable phono amp like this to match all the affordable DAC options out there.

 

[cfwotzka]

Got mine shortly before Christmas. it amaze me new every day I'm listening to it. unbelievable price/value relation. cartridges I use Kiseki blue and Hana ML. using OPA1656 OPAMP but was also quite happy with pre-installed NE5532.

 

[morillon]

Got mine shortly before Christmas. it amaze me new every day I'm listening to it. unbelievable price/value relation. cartridges I use Kiseki blue and Hana ML. using OPA1656 OPAMP but was also quite happy with pre-installed NE5532.

but do you know the precise role of this AOP in this diagram?
if the environment is suitable for your other AOP? see measured with both?

 

[AudioSceptic]

But you are simply right! I have forgotten to mention that the Classic Audio MC Pro is already tested.
And @amirm has not mentioned the MC Pro in the list (perhaps because it is just MC and therefore would not top the list).

But the classic audio MC is still the record holder in MC Amps by a margin of about 7 dB, and incredible headroom, I guess.

I have corrected my post up there (#24).

The Classic Audio MM Pro or the much cheaper Spartan 15 - tested by Amir.

That would be a thing!!!

The Classic Audio MC measured at 71/73 dB. That still lands it in the list well up from the bottom, MM or not (it doesn't say).

 

[AudioSceptic]

I'm one of those and I still listen to my cassettes from decades back. Yes, the digital music is the best in most cases, but I do like pulling out a record and putting it on from time to time. With CDs in decline there are times lately where the record is the only modern physical version of new releases. At least there is a super affordable phono amp like this to match all the affordable DAC options out there.

I'm puzzled by this. I still buy CDs, many of them used for a fraction of the new price, which in turn is often less than the cost of a digital download and *much* less than the LP. I don't play the CDs, though: I rip them as lossless and then stream the files from our NAS, and also sync them to my iPhone for use on the move. I also have many LPs but they don't get played anymore.

 

[AudioSceptic]

When can I get a unit with built-in rumble filter (highpass)?

View attachment 420531

This is available with some others, or are you asking for Fosi to offer it?

 

[peniku8]

I've been wondering, does the Audio Precision analyzer have a test routine for (phono) preamps like this or is it the standard test routine you're using @amirm ?

 

[morillon]

if the "mc" seems a kind of commercial obligation which makes one smile a little for a device of this type... an x6, just, with an on off antirumble and an adjustment of some capacitance values would be a good evolution "mk2"...
;-)

 

[beagleman]

Waiting for the obligatory couple "poor" ratings on a truly fantastic/affordable product..

 

[VientoB]

Waiting for the obligatory couple "poor" ratings on a truly fantastic/affordable product..

I chickened out.

 

[Verig]

if the "mc" seems a kind of commercial obligation which makes one smile a little for a device of this type... an x6, just, with an on off antirumble and an adjustment of some capacitance values would be a good evolution "mk2"...
;-)

MC carts begin from $250 and for $500-700 you get a good one, pretty much the same as MM so why not. But ok, so called serious vinyl people perhaps don't take a look at Fosi.

 

[Verig]

Art, on the wall. Why not wallpaper? Or paintings?
View attachment 420533View attachment 420534
Here is my limit for what I would set up, nop to:
View attachment 420535

I'm a photographer so not really a problem to make my own wallpapers etc. And I do hang vinyl album covers (keeping the record elsewhere so I can actually listen to them) on the wall.

 

[cfwotzka]

but do you know the precise role of this AOP in this diagram?
if the environment is suitable for your other AOP? see measured with both?

amirm measures and points me in the right direction I'm just listening and decide what's best for me. about the OPAMP's role I can only guess. perhaps a buffer.

 

[MyCuriosity]

56db is on the low side for MC cartridges. Maybe the 66db gain would have been a better reference for MC cartridges.

 

[SMen]

Wow... I'm surprised there are still a few who use a turntable?
It takes me back to the Stone Age when we also needed a record cleaner, a place to store albums and had to get rid of albums as they warped. Custom digital playlists whether local or streaming have become my favorite music delivery. No more being locked into playing all tracks on an album or wasting money looking for that favorite phono cartridge. Cheers!

I'm one of those dinosaurs, but my views are changing funnily enough because streaming (Amazon Music). A lot of recordings are incredibly close between a good turntable system and high res. but there are still enough in my vinyl collection yet to be matched and to keep me spinning ... and many better in high res...

so if companies like Fosi can bring the price down for quality it will be worth more people dusting down an old record player, an old MM, and sticking a Jico SAS in it as I did ...

(post edit ... and 16/44 ... it all depends on the media source)