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Fosi Audio Box X5 Phono Preamp Review

Rate this phono stage:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 7 2.5%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 10 3.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 51 18.5%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 208 75.4%

  • Total voters
    276
I'm not going to argue until you can make some sense. Instead, I'll lecture. ;) You post a chart of a 42Hz fundamental with what appears to be a significant 12Hz rumble component. Depending on the slope of the filter, even a modest filter with a corner of about 20Hz could be expected to smash that down a lot. So, I quickly modeled up a small ported bookshelf speaker with a Focal midwoofer I had some specs for (around 3mm Xmax), and loaded it into a small box ported to 40Hz. Power handling is okay and the cone motion is fairly controlled until around 33Hz. Below that, it quickly turns ugly. At 12Hz, it can take almost nothing. At 20Hz, it can take about double the power (which is still is not much). 12Hz could destroy the woofer. Now, apply a second order filter with fc=25Hz. What was out-of-control, woofer destroying cone motion at 12Hz and 10W into the speaker becomes probably a non-event. That is still a bit too much for this tiny speaker, and some might argue a 30Hz corner might be better. But guess what? Some cheapo products like a Schitt designed for cheapo speakers like this offer just that--actually, an even higher selectable corner frequency, should you want it.

I think the Precision Phono is probably around a 20Hz second order. Even that would increase my little hypothetical speaker's power handling at a 12Hz rumble frequency from about .75W to 7W. Cone excusion is cut by about 70%. Since the rumble is a fixed component not really tied to the music, in acoustic terms, that's double the volume for the rest of the system (with a filter you say is too low and does not work). But, a 20Hz rumble filter works just fine. Why? There is nothing to suppress from 20Hz to around 35Hz. If you have this problem in the Fosi? Well, you're just screwed if you try to play loud. You can't turn up the music without blowing the woofers.

So, stop telling people rumble filters are "blatant nonsense". In my example, I just saved my speakers and kept on crankin' it and rocking by pushing a button you say I didn't need and would not work unless it was at 50Hz. While a third order filter at 20Hz would be ideal, or a second order at 30Hz, a second order filter (12db/oct) around 20Hz probably does get the job done even on small bookshelf speakers.
No reason to argue. I didn‘t convey my point, but you read the plot.

There‘s some content at 13Hz, which obviously originates in the basic tonearm resonance. And there’s more below. Of course that could run a ported design into mech/ overstress. We don‘t want it to reach the speaker. Question is, how to achieve this.
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It could be attenuated at the tonearm. My Denon DP37-F does it with some success. A Shure pickup with the ingenious brush also would operate under improved conditions. Not the least, the suspension of the pickup‘s cantilever could be damped, like the Audio Technica AT3600 shows. I acknowledge that this would rather keep the stylus in the groove, but not attenuate the resonance sufficiently.
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The example you give, in regard to the speaker, is quite illustrative. Some small midwoofer with a soft suspension, used with a reflex tuning at 50Hz. It is optimized to deliver the last dB of as deep bass as possible without equalizer. With today‘s digital sources such a design would run into the infamous un-loading below the tuning with quite regular music. It seems that most records are cut-off at 40Hz, while some more artsy stuff goes down to 30Hz. When taking a spectrum of contemporary content, I regularly see the highest levels at exactly the cut-off frequency. 42Hz is a musical fundamental, that‘s why. By all combined the un-load effect dictates how much the speaker could be cranked up. In order to exploit the potential of the speaker, given contemporary content (non vinyl), a filter addressing the speaker’s specifics is needed. That would happily deal with the tonearm resonance anyway, as a side effect.

Of course my argument comes from an idealistic position. But who am I to excuse shite speaker design? I accept the caveat, that the best passive speakers (Revel, KEF, …) address the problem with tunings at35Hz or lower. That fits the demand for the musical content. (But who was wise enough to consider the factual circumstances?) Well, with those the rumble filter is a reasonable add-on. Actives—protected.
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I concluded, that a rumble filter doesn‘t solve the problem stated in general. What folks need is to avoid those handy two-ways to begin with. Second, all wo/men need an equalizer to adjust the response to the room and listening position. That brings with it an appropriate cut-off filter, addressing the speaker, not the turntable, but solving the turntable issue on the go.
 
… solving the turntable issue on the go.
Yep, most vinyl enthusiasts tend to be ‚purists‘, fiddling w/ cables, load capacitance and all, the old fathers‘ stuff. But that‘s by choice, not need.
 
Yes i have closed active speakers crossed over to closed active subs both have thier own protection . I can apply some further filters in my streamer if I need them , if the Cambridge rumble filter is insufficient .

What about dampers , these tone arm dampers filled with silicone goo ?
 
Yes i have closed active speakers crossed over to closed active subs both have thier own protection . I can apply some further filters in my streamer if I need them , if the Cambridge rumble filter is insufficient .

What about dampers , these tone arm dampers filled with silicone goo ?
I remember still horrified an AT, that once wobbled like crazy. The vinyl age was a time of unfruitful experimentation galore for so little, actually. I would say, that Denon‘s later controlled tonearms solved the problem.

Thing is, the more damping, the more force needed to make the tonearm follow low frequency waving and excentricity. That is seen in my plot, and simply follows the physics. An oil bath is not easy to adjust right. Who ever could back in the day, without measurement? My AT 3600 cartridge barely takes advantage of the extra damping. It has enough built in. That one plays quite right on my other Thorens 126 Mk3. Seems I hate vinyl, right?

(The X5 is relatively easy retrofitted with a filter, see some post above.)

ps: once adjusted, the Denon platter allows a humble low cost pickup to handle 2.5kHz at 45cm/s, the theoretical maximum.
 
My personal review of the Fosi Audio Box X5

Finally, just before Christmas, my new Fosi Audio Box X5 phono preamplifier arrived.
Like all Fosi products, it promises excellent value for money, so I was very curious to see how it would perform compared to my self-built T-Phonum preamplifier (also based on OP-AMPs), and also against the built-in phono stage of my Marantz Cinema 70s amplifier (connected in pre-out to the Octave V40SE tube amplifier for stereo listening).

Online reviews of the Box X5 speak very positively about it, and the technical specifications and measurement results I read here seem very good. But how will it be listening to it once connected to my system?

The components I’ll use in the tests (i.e. my hi-fi system) are as follows:
  • Marantz Cinema 70s AVR
  • Octave V40SE amplifier
  • Dual 506 turntable with midrange MM phono cartridge
  • Blumenhofer Genuin Bookshelf speakers
  • Cammino S2.0s signal cables
  • Cammino SPK 6.01 power cables

What tests do I intend to carry out?
  1. Dual+Marantz+Octave
  2. Dual+T-Preamp+Marantz+Octave
  3. Dual+Box X5+Marantz+Octave
  4. Dual+T-Preamp+Octave
  5. Dual+Box X5+Octave
Which records?
  • Tina Turner - Foreign Affair
  • Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
I will test it in various listening configurations, although I already have a pretty clear idea of which will be the best (or I hope so).
What better way to start the first day of the new year than with a listening test?

The listening tests
Test 1 - Dual+Marantz+Octave
The connection to the Marantz phono input delivers an honest sound, neither bad nor good, suitable for those who don't want to fill their home with other electronic devices and are looking for simplicity. However I think you definitely lose something when listening...

Test 2 - Dual+T-Preamp+Marantz+Octave
The sound improves, the soundstage is wider and more detailed, the bass is present and the midrange does justice to Tina Turner's voice. But there is still a feeling that something is missing...

Test 3 - Dual+Box X5+Marantz+Octave
Switching from the homemade phono preamplifier to the Box X5 further improves the listening experience. Waters' bass takes shape, the overall musicality is more enjoyable and makes me want to move on to the next test...

Test 4 - Dual+T-Preamp+Octave
Removing an electronic component from the audio chain, however good it may be such as the Marantz Cinema 70s, in order to use the Octave V40SE, input directly with the T-Preamp, is a step that aligns the sound with what I heard in test 4. But what will happen in test 5?

Test 5 - Dual+Box X5+Octave
This is the point I wanted to make...
Tina Turner is present in the room, her voice is incisive, more alive than ever. But there is a musicality that was not there before, the soundstage is wide, the clocks from Pink Floyd's Time track spread throughout the room and every tick makes me 'see' the clock hands moving.
The soundstage on both albums is always open, 'joyful and playful', never fatiguing, every instrument finds its own distinct position in space, they are controlled across the entire frequency range and the vocals are always clearly distinct.
I let myself be carried away by the pleasure of the music and my wife appreciates it too. And it's always the WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor - that's the hardest to pass.
I'd say 2026 is off to a good start!

Final thoughts
Adding the Box X5 to my hi-fi setup brought a clear improvement in detail, dynamics, and the clarity of both instruments and vocals.
The perception of spatiality has definitely improved, as has the sound detail.
In my opinion, it is definitely an essential upgrade for those with a classic phono input in their stereo or audio-video amplifier, but also a big step forward compared to a solution (in my case, DIY) that is already of good quality.
Fortunately, at an affordable and more than attractive price...

In the future
The next step will be testing it in a friend's system, with a phono MC cartridge and much higher-end electronics than mine. I am curious to see how it performs compared to much more expensive and prestigious phono preamplifiers he has.

I’ll share more updates ASAP.
 
You think these sighted comparisons are really telling you the truth?
 
You think these sighted comparisons are really telling you the truth?
I, for one, appreciate hearing others experiences with these units. Take them at face value as each does have his own opinion. I’ve found the Fosi to be quite nice. It does have a pinch of noise at ear splitting levels on an unloaded cartridge (not in the wax) but once in the wax it disappears. The sonics of the Fosi are very good to me. I do not wear my loudspeakers as headphones.

For comparison I run a Waxwing. I have also used art pre dj, WiiM ultra, Denon 3803 receiver built in. They all have their interesting quips and strong points. I could also try my Marantz 5013 but haven’t felt the need.

I am not selling anything, so have nothing to gain or lose by stating this. Neither does anyone else here who posts their thoughts.
 
I, for one, appreciate hearing others experiences with these units. Take them at face value as each does have his own opinion. I’ve found the Fosi to be quite nice. It does have a pinch of noise at ear splitting levels on an unloaded cartridge (not in the wax) but once in the wax it disappears. The sonics of the Fosi are very good to me. I do not wear my loudspeakers as headphones.

For comparison I run a Waxwing. I have also used art pre dj, WiiM ultra, Denon 3803 receiver built in. They all have their interesting quips and strong points. I could also try my Marantz 5013 but haven’t felt the need.

I am not selling anything, so have nothing to gain or lose by stating this. Neither does anyone else here who posts their thoughts.
Went from this to a Cambridge Duo to a Waxwing. I prefer the Waxwing for features but could have easily stuck with the X5, same as you I was getting a bit of a noise floor till I hit wax, no big deal, the Cambridge and Waxwing are a bit quieter but hardly noticeable once one drops the needle. Compared to the Waxwing and the Cambridge the X5 for much less cash as quite a compliment.
 
You.

I guess 'audio science' doesn't apply to this thread?
The science is necessary.

We listen with our ears, mind and heart.

Measuring instruments can hear what we can’t.

Subjective assessments will always be part of the listening experience.
 
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Are you listening only with numbers? If so, it’s not what music (and hi-fi) for me is about
I'm not sure, I'm enjoying a LP right now so no numbers involved, but I'm blowing that all through a Waxwing and I'm knee deep in zeros and ones.

Sometimes life greatest mysteries shall go forever unsolved.
 
I'm not sure, I'm enjoying a LP right now so no numbers involved, but I'm blowing that all through a Waxwing and I'm knee deep in zeros and ones.

Sometimes life greatest mysteries shall go forever unsolved.
The Waxwing is a pleasure to have, use and listen to. It is super easy to put it out of mind that you are listening to a digital stream. I use toslink to feed the WiiM Ultra. I sometimes also use toslink to a sd recorder and save them as lossless flac. Other functions on the Waxwing just make it that much more useful and unrivaled by just about any other phono preamp.
 
The difference between 'real' and 'imaginary' is a pretty valuable, no?

And again: this ain't Audio Impressions Review. We at least nod to the rigors of science. At minimum this simply means acknowledging you could be quite mistaken.
 
The Waxwing is a pleasure to have, use and listen to. It is super easy to put it out of mind that you are listening to a digital stream. I use toslink to feed the WiiM Ultra. I sometimes also use toslink to a sd recorder and save them as lossless flac. Other functions on the Waxwing just make it that much more useful and unrivaled by just about any other phono preamp.

I run a Denon 6800 in preamp mode, due to the price of the unit I expected it to sound as good as the X5 but it was cheap enough to try (and return to Amazon if I did not hear a difference. I did, not huge but very noticeable. Which led me to the Cambridge with a lower noise floor. Then I kept reading about the waxwing, I kept reading about, even hit Gutenbergs board to see what the all vinyl chain boys with $10,000 tables, they loved the thing which was unexpected. I then ordered one still thinking it would get returned. Within a few hours I knew it was a keeper. I bought a second one a few weeks latter for my living room table. For me it is endgame, I feel no need to look any farther.

The world is digital for a reason, the majority of modern albums have digital processing at some point. To me the Waxwing sounds more analog than analog.

On testing all 3 have glowing reviews here. That is my starting point on the objective side, with the objective side done it was a matter to subjectively chose which to leave in place, the Waxwing won due mainly to features non existent on other pre amps. If you don't need these features then you have three units that sound very much the same with slight gains here and there, this is what makes this board great. A price for every budget $100, $300 (sale) $500 and all do exactly what they are designed for and do it well.

I always start out with the sceince to narrow things down, once I have a group then I might get a bit subjective. Works well for me.

It's a hell of a unit and finally my mono records sound great without a mono cartrige. I just set it to rightmono or leftmono and I don't seem to get any crosstalk you get with a stereo carttrige playing mono.

It's a swiss army knife of solutions. I admit I did almost avoid it, not because it's digital, it was due to it being the first of it's kind made by a one man show right down to the programing. In my mind and so often true, don't buy the first of anything that is a radical change from the norm, wait for improvements, it's rare somone nails such a unique unit on the first try (I know, the Puffin, to me the same as the Waxwing but easier to use).
 
And trusting biased listening conditions is not what audio science is about.
Agreed, the equipment reviewed here has a intended purpose, was built with scientific knowledge, testing and principles to meet it's intended purpose. If it built with "science" for an intended purpose science can and should be used to measure how well it lives up to it's intended purpose. Without that one is just taking the manufacturers word on performance. We all know how wrong that can be from non audio purchases. That's a good brand to (well, that was a good brand).

And as a comment on sighted reviews, ever walk into a showroom that has a huge pair of very expensive speakers playing, commenting on them sounding great, then having the sales person tell you it's their entry level satellites and sub right next to them, my mind then clicks into listen harder for the flaws which I seemed to hear. Same speakers, same sound, a mistake made with my eyes and my ears followed, Only my opinion changed, nothing else.

Happens to us all.
 
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