Fosi Audio DS2 Portable DAC & Amp Review

[GeekyBastard]

Info about 9312 can be found here
https://www.pawpaw.cn/media/documents/2022-12/SA9312L_V10_201709041.pdf

Thank you, those were some extremely useful information, it answered my question why the Savitech driver panel always states it's outputing in 88.2KHz when I play DSD64 files, I thought there's something wrong with my settings, apparently that's just by design.

 

[m8o]

Never thought someone could/would knock E1DA off its perch. While it hasn't done so in low impedance power delivery (*), by most every other metric +4.4mm plug +hardware volume controls, it has done so, at least IMO. :thumbs-up: If it was available on Amazon would have picked one up today.
(*) the balanced 9038 outputs a tad more ... seems to be a mistake that the comparison chart omits that and includes the lower performing unbalanced version of it.

 

[alexanderino]

By "exclusive mode" do you mean Windows 10's WASAPI exclusive mode? If so, does it also fade in if you start playback? And does it fade out if you stop playback? To me that would be just as ugly as clicks and pops. Is this only with foobar2000 or with other software, too?

Windows 11's WASAPI exclusive mode, yes. It's accessed through foobar2000's output selection. It does not alter the data in any way, hence no fade ins or outs. That's a characteristic of the DS2 when seeking/skipping. It does not behave like this when a shared mode output is selected.

 

[Eddie]

Windows 11's WASAPI exclusive mode, yes. It's accessed through foobar2000's output selection. It does not alter the data in any way, hence no fade ins or outs. That's a characteristic of the DS2 when seeking/skipping. It does not behave like this when a shared mode output is selected.

So if I understand you correctly, when you start or stop a track in foobar2000 with WASAPI exclusive mode there are no fades. But when you skip to another track or seek within a track then there are fades?
Maybe you have enabled the "Fading" setting in foobar2000? However, it would not explain why it is different in WASAPI shared mode.

 

[Parky]

Great review. I recently got one. And here's my experience trying to get the best performance out of this using tidal (I quit spotify). For android (Samsung S20) , it's usb audio Pro player all the way1 for the driver to use the ds2 at full power. You can also use neutron but that's only for files on the phone from my brief time with it. Tidal no longer allows you to bypass the rss and play high res as they stopped supporting mqa in July. This was the easiest I had it. I have been using my ipad air 3 as a streamer and using the 3.5mm jack out to a yamaha as301. Good audio if you use pue direct and the cd rca in. Now for me to get the ipad air 3 to work with high res music as been a learning curve were i nearly brought a wiim ultra multiple times and then to toss the ipad out the window. But I endured. First I used a jausx red usbc to 3.5mm jack from amazon with a mefi lightening to usb 3 and lightening power otg again from amazon. This worked while I awaited my fosi ds2 to be delivered. When the fosi ds2 arrived I could not wait to get it working with first my s20 took two days to finally buying usb audio Pro player as I do not want to root my device. Then it was on to my ipad.... I unplugged my jausx red usbc to lightening plugged it and the light on the dongle went from blue to red but no audio as tidal app had stopped. So I do trouble shooting steps unplugging and pluging again. Reusing the red jausx 3.5mm to confirm I did not short out the otg dongle,ipad or amp then plugged it back in and still Nadal. I go on a YouTube who mentioned that it may not work with certain dongles and I sigh knowing that it's back to amazon to get a official apple lightening to usb and lightening power otg dongle. This took several tries as many products were listed till I could get to the official apple store on amazon and then navigate it to find the specific dongle I needed. And what luck it was £5 quid off and I thought the gods were smiling at me. Brought and wait 48 hours for the new dongle tried a lightening to usbc direct lead again from amazon and again did not work then I furiously searched the Web and going down dead end after dead end and YouTube video after video looking for answer has my irration levels rose. I finally got the dongle through the post and I thought my wors were coming to a end. But alas not when I plugged the new otg it wanted to be updated and fretted over wehter i should or not for a infinite time that lasted only second before I tapped update and watch the progress bar update slowly and hoping that they otg dongle would not fall out of its socket while resisting the temptation to see what would happen it I pulled it out these were long tense minutes. Once it was updated I plugged in the ds2 in using the usb 3 to usbc converter that came with the dac and then I plugged in the amp to the dongle 3.5mm rca. I then pressed play on the tidal app and the music played through the ipad speaker and I was defeat for days I had failed to get the ds2 to work with my ipad air Pro. I rightly got angry and sceamed to the world why oh why and was ready to return everything. For minutes i lamented in my defeat. When suddenly the ipad stopped playing music and I though what now what now I have broken the ipad with my words. And then I heard the sweetest thing gentle quiet music coning from my new wharfedale 12.1 I just added to my as301 amp and I was over joyed and celebrated and let that music loose from the speakers and celebrate think I won this war but it was only the battle when I realised tidal was playing music at max but the light was red on the ds2. I knew I could not give up with every small victory I came closer. Know all I had to do was get high res audio to work and that itself was another journey. Back to Internet to reddit to YouTube to me streaming as I could not fet this red light to change colour any colour. I was doing hard restarts hoping this would get the otg to play high res and then I thought how could I know it was lossless I was receiving so I started to research again and found out I had to turn it in the setting under music and not in the apple music app. I lambasted apple for this. I then found it turned it and then had realised how I know it was on apple music never gave any meta data on the music. So once more to the Internet and found it was shown by a squiggly line on the music so tentatively started playing a random song and saw the lossless symbol so I then looked down at my ds2 and the light.... was yes red I was defeated again and I nearly broke. So I it was back to researching again and this time I found a reference to high res lossless bit there only a toggle for lossles. I went back to the setting apparently and looked under music and there was only the lossless toggle for music. I searched fantacially at the website again and again they said use high res lossless l. What were they on about I barked to myself and then I looked at the music section of the setting app again and saw the option for wireless and cellular were lossless so I tapped on them and their beholdent to me was the high res lossless option. At last victory was again in sight so I went changed bot setting to high res lossless. Went to apple music played the first song I could saw it was lossless and then with bated breath reach out for my ds2 dongle hanging on my apple usb 3 otg and when ot was in my hand looked down at the light as the music kicked in and it was not red but orange beautiful orange my clouds of victory. Over a week and I could now play high res audio from my s20 and my ipad air 3. And its 2am bst I am now listening to sasha tribal session on sound cloud and the dongle is red but I know I won the war, and all is well within my world This was my first audiophile journey, but I doubt the last. It has been emotional. Thank you for reading.

 

[renaudrenaud]

Listening today at the office. OMG!

This is an hidden gem on my desk, I like it very much. Thank you Fosi (again!).

 

[renaudrenaud]

Great review. I recently got one. And here's my experience trying to get the best performance out of this using tidal (I quit spotify). For android (Samsung S20) , it's usb audio Pro player all the way1 for the driver to use the ds2 at full power. You can also use neutron but that's only for files on the phone from my brief time with it. Tidal no longer allows you to bypass the rss and play high res as they stopped supporting mqa in July. This was the easiest I had it. I have been using my ipad air 3 as a streamer and using the 3.5mm jack out to a yamaha as301. Good audio if you use pue direct and the cd rca in. Now for me to get the ipad air 3 to work with high res music as been a learning curve were i nearly brought a wiim ultra multiple times and then to toss the ipad out the window. But I endured. First I used a jausx red usbc to 3.5mm jack from amazon with a mefi lightening to usb 3 and lightening power otg again from amazon. This worked while I awaited my fosi ds2 to be delivered. When the fosi ds2 arrived I could not wait to get it working with first my s20 took two days to finally buying usb audio Pro player as I do not want to root my device. Then it was on to my ipad.... I unplugged my jausx red usbc to lightening plugged it and the light on the dongle went from blue to red but no audio as tidal app had stopped. So I do trouble shooting steps unplugging and pluging again. Reusing the red jausx 3.5mm to confirm I did not short out the otg dongle,ipad or amp then plugged it back in and still Nadal. I go on a YouTube who mentioned that it may not work with certain dongles and I sigh knowing that it's back to amazon to get a official apple lightening to usb and lightening power otg dongle. This took several tries as many products were listed till I could get to the official apple store on amazon and then navigate it to find the specific dongle I needed. And what luck it was £5 quid off and I thought the gods were smiling at me. Brought and wait 48 hours for the new dongle tried a lightening to usbc direct lead again from amazon and again did not work then I furiously searched the Web and going down dead end after dead end and YouTube video after video looking for answer has my irration levels rose. I finally got the dongle through the post and I thought my wors were coming to a end. But alas not when I plugged the new otg it wanted to be updated and fretted over wehter i should or not for a infinite time that lasted only second before I tapped update and watch the progress bar update slowly and hoping that they otg dongle would not fall out of its socket while resisting the temptation to see what would happen it I pulled it out these were long tense minutes. Once it was updated I plugged in the ds2 in using the usb 3 to usbc converter that came with the dac and then I plugged in the amp to the dongle 3.5mm rca. I then pressed play on the tidal app and the music played through the ipad speaker and I was defeat for days I had failed to get the ds2 to work with my ipad air Pro. I rightly got angry and sceamed to the world why oh why and was ready to return everything. For minutes i lamented in my defeat. When suddenly the ipad stopped playing music and I though what now what now I have broken the ipad with my words. And then I heard the sweetest thing gentle quiet music coning from my new wharfedale 12.1 I just added to my as301 amp and I was over joyed and celebrated and let that music loose from the speakers and celebrate think I won this war but it was only the battle when I realised tidal was playing music at max but the light was red on the ds2. I knew I could not give up with every small victory I came closer. Know all I had to do was get high res audio to work and that itself was another journey. Back to Internet to reddit to YouTube to me streaming as I could not fet this red light to change colour any colour. I was doing hard restarts hoping this would get the otg to play high res and then I thought how could I know it was lossless I was receiving so I started to research again and found out I had to turn it in the setting under music and not in the apple music app. I lambasted apple for this. I then found it turned it and then had realised how I know it was on apple music never gave any meta data on the music. So once more to the Internet and found it was shown by a squiggly line on the music so tentatively started playing a random song and saw the lossless symbol so I then looked down at my ds2 and the light.... was yes red I was defeated again and I nearly broke. So I it was back to researching again and this time I found a reference to high res lossless bit there only a toggle for lossles. I went back to the setting apparently and looked under music and there was only the lossless toggle for music. I searched fantacially at the website again and again they said use high res lossless l. What were they on about I barked to myself and then I looked at the music section of the setting app again and saw the option for wireless and cellular were lossless so I tapped on them and their beholdent to me was the high res lossless option. At last victory was again in sight so I went changed bot setting to high res lossless. Went to apple music played the first song I could saw it was lossless and then with bated breath reach out for my ds2 dongle hanging on my apple usb 3 otg and when ot was in my hand looked down at the light as the music kicked in and it was not red but orange beautiful orange my clouds of victory. Over a week and I could now play high res audio from my s20 and my ipad air 3. And its 2am bst I am now listening to sasha tribal session on sound cloud and the dongle is red but I know I won the war, and all is well within my world This was my first audiophile journey, but I doubt the last. It has been emotional. Thank you for reading.

Sir, I guess there is an "Enter" in you keyboards (virtual or physical). May I suggest you use it?

 

[BDWoody]

This was my first audiophile journey, but I doubt the last. It has been emotional. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for joining us here in our little corner of the audio world!

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Never thought someone could/would knock E1DA off its perch. While it hasn't done so in low impedance power delivery (*), by most every other metric +4.4mm plug +hardware volume controls, it has done so, at least IMO. :thumbs-up: If it was available on Amazon would have picked one up today.
(*) the balanced 9038 outputs a tad more ... seems to be a mistake that the comparison chart omits that and includes the lower performing unbalanced version of it.

The E1DA is a few years old product, but the price is very good even today.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Sir, I guess there is an "Enter" in you keyboards (virtual or physical). May I suggest you use it?

Yeah, it is really hard to get what you said.

 

[LtMandella]

Sir, I guess there is an "Enter" in you keyboards (virtual or physical). May I suggest you use it?

It's called "Stream of Consciousness"

 

[ShadowBoxer]

You can also use Neutron but that's only for files on the phone from my brief time with it.

Nope.

 

[renaudrenaud]

It's called "Stream of Consciousness"

I stopped the reading when high rez and mqa where in the same phrase.

 

[Labjr]

I stopped reading after "Great review."

 

[DSJR]

Mine came from Fosi to my UK home in around a week, with full package tracking available on their site (looks like three days to the UK and then two days to the house!)

I had no idea what to expect, but the packing box is smart, the inner sliding out to reveal the unit, which is quite small and superbly finished and presented I think. Also packed is a very short USB C-C connector and an A-C adaptor which is a great thing to find.

I already had a 3m USB 3 to C cable (a posh looking LDLrui thing from Amazon which cost a massive £13.99) from the PC's USB3 sockets and I also bought a flexible half metre 3.5mm - RCA cable for it (again from Amazon, a 'Primewire' type at £7.99, very high-end ).

The amp offers a 50k input impedance on the line inputs and unlike the US spec Apple dongle, which doesn't have enough level really unless the volume control is whacked right round when used this way (unintended in fairness), this little Fosi unit is exactly the same output as a CD player, give or take, as-is the SU1 which is now destined for better things

All I can say is it 'sounds' great and although audio memory is pathetic, using the existing CD player as crude reference, the Fosi and SU1 'sound' exactly the same, which is exactly how it should be. The volume up and down buttons don't work with unit used this way, but mention is made of that in the instruction book, which seems well written.

So, for fifty quid or so including exit cable and Fosi promotion, I'm a very happy bunny and very impressed with this little box, which tucks away behind the unit the system's sat on. Tiny orange led to say it's receiving power and it IS fully usable as a very simple USB (C) desktop dac which performs incredibly well too.

I love things like this. Small, well put together and which work so well, showing the entire high end audio industry for the foo peddlers they are (Accuphase want a grand or thereabouts for a sodding great component-filled dac board which I doubt performs as well as this Fosi with hardly anything on it and as for Chord and DCs products at hundreds or even thousands the price!!!). Thanks @amirm for reviewing it and thanks Fosi for being so fair on pricing in my opinion...

 

[Chester]

Mine’s meant to be arriving today, but Evri seem to have ballsed it up, as per usual.

£36 door to door…..just unbelievable.

 

[alexanderino]

So if I understand you correctly, when you start or stop a track in foobar2000 with WASAPI exclusive mode there are no fades. But when you skip to another track or seek within a track then there are fades?
Maybe you have enabled the "Fading" setting in foobar2000? However, it would not explain why it is different in WASAPI shared mode.
View attachment 394799

You understand incorrectly. It's the DS2's hardware fading that comes into play when exclusive mode is enabled — not foobar2000's. I have disabled fading altogether in foobar2000.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Hey @amirm. I know you don't normally do second takes, and excuse me if others already asked for this, but I noticed the instrumentation error.

If you ever get the chance, could you do the power versus distortion charts with the noise level corrected? I am curious to see how its power versus distortion charts, when corrected, compare with the TempoTec Sonata BHD. Thanks a thousands times over!

 

[Basilderat]

Just received mine. There is a download available on the Fosi site for DSD playback in Foobar. Works great. Works on iPhone too with just a cheap USB-C to Lightning adapter. Sound is excellent with my Sennheiser 620s on both platforms, will go nice and loud when required.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

Mine’s meant to be arriving today, but Evri seem to have ballsed it up, as per usual.

£36 door to door…..just unbelievable.

Haha, everyone know Evri now.