Fosi Audio DS2 Portable DAC & Amp Review

[Hammeredklavier]

Exaggeration. Works fine for me. YMMV. Sounds like some limited corner cases that have issues (is playing DSD of any SQ benefit?). Even the Win issues are resolved with a software driver.

It clearly doesn't work properly on the dominant operating system. This is not my first or only USB DAC, they usually just work.

Looks rushed to market with inadequate testing, these flaws aren't hard to find.

 

[Hammeredklavier]

No issues either as I use it with Neutron on iPhone.

OK, but who makes a USB DAC that doesn't work properly on Windows?!

I mean, if it never was intended to work on Windows then fair enough, but Fosi should state that loudly and clearly.

 

[MC_RME]

The issues reported here can also be circumvented by a clever player implementation, and I would not wonder if Neutron is such a player. So I don't state that the DS2 always works on iOS - I really don't know. I use it on iPhone for music listening (via Neutron), and movies (where the reported issues are non-issues, even if they still happen). I will do some tests myself, but later, when I find the time. It's simply not that important for me as it works (for me, sorry).

And the extra volume and oomph that the DS2 gives compared to Apple's crappy reduced output power (in Europe. Does anyone know if the US iPhones still spit out 2 V via the Apple USB-C dongle? 0.3 V unbalanced over here...yeah...). So I now have 11 dB more volume, headroom, reserve, extra gain...whatever you call or how you use it, and couldn't be more happy. (Edit: even 17 dB more for the DS2 balanced output compared to the iPhone 16 dongle. Got me a balanced cable for the Zero:2 and it is really heaven...).

 

[Berwhale]

It clearly doesn't work properly on the dominant operating system. This is not my first or only USB DAC, they usually just work.

Looks rushed to market with inadequate testing, these flaws aren't hard to find.

Listening to DSD files and/or using exclusive mode is very far from the dominant way of consuming music on the Windows OS. Your issues are an edge case. That doesn't mean they are not real, or that they are not a concern for you, but they are really not a concern for the vast majority of people who will buy the DS2. I would not expect Fosi to spend too much time trying to resolve them; we are talking about a $55 portable DAC/amp here!

 

[Hammeredklavier]

Listening to DSD files and/or using exclusive mode is very far from the dominant way of consuming music on the Windows OS. Your issues are an edge case. That doesn't mean they are not real, or that they are not a concern for you, but they are really not a concern for the vast majority of people who will buy the DS2. I would not expect Fosi to spend too much time trying to resolve them; we are talking about a $55 portable DAC/amp here!

I use Foobar and Amazon music on Windows computers, it's not that fringe!

Yeah it's a cheap DAC and I've got others, but even so. I've had USB DACs that cost £20 that work properly.

 

[BabyLamb89]

Hi, long time reader, first time poster, I received my DS2 last week and haven't had much of a chance to fiddle with it, but I've now noticed that it likes to cut the first half second of audio off of lots of things, i.e. it fades in, which also means I don't get any Windows system sounds. I can open the Windows WAV file in Foobar (running in shared mode) and the file will play once but no sound will be made. If I put the track on repeat after two or three plays it will start making a sound. It works great on Android but these issues on Windows, while small, are really annoying! Any forthcoming fixes or things to try? I've tried changing bit depth etc but without success.

Back to my EU Apple Dongle for now.

 

[Hammeredklavier]

Hi, long time reader, first time poster, I received my DS2 last week and haven't had much of a chance to fiddle with it, but I've now noticed that it likes to cut the first half second of audio off of lots of things, i.e. it fades in, which also means I don't get any Windows system sounds. I can open the Windows WAV file in Foobar (running in shared mode) and the file will play once but no sound will be made. If I put the track on repeat after two or three plays it will start making a sound. It works great on Android but these issues on Windows, while small, are really annoying! Any forthcoming fixes or things to try? I've tried changing bit depth etc but without success.

Back to my EU Apple Dongle for now.

Yeah same issue, I press play, as normal, and it does this weird fade in with a particularly annoying left-right panning effect or something. Is that even a bug or a design choice?!

 

[staticV3]

Does anyone know if the US iPhones still spit out 2 V via the Apple USB-C dongle?

No Apple dongle is capable of 2V output. 1V is the limit.

 

[BabyLamb89]

Yeah same issue, I press play, as normal, and it does this weird fade in with a particularly annoying left-right panning effect or something. Is that even a bug or a design choice?!

I just don't get how it can't play the Windows system sounds at all. I assume there's either some kind of power saving feature or buffering happening but it really shouldn't. I will wait for a driver update perhaps but I'm not getting my hopes up.
(I'm deaf in one ear so no idea about the panning effect, sorry)

 

[Psinet]

It clearly doesn't work properly on the dominant operating system. This is not my first or only USB DAC, they usually just work.

Looks rushed to market with inadequate testing, these flaws aren't hard to find.

Working amazing on Windows 11 playing studio rips of my favourite electronic artists (wav at 24 bit 48khz). Incredible to be honest. Simply the best audio I have ever heard.

Edit: Just using Windows Media player. Device selected as main out in windows. Holy cursing angels this is a good sounding DAC.

 

[Cadillacofminds]

As far as people saying there's a panning effect, the effect I get when there's this quick fade in (have only used on my s24 playing the YouTube app, no downloaded audio player apps) is that one ear starts the quick fade in a split second before the other ear, and I think it varies which ear starts playing the fade in first, lol

 

[BabyLamb89]

Just plugged mine in again and left it at 16bit 44.1 sample rate and it seems okay. Windows sounds play as they should. Will have to do further experimenting.

 

[mc.god]

I just don't get how it can't play the Windows system sounds at all. I assume there's either some kind of power saving feature or buffering happening but it really shouldn't. I will wait for a driver update perhaps but I'm not getting my hopes up.
(I'm deaf in one ear so no idea about the panning effect, sorry)

I honestly don't think that any drivers update could change this, the device is controlled by the native Windows uac2 audio drivers, any driver provided by Fosi will be only ASIO drivers for the Savithech usb bridge used in the dongle, useful only in application supporting ASIO output.
My Sonata BHD with identical hardware behave in the same way also under Linux every time you start playing something after it stopped for more than 2-3 seconds, if you stop and resume playing before that 2-3 seconds it doesn't happen. I think it's something related to Savitech configuration to avoid pops or noise when it come back from power saving mode, for example my Jcally JM20, again with same hardware, doesn't cut the audio but instead produces a brief background pink noise in the same conditions.
So maybe something manageable in Savitech settings, disabling power saving via a firmware update for anyone not using it in mobility, but who knows.
It doesn't bother me since i don't use os system sounds at all and for continued listening to music this initial issue is not a big deal.
Btw, no pops or dropouts during playback or when switching sample rate on the fly (pipewire in liunx supports variable sample rate even in non exclusive mode).

 

[Psinet]

I did get the interrupt/fade in error people are talking about.

BUT this was during an uninterrupted 90 min set - single file, no breaks. Happened 2-3 times consecutively (in 2 mins). I paused, started music. Didn't happen again for 30 mins now......

Edit: Win 11, Media Player, all updates, default settings. Still best sound source I ever heard on my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro....

Edit Edit: It only happened that one time, in a consecutive set (2-3 times in 1-2 mins), then never happened again in 5hrs solid listening to audiophile recordings.

Odd.

 

[MC_RME]

No Apple dongle is capable of 2V output. 1V is the limit.

You are most certainly right. I checked my old documents but didn't find the oldest ones. AFAIR the 2V came out of an iPad's phones output. The Apple Lightning and USB-C dongle spit out no more than 1 V, just checked on various devices. Even worse: these days iPhones seem to be limited to 500 mV (Thailand, most probably same as US) and 300 mV (EU), with both Lightning and USB-C.

 

[Dipsa]

Hello to everyone..
Its my first post here and i want to share my experience with DS2 (2024 version).

I received the dongle a couple of days ago and faced the same problem of interrupt/fade in error in both my desktop and laptop with win11 latest version .
I downloaded the provided windows driver by fosi website (DS2_2024_driver_20231128) and installed it .
After restarting the machines (as instructed) the problem remained the same....
I had to update the driver manually by going to device manager, click on sound, video and game controllers, right click on Fosi Audio DS2 device and hit update driver...browse my computer for drivers, let me pick from a list of available drivers and selected Bravo-HD USB Audio Device...
After restarting ( both machines) the problem disappeared....
I am very happy now with the dongle....

 

[Basilderat]

I use it with a Win 11 laptop and Foobar 2000 64-bit v2.1.5 with the ASIOProxy/foo_dsd_asio driver including the Bravo HD app supplied on the Fosi website and have not experienced any dropout issues. I primarily play DSD files but also use FLAC/PCM.

https://support.fosiaudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/32879080134937-How-to-Set-Up-the-New-DS2-on-Foobar2000

 

[Dipsa]

Hello to everyone..
Its my first post here and i want to share my experience with DS2 (2024 version).

I received the dongle a couple of days ago and faced the same problem of interrupt/fade in error in both my desktop and laptop with win11 latest version .
I downloaded the provided windows driver by fosi website (DS2_2024_driver_20231128) and installed it .
After restarting the machines (as instructed) the problem remained the same....
I had to update the driver manually by going to device manager, click on sound, video and game controllers, right click on Fosi Audio DS2 device and hit update driver...browse my computer for drivers, let me pick from a list of available drivers and selected Bravo-HD USB Audio Device...
After restarting ( both machines) the problem disappeared....
I am very happy now with the dongle....

I noticed that Fosi Audio changed the name and location of the downloadable windows driver for the DS2 (2024) dongle.
You can find it in the ''DS2 foobar installation（20240301）.zip '' file..

 

[Hammeredklavier]

Hello to everyone..
Its my first post here and i want to share my experience with DS2 (2024 version).

I received the dongle a couple of days ago and faced the same problem of interrupt/fade in error in both my desktop and laptop with win11 latest version .
I downloaded the provided windows driver by fosi website (DS2_2024_driver_20231128) and installed it .
After restarting the machines (as instructed) the problem remained the same....
I had to update the driver manually by going to device manager, click on sound, video and game controllers, right click on Fosi Audio DS2 device and hit update driver...browse my computer for drivers, let me pick from a list of available drivers and selected Bravo-HD USB Audio Device...
After restarting ( both machines) the problem disappeared....
I am very happy now with the dongle....

Thanks I'll give this a try...

 

[Hammeredklavier]

Thanks I'll give this a try...

... no, same issue. Subjectively it seems to be slightly harder to provoke the dropouts... if I don't touch the computer at all it's OK, but as soon as I start using apps...

Back to my trusty Arcam!