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Fosi Audio DS2 Portable DAC & Amp Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Just recently got a replacement after my first one got stolen and the audio fade in effect seems to have been fixed on the new unit. Also want to note this thing is incredibly well built. Had my first unit for about a year with daily use without any issues with the volume buttons or anything.
Edit:
Seems like there is still a fading effect but fades in more quickly and evenly most of the time. Sometimes one channel will fade in slower than the other but still a lot better compared to my old unit.
Edit:
Seems like there is still a fading effect but fades in more quickly and evenly most of the time. Sometimes one channel will fade in slower than the other but still a lot better compared to my old unit.
Last edited:
Thanks for the response! I'll probably swap it over to an Apple device and use something else on the Win11 desktop. Ever since I disabled USB power saving this machine has been crashing nightly after 5+ hours of idle time....
I've had trouble with the USB socket on my DS2 ever since I got it but it's getting worse and worse and now I can't really use it on the move as it so easily loses connection with the slightest perturbation (causing Neutron player to blast the music out the phone speakers). On balanced connection, I find no flaw in the output whatsoever, it sounds fantastic. So I would quite like to stick with the same model and I'm considering buying it again. But is it a problem anyone else has run into? I can understand a little bad luck, but I wouldn't like to reward bad construction with further purchases.
Tried a load of different cables. The most successful are the ones where the wire can flex without much force on the end plugged into the DS2. Still, if it wiggles even a little at the end of the cable it usually cuts out.
If I drive the dongle with a player that has software volume, e. g. Apple Music or JRiver, which is the best setup in terms of audio resolution? Software volume at max/disabled and using the buttons in the dongle?
I have the same problem, at least with the free cable it came with,
I tried another USB-C > USB-C cable and the problem goes away (mostly), however the shortest cable available to me at the moment is 60 Cm and quite inflexible, so not a good solution, still looking for a replacement , length <35 Cm, but difficult to find.
Any suggestions are welcome
masterhw
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typically best practice is to have the player app at full volume, hardware volume most of the way up (doesn’t have to be maxed if that provides too small of a volume range), and using the OS volume control. As long as the device is set to 24 or 32 bits, OS level volume control is fine and has plenty of headroom.
Thus, in case the player app bypasses the OS mixer/volume control (e.g "Integer Mode" option in JRiver), best using hardware volume, correct?
masterhw
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In that case it sounds like your only option, unless you still have player volume control. I would set hardware volume to just beyond the loudest you see yourself realistically using, and then dial using software from there.
This one was my favourite out of all I tried.I have the same problem, at least with the free cable it came with,
I tried another USB-C > USB-C cable and the problem goes away (mostly), however the shortest cable available to me at the moment is 60 Cm and quite inflexible, so not a good solution, still looking for a replacement , length <35 Cm, but difficult to find.
Any suggestions are welcome
The connectors are a bit sharp on the edges, but the short length and flexibility made up for it. I tried the shortest ones from U-Green but they were too thick and inflexible.
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
Have you got lint in the USB socket of your phone? That stops stuff being plugged in properly. I use a silicone USB-C plug to plug the port when not being used.
OregonMike
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I've had it a few days, and I'm impressed. Sounds like my FIIO BTR5 but smaller and easier to use - does not suck the juice out of my phone as rapidly either. I wish it had a volume indicator - the volume control is good.This is a review, detailed measurements and listening tests of Fosi Audio DS2 portable DAC and balanced headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $55.
View attachment 392931
Well, it looks like a dongle.
View attachment 392932
Let's measure it and see where it stands.
Fosi Audio DS2 Measurements
Let's start with the balanced output:
View attachment 392933
Wow! I did not expect this level of performance! We are talking good desktop class DAC output here with SINAD that tops the chart of all portable devices I have ever tested:
View attachment 392934
Unbalanced output is naturally limited to 2 volts:
View attachment 392935
Even this performance is great with highest level distortion at -120 dB (below threshold of hearing).
Good news doesn't stop there. Check out the dynamic range:
View attachment 392936
Once again it competes with some of the best desktop headphone amps:
View attachment 392937
The quietness manifests itself even in the filter test:
View attachment 392938
Low distortion shows up well in multitone test:
View attachment 392939
Jitter is in the same class:
View attachment 392940
Above tests were static so I could drive the unit properly. For sweeps, my analyzer output gets distorted through the driver translation layer so please ignore the noise level in these power tests:
View attachment 392941
View attachment 392942
View attachment 392943
View attachment 392944
As we see, power output is excellent as well.
I noted on the first graph the idle power consumption being around 0.4 watts (at 5 volts). When playing music, it shoots up to 1.7 watts or so.
Fosi Audio DS2 Listening Tests
I started with the Sennheiser HD650 high impedance headphone. The DS2 drove it with no difficultly, producing excellent fidelity and bass impact. Higher power desktop amps push it a notch higher but what was there was plenty enough with some headroom left to play with. I then plugged in my difficult to drive Dan Clark E3 headphone and was very surprised when the DS2 drove it with no hint of distortion. It was perfectly usable on the DS2 -- something I rarely say for a portable product.
Conclusions
The Fosi DS2 blows away the objective barriers for a portable DAC and headphone amplifier, producing desktop class noise and distortion. Hard to imagine this little device doing that but it clearly is, and doing it at such a reasonable cost! It really redefines the category. Usability is excellent with hard button volume controls. Really, don't know what else to say other than be mindful of power consumption which shoots up to 1.7 watts when playing loud.
If you are short of space, the DS2 can easily play the role of a desktop DAC.
It is my pleasure to recommend the Fosi Audio DS2 portable DAC and headphone amplifier.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
Fosi Audio,A big thank you to Amir for the review.
The DS2 is one of our products as we make our entry into the high-performance DAC market. The DAC market is filled with many outstanding companies with which everyone is familiar. We will humbly learn from these companies as we continue to grow, and we hope to follow in their footsteps by bringing Fosi Audio’s unique touch to DACs for audiophiles worldwide. In addition to portable DACs, we’ll soon be introducing a desktop DAC as well.
To show our appreciation for the support from ASR members, we’re offering a special discount code for the DS2. You can use this code to get 20% off your DS2 purchase!
ASRDS220
link:
https://fosiaudio.com/products/fosi-audio-ds2-2024-dac-headphone-amplifier
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTHN2QB3
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BJ66KJ2B
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BJ66KJ2B
https://www.ebay.com/itm/296311456320
Taking the DS2 architecture and adding a battery and Bluetooth (including LDAC) would be a neat product in my opinion.
By the way, I purchased a DS2 a couple months ago to use as a portable source from my phone for powered speakers. It works well for this. Feeding a pair of Kali LP-8 monitors, the DS2 is the only unbalanced source that I have tried that doesn't create a lot of hum and noise, which made other unbalanced sources unusable with the Kali LP-8. I'm guessing that the DS2 being "off the grid" is the reason for this.
Just to update, Fosi support have been good on this. I was still well within warranty, so after demonstrating the issue, they sent me a new DS2, which I'm enjoying now and will take for a walk tomorrow.
Presumably given the only other reported problem was due to the cable, mine was just one random bad port. I've had that once before with a TS jack, so I know this kind of thing happens from time to time. Probably not an indication of any bad design, manufacturing or QC.
Nice one, Fosi.
Rise of Seren
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I've had mine for 9 months now and I'm still so confused.
I have no idea what settings to run it at in Windows, do I do the default 48khz/32bit or something else. Do I change anything in Foobar? Ect.
At first I had major problems with it cutting out when it first started playing and was able to mostly fix that by changing the driver priority to high (for some reason it was medium). Then I had problems with the USB cable cutting out, though I'm not surprised since I was using the USB-C to A cable and due to it's short length and my case being an Silverstone Alta F1, I had no choice but to plug it in the front and the cable was permanently doing a 90 degree angle that looked painful to look at. I recently bought a new 50cm cable and did some blind testing to see if the quality was the same I couldn't really tell (I don't have any measurement tools or w/e).
I checked USBDeviceView and both cables report 100 mA power figures for the Fosi DS2 even when in use, while other are reporting 500 mA or higher. I couldn't get that figure to change regardless of USB 2/3 ports used. I tried disabling "selective usb suspend" in Windows with no luck.
I'm currently only using a Hyper X Cloud Alpha (the non-S version) but plan to upgrade to a Fiio FT1. Using Windows 10. Motherboard doesn't have USB-C so I need to connect via A.
Also wondering if that power is an issue, would dropping it to 24bit help at all?
EDIT: The cable I bought was this: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/nexgen...ord-cable-for-samsung-ipad-05m-kgc5-a7-01-02/ do I need to buy a higher quality one? Also I just realised 50cm is pointless as even though it's outside my case when plugging in at rear, it's so close to my power supply I don't like the idea of that. I'm probably going to need longer (which I also don't know about audio quality getting affected) to have it from rear IO or 20-50cm but can handle being plugged in the front with a 90 degree drop better.
I changed priority with GoInterruptPolicy.
I have no idea what settings to run it at in Windows, do I do the default 48khz/32bit or something else. Do I change anything in Foobar? Ect.
At first I had major problems with it cutting out when it first started playing and was able to mostly fix that by changing the driver priority to high (for some reason it was medium). Then I had problems with the USB cable cutting out, though I'm not surprised since I was using the USB-C to A cable and due to it's short length and my case being an Silverstone Alta F1, I had no choice but to plug it in the front and the cable was permanently doing a 90 degree angle that looked painful to look at. I recently bought a new 50cm cable and did some blind testing to see if the quality was the same I couldn't really tell (I don't have any measurement tools or w/e).
I checked USBDeviceView and both cables report 100 mA power figures for the Fosi DS2 even when in use, while other are reporting 500 mA or higher. I couldn't get that figure to change regardless of USB 2/3 ports used. I tried disabling "selective usb suspend" in Windows with no luck.
I'm currently only using a Hyper X Cloud Alpha (the non-S version) but plan to upgrade to a Fiio FT1. Using Windows 10. Motherboard doesn't have USB-C so I need to connect via A.
Also wondering if that power is an issue, would dropping it to 24bit help at all?
EDIT: The cable I bought was this: https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/nexgen...ord-cable-for-samsung-ipad-05m-kgc5-a7-01-02/ do I need to buy a higher quality one? Also I just realised 50cm is pointless as even though it's outside my case when plugging in at rear, it's so close to my power supply I don't like the idea of that. I'm probably going to need longer (which I also don't know about audio quality getting affected) to have it from rear IO or 20-50cm but can handle being plugged in the front with a 90 degree drop better.
I changed priority with GoInterruptPolicy.
Last edited:
Sorry, as I'm sure someone covered this, can anyone confirm an mfi certified Lightning to USB-c (preferably something short!) that works with the DS2. I have been using the DS2 with my MacBook Pro and would like the option to use it with my iPhone 14 Pro (lightning). The USB-c to Lightning cables that I have lying around don't do the trick...
the original Apple one is not working?
USB-C to Lightning Cable (1 m)
The USB-C to Lightning Cable connects any iPhone, iPad, or iPod with Lightning connector to a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) enabled Mac. Buy now at apple.com.
www.apple.com
Unfortunately I've not a Lighting equipped iPhone anymore to test. From specs it seems a bi-directional cable and I remember that I could transfer data from iPhone to usb-c laptop.
Stefano
You’ll need an OTG cable. Here are two that I have that will work for your needs:
Amazon.com: SHANLING L3 USB-C to L OTG DAC Adapter Cable, for iPhone iPad iOS Devices, for USB Headphone Amps Amplifiers UA2, UA3, UA5, UP5, H7, 4.72 Inch Pure Silver Cable : Electronics
Amazon.com: SHANLING L3 USB-C to L OTG DAC Adapter Cable, for iPhone iPad iOS Devices, for USB Headphone Amps Amplifiers UA2, UA3, UA5, UP5, H7, 4.72 Inch Pure Silver Cable : Electronics
www.amazon.com
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