I meant the electric grid noise
In the end the spectrum analyzer will show what's going on
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Fosi Audio P4 Preamplifier Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
In the end the spectrum analyzer will show what's going on
olds1959special
Major Contributor
Finally sold my P4 and I will never buy a Fosi product again.
It worked fine but the volume control was too sensitive in my system and that was the main problem. Also I found going straight from dac and using digital volume to sound much better. So I found this to be a useless product with issues that made it unusable.
The Fosi ZA3’s I had were not too much fun since when you rolled the op amps the thermal grease gets everywhere. The biggest problem though was the really low input sensitivity.
I haven’t been impressed with this company.
It worked fine but the volume control was too sensitive in my system and that was the main problem. Also I found going straight from dac and using digital volume to sound much better. So I found this to be a useless product with issues that made it unusable.
The Fosi ZA3’s I had were not too much fun since when you rolled the op amps the thermal grease gets everywhere. The biggest problem though was the really low input sensitivity.
I haven’t been impressed with this company.
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norman bates
Senior Member
This guy said it degraded the sound................
(1:05+) "Sending the signal from your DAC into the Fuzzy Audio P4 preamp will make it sound worse. Adding the P4 into the signal chain makes the sound stage narrower and flatter. Details or resolution in the music are also noticeably reduced. It's not bad as such, but the idea of a preamp is to be as sonically invisible as possible. We do have to be reasonable given the $100 price tag of the P4….."
(1:05+) "Sending the signal from your DAC into the Fuzzy Audio P4 preamp will make it sound worse. Adding the P4 into the signal chain makes the sound stage narrower and flatter. Details or resolution in the music are also noticeably reduced. It's not bad as such, but the idea of a preamp is to be as sonically invisible as possible. We do have to be reasonable given the $100 price tag of the P4….."
was that review / conclusion based on measurements? i think the answer is no, because that guy talks about soundstage and you can't measure an acoustic event (soundstage) in the electrical signal. I mean, it's a real effect but happens in your room / speakers, not in the preamp.
we have measurements and the preamp was transparent to the signal ... so, i don´t use opinions as reviews.
volume too sensitive? .. so .. you mean you have too much gain in the source? did you tried to reduce the gain in the preamp with the switch?
and finally, why you said the dac direct connection have better sound? because you think it is?
here in ASR we fight every day with the scientific facts against mental bias / bad system configuration ... it's not to bother anyone
olds1959special
Major Contributor
Too much gain in amp/source, I was already using the lowest gain, so I couldn't use the P4 with the remote. If I didn't need to use the remote it would be okay. Yes, I think a DAC with a good 32-bit volume control sounds better. My P4 was rolled with a Sparkos op-amp, which could have degraded the sound, but I just think all the additional electronics and cables make things worse.
OK, it's your opinion then.
Let me say that you're wrong, based on scientific proof, but... we all have the right to be wrong.
I remember when meridian had the CD transport, dac and clock separates, with an umbilical cable. Because "all in one" it's worse. What a fantastic way to throw money... to Meridian
I don't hear any degradation of the sound with the P4 in middle gain setting and the standard (supplied) op-amps. The volume control is definitely less useful at lower volume range than the volume control on the V3 amp...
Using quantifiable measurements Amir found that rolling opamps - specifically in the P4 - made no difference, and may even slightly degrade the sound.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sparkos-ss3602-opamp-rolling-in-fosi-p4.61946/
Yes, I know. I'm not a fan of op-amp rolling.Using quantifiable measurements Amir found that rolling opamps - specifically in the P4 - made no difference, and may even slightly degrade the sound.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/sparkos-ss3602-opamp-rolling-in-fosi-p4.61946/
I never had an issue with my P4. It's not in daily use at the moment, but I never came across this.
norman bates
Senior Member
true.
Seen other preamps had trouble at "whisper" volumes.
I love the sound of that for those of us who listen near 40db............................
Seen other preamps had trouble at "whisper" volumes.
I love the sound of that for those of us who listen near 40db............................
I'm running very close to the same set-up (Wiim Pro Plus > Fosi P4 > Fosi V3) and have the same issue. The review states that running the lowest gain on the P4 may actually lower distortion. But the Wiim DAC allows setting the Line out Level to 200, 500, 800, 1000, or 2000 mVrms. I currently have it at 200 mVrms just so that the volume knob on the P4 has some resolution. Is there any downside to running the DACs line out level this low?
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