Fosi Audio S3….serious streamer?

[yuting]

Thank you,
so this is EQ with fixed freq bands and Q?

yes thanks

 

[Schlippwhip68]

I think this is defiantly a very well priced gadget especially amongst the peered gadgets with equal purpose.
It looks better than its Wiim counterparts imo and certainly pleasantly understated in size too.

It’s just….well you know, not a ‘grab and dash’ unit for me. I hate to sound like a snob or even spoilt child (God forbid) but…I know this might upset some of my friends here…non replaceable op amps!

It’s a deal breaker for me personally and I’m sure it won’t be for many and good, it’s got plenty to offer and even adding an DDC for USB connectivity is very much a plausible option with something like the Douk Audio U2 Pro (2025).

It’s just this, I am not a fan of the opa1612. It’s quite a dated op amp that lacks true musical cohesion in many applications. I have not heard the S3 and Fosi judging by user reviews seem to have done a good job here but I have heard the opa1612 in Fosi’s ZH3 which I own and it’s the same ‘sound’ as in other gadgets. The opa1612 has a slight V shape to the sound, pronounced low end and driving highs that that leave a slight vacuum in the mids and the ZH3 is no exception. It holds a mildly hollow sound.

Thankfully with the ZH3 this is easily rectified and in my case has been. The opa1656 completely removed that issue with replacing the mids, adding far great balance, more room to the soundstage and a more ‘fun’ engaging sound without any hollow ring to the midrange.

I tried a few other options with op amps and all gave different results but my favourite to this day, remains the opa828 with 4 Murata 0.1uf caps on each op amp. These allow way better balance to the frequency range and far greater pin point accuracy to the instruments, cleaner edges to notes, fast, tight, full and very well controlled bass. The ZH3 now sounds more…professional, less gimmicky, more detailed and articulate even nimble! The soundstage is rich too with that detail and deeper, going further back behind the speaker, more 3D but not overly analytical as the rest of the board in the ZH3 still has some of the NE5532, opa1612 and AKM warmth.

I have a feeling the S3 will sound like a stock base box ZH3 but I could be wrong. If those, imo, vital additional dip 8 socket boards are not there with the freedom of consumer preference then it’s a design restriction that from where I am standing in my economy, is ill afforded on this occasion. It’s just to much of a risk to have to settle with something that one knows could have far better performance given a very small technological freedom that has led so many people into this brand in the first place.

So what maybe good here and I am pretty sure it is regardless, could and probably would be better for a very concrete long term solution even as one’s own tastes may change let alone that of the manufacturer’s.

In conclusion it looks like I will be sticking with my Windows PC and my modded ZH3 for now and with Spotify’s new bit perfect playback via Windows. It is on a personal premise and is just the better technical option that though a fraction more expensive offers much more hardware versatility and modular freedom, something that modern trends seem to be taking away from the consumer day by day.

 

[morillon]

I think this is defiantly a very well priced gadget especially amongst the peered gadgets with equal purpose.
It looks better than its Wiim counterparts imo and certainly pleasantly understated in size too.

It’s just….well you know, not a ‘grab and dash’ unit for me. I hate to sound like a snob or even spoilt child (God forbid) but…I know this might upset some of my friends here…non replaceable op amps!

It’s a deal breaker for me personally and I’m sure it won’t be for many and good, it’s got plenty to offer and even adding an DDC for USB connectivity is very much a plausible option with something like the Douk Audio U2 Pro (2025).

It’s just this, I am not a fan of the opa1612. It’s quite a dated op amp that lacks true musical cohesion in many applications. I have not heard the S3 and Fosi judging by user reviews seem to have done a good job here but I have heard the opa1612 in Fosi’s ZH3 which I own and it’s the same ‘sound’ as in other gadgets. The opa1612 has a slight V shape to the sound, pronounced low end and driving highs that that leave a slight vacuum in the mids and the ZH3 is no exception. It holds a mildly hollow sound.

Thankfully with the ZH3 this is easily rectified and in my case has been. The opa1656 completely removed that issue with replacing the mids, adding far great balance, more room to the soundstage and a more ‘fun’ engaging sound without any hollow ring to the midrange.

I tried a few other options with op amps and all gave different results but my favourite to this day, remains the opa828 with 4 Murata 0.1uf caps on each op amp. These allow way better balance to the frequency range and far greater pin point accuracy to the instruments, cleaner edges to notes, fast, tight, full and very well controlled bass. The ZH3 now sounds more…professional, less gimmicky, more detailed and articulate even nimble! The soundstage is rich too with that detail and deeper, going further back behind the speaker, more 3D but not overly analytical as the rest of the board in the ZH3 still has some of the NE5532, opa1612 and AKM warmth.

I have a feeling the S3 will sound like a stock base box ZH3 but I could be wrong. If those, imo, vital additional dip 8 socket boards are not there with the freedom of consumer preference then it’s a design restriction that from where I am standing in my economy, is ill afforded on this occasion. It’s just to much of a risk to have to settle with something that one knows could have far better performance given a very small technological freedom that has led so many people into this brand in the first place.

So what maybe good here and I am pretty sure it is regardless, could and probably would be better for a very concrete long term solution even as one’s own tastes may change let alone that of the manufacturer’s.

In conclusion it looks like I will be sticking with my Windows PC and my modded ZH3 for now and with Spotify’s new bit perfect playback via Windows. It is on a personal premise and is just the better technical option that though a fraction more expensive offers much more hardware versatility and modular freedom, something that modern trends seem to be taking away from the consumer day by day.

The real existential question here isn't whether or not this little streamer has a good AOP output, editable or not...... hehe.

But rather, what matters is the software itself and where it will be in, say, a year of development.... Also, see how much FOSI will invest in this project... or not...

Sorry..


;-)

 

[Redacted]

I'm keen to see the figures for 'true musical cohesion' listed for various op amps

 

[Joe Smith]

My feeling is that Fosi is pretty committed to continuing to develop the software for the S3, I already enjoy it quite a lot and I think the EQ improvements to come will add to the functionality for those of us who aren't into microphone measurement and full-on PEQ. The inputs and outputs seem well thought-out to me. WiiM is tough to compete with, they are offering now a lot of good products, well reviewed, and with a wide spread of devices to meet different user needs... I know some people are objecting to the plastic case, that doesn't bother me, and it needs to be that way because of Wi-Fi...it would be nice to have a black case model (and this becoming a standard for Fosi products) in the near future. They should also offer the Merak CD player in black, and increase their front panel font legibility/size a bit.

Lack of op-amp sockets for swapping does not bother me, I can't hear significant differences, and have left that issue behind me...

 

[OrangeWalrus]

My feeling is that Fosi is pretty committed to continuing to develop the software for the S3,

Official Statement on the Fosi Audio S3 App Experience

Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a lot of thoughtful feedback from reviewers, beta users, and early supporters regarding the app experience for the Fosi Audio S3. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to test the product, share suggestions, and point out areas...

fosiaudio.com

There's a big gap between intention and action, but it's a good start. Fosi can demonstrate their commitment with action over the next few months via a steady stream of significant updates. Perhaps it's asking a lot, but that is what it will take to get in the game against Wiim who is no doubt continuing to improve as well.

 

[qirex]

Official Statement on the Fosi Audio S3 App Experience

Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a lot of thoughtful feedback from reviewers, beta users, and early supporters regarding the app experience for the Fosi Audio S3. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to test the product, share suggestions, and point out areas...

fosiaudio.com

There's a big gap between intention and action, but it's a good start. Fosi can demonstrate their commitment with action over the next few months via a steady stream of significant updates. Perhaps it's asking a lot, but that is what it will take to get in the game against Wiim who is no doubt continuing to improve as well.

Streamers are all computers, so it's only normal to judge them mostly by their software. And "lots of updates" doesn't always pan out to be improvements, see how Sonos went from market leader to almost ran in the span of a year by messing up their UI and functionality so badly.

 

[OrangeWalrus]

Streamers are all computers, so it's only normal to judge them mostly by their software. And "lots of updates" doesn't always pan out to be improvements, see how Sonos went from market leader to almost ran in the span of a year by messing up their UI and functionality so badly.

100%

Sonos ignored the loud cries of their customers. I'm hopeful that Fosi continues to listen to customers and that they will have the occasional misfire, course correct, and generally head in the right direction.

 

[yuting]

100%

Sonos 对用户的强烈呼声置之不理。我希望 Fosi 能继续倾听用户的意见，即使偶尔犯错，也能及时纠正，最终朝着正确的方向前进。

thanks ,we will do

 

[Redacted]

All streamers or software-based kit will usually become defunct before the hardware fails, as the manufacturers will all stop providing updates sooner or later. This is built-in obsolescence, designed to bump you on to new hardware.

You have a few choices - stick to hardware-only music playback; use separates to minimise land-fill when an item no longer gets updates; or use streamers only with your ripped CDs or bought FLAC downloads stored on a NAS (yes, there is software involved such as UPNP/DLNA but that's nowhere near as volatile as apps that are built into streamers (eg Tidal, Qobuz etc). Or do internet streaming on PC.

I have a Cambridge Audio Evo - a nice enough Hypex-based unit, but updates have ceased, AFAIK - luckily I don' care about Tidal, etc as I run NAS with DLNA.

Network streaming is not only a subscription, but the hardware is also essentially rented!

 

[amirm]

All streamers or software-based kit will usually become defunct before the hardware fails, as the manufacturers will all stop providing updates sooner or later. This is built-in obsolescence, designed to bump you on to new hardware.

Not if you use them just for end point rendering. I have been using Roon this way for great while and am confident it will keep going and going.

 

[Beave]

I'm keen to see the figures for 'true musical cohesion' listed for various op amps

When I first started work out of grad school, one of my first assignments was to measure the musical cohesion of several different op amps using a Lirpa Labs MCOAA-1707 tester. Unfortunately, not a single one passed our rigorous requirements, so we never made a single product. Somehow the executives still got paid, though.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Not if you use them just for end point rendering. I have been using Roon this way for great while and am confident it will keep going and going.

I’ve made the same switch recently with all of my setups now simply being either equipped with a Roon bridge or fully Roon-ready certified and the functionality, whether streaming Qobuz through Roon (with added benefits of superior DSP like ReplayGain) or my own local library and is truly enjoyable thanks to the user experience of such a setup.

 

[yuting]

The real existential question here isn't whether or not this little streamer has a good AOP output, editable or not...... hehe.

But rather, what matters is the software itself and where it will be in, say, a year of development.... Also, see how much FOSI will invest in this project... or not...

Sorry..


;-)

thanks,Including streaming amplifiers, streaming transports, streaming headphone amplifiers with screens, and streaming amplifiers with screens—all are currently in development. Meanwhile, we have a software R&D team of over 20 people dedicated to the continuous development and optimization of the app. Our investment is growing, not decreasing, and we will never stop investing…

 

[Guddu]

@yuting
Can you tell which digital volume controller is used in S3?

 

[Redacted]

Not if you use them just for end point rendering. I have been using Roon this way for great while and am confident it will keep going and going.

What if the maker of the endpoint stops supporting that software, and if Roon also changes their model? If you are saying endpoint software is likely to be future proof, say like DLNA, then fair enough... Roon is on a subscription, so I assume the main server side will be fine.

 

[qirex]

Not if you use them just for end point rendering. I have been using Roon this way for great while and am confident it will keep going and going.

Roon is also a potential point of failure, I feel like I've got my money's worth out of my lifetime sub after six years but I'm not counting on getting 10+ more, it's both too expensive to get wide adoption and too cheap for me to think it'll last forever. Hopefully when they do retire it RAAT will be open sourced or something so other systems can use it. With Samsung's track record with consumer tech a lot of things are possible, and many of them aren't super promising.

That said, from what I've heard the current plan at Harman is to push more Roon Ready compatibility across more brands.

 

[amirm]

What if the maker of the endpoint stops supporting that software, and if Roon also changes their model? If you are saying endpoint software is likely to be future proof, say like DLNA, then fair enough... Roon is on a subscription, so I assume the main server side will be fine.

Roon's ecosystem is quite strong with countless top brands and smaller companies supporting their end point. They also have not rev'ed the protocol, or obsoleted the older one which bodes well for its longevity. Should they fail as a business, I suspect another company will buy them and keep supporting this protocol. Some risk always remains but in the context of getting use out of a $270 device, I will not lose sleep over it.

 

[xanalog]

This was posted by a user, at the FOSI S3 page:

"Not acceptable:
- Network File access has a hard limit on the number of directories It can read in a folder. My rock music folder has 238 folders (one per artist). I can only see up to bands starting with the"letter D" and all other directories are not visible. Wiim sees them fine as does all other sources such as a PC."

@amirm's review of the FOSI S3 is here.

 

[OrangeWalrus]

This was posted by a user, at the FOSI S3 page:

@amirm's review of the FOSI S3 is here.

Using UPnP in the Fosi app to access a MiniDLNA server, I ran into a scrolling problem where I couldn't scroll past "D". I reset the app, was able to see all directories, and haven't been able to reproduce it. I have over 100 directories, so it's an interesting coincidence that we both stopped at D. Seems like typical teething problems with a new app rather than some hard limit.