Fosi Audio T10 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.0 Amplifier 2 Channel Home Amplifier

[AMA530]

Happy New Year everyone. I have the opportunity to review the new Fosi Audio T10 Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.0 Amplifier 2 Channel Home Amplifier. Just as a reference, here is my background. Electro-mechanical engineer out of Temple University, DIY hifi geek, and former engineer at the Allen Organ Company when they handled Legacy Audio’s speaker manufacturing.​

For my testing I will be using the “seat of the pants, real world” listening review over a few days utilizing the following equipment:​

• Custom Legacy Signature 4ohm tower speakers. (They are my reference speakers.)​

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• Legacy Audio Studio 4ohm bookshelf speakers.​

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• DIY 8ohm bookshelf speakers.​

• DIY 8” ported sub w/200w amplifier.​

• Cardas bi-wired speaker cables.​

• Belkin Pure AV Power Conditioner.​

• Legacy/EAD TheaterMaster Processor/Preamp.​

• Legacy/Coda Continuum 350w amplifiers.​

First on the agenda was the unpacking. Boxed very nicely and packed very well. You will notice a very nice build quality, especially for a unit of this cost level. The small speaker binding posts are different for me since I am used to the standard sizing on most amplifiers. They work very well and have good tolerances for bare cables, small spades, and bananas. Just make sure you keep your leads separated since the posts are very close to one another. I do like the separate power supply on this system. I think more manufacturers should go to that design. Good stuff. The remote is straight-forward with standard functions. No backlighting on the unit but it isn’t a deal breaker by any means. You have some nice functions including the ability to add bass and treble. You will need to install the antenna for the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.​

The next item, after light assembly and powering up, is downloading the WiiM App for the Wi-Fi streaming device/phone. The software is very straight forward and easy to setup. One thing I did notice while trying to link my Wi-Fi router to the T10 and my phone, was to make sure you are within “line-of-fire” during initial setup. Once you are linked, you are off and running. The number of choices on the WiiM App for streaming audio is very good with most of the known services available. (TuneIn is my Wi-Fi streaming service of choice for this review.)​

My first test of three was with the WiiM App and the Wi-Fi stream. The first setup was hooking them up with my Legacy Studio bookshelf speakers. They are an excellent pair of 4ohm speakers and are rated to handle 44Hz to 22KHz. My initial impression was that the T10’s sound is very good and drove the speakers very well. Clarity was spot on and had great separation. I chose a few different genres to get a good feel and let the unit get burned in. Anything from Smooth Jazz to Prog Rock. I personally felt that it handled the jazz the best during my listening session. I then switched over to the Bluetooth input to test its characteristics. I chose Pandora as my source and ran it through its paces. Very good also. Call me crazy but I think the BT source has a bit more fullness in its sound. I know they are both digital-based but I think there is a difference. I then tested the Aux, USB, and LAN inputs with similar results. Make sure that you choose the correct 3.5mm stereo patch cable for the Aux interface.​

My second test was with the same input parameters (WiiM, BT, Aux, USB, & LAN) just a different speaker setup. This time I used a set of DIY 8ohm bookshelf speakers I designed and built for my dad. They are nice small pair that has a range from 60Hz to 22KHz. I built an 8” ported subwoofer to handle anything below 100Hz for him. The T10 sounded very good with all inputs. I ran tests on both with the subwoofer and without. I ran a 3.5mm to RCA cable from the AUX OUT to my subwoofer. It is definitely a different way of linking a sub. The signal from the T10 was very low and I had to turn up the sub amplifier to maximum to get near the desired level. One suggestion would be the addition of a LFE output on the T10 for better subwoofer control. Overall, I was happy with the performance of this test, less the subwoofer output.​

The third and final test was with the same input parameters (WiiM, BT, Aux, USB, & LAN) just a different speaker setup once again. This time I used my reference system with the 4ohm Signature tower speakers. I usually drive them with 350w each through Legacy/Coda amps and the Legacy/EAD Nexstep preamp/processor. This was going to be the real deal. I was very impressed that the T10 drove them quite well. Now, I will tell you that the T10 does lack the fullness in sound as my normal preamp/amp setup. Not drastic but there is something that is detectable. To prove that point I ran the T10 Aux Out to my preamp via a 3.5mm to RCA and used it as a digital transport. The sound was excellent, and its streaming capabilities were spot on. Very good!​

I would like to summarize this testing session by saying that if you are looking for an amplifier/digital streamer unit, you cannot go wrong with the T10. Streaming audio is here to stay and is pretty good. I know that a lot of the high end enthusiasts out there don’t agree but we all better get used to it. CDs are starting to fall away whether we like it or not and our phones and routers are our new digital source. The T10 is an excellent choice especially if you are short on space and you have a limited budget. (Even if you have an unlimited budget, this is a great Wi-Fi/Bluetooth streamer and would add value to any system.) Link this to a set of quality bookshelf speakers and you can have a system that will compete with systems that are 10x its price. Build quality is very good and its Class D amplifier section was quite impressive. Setup it very straightforward and easy to use. This is an excellent and cost-effective way to get into high-end audio. If there is anything that I would recommend to the designers at Fosi Audio, is to add a LFE (low frequency extension) to the T10. That would give a separate low frequency signal to a subwoofer. Then this system would the magic bullet for anyone looking to fill their audio needs.​

I would like to thank Fosi Audio for giving me the opportunity to review their T10 amplifier. It was a great experience and would look forward to reviewing more of their products.​

-CB​

 

[Guerilla]

Which bt Codex does it support? A high-pass for the left right channels would make a sub out much more useful. It seems a bit contradicting to call it hi-end. If something is noticeably missing compared to your usual drive chain.
Cheers!