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Fosi Audio V3 Amplifier Review

Rate this amplifier:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 11 2.0%

  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 44 7.8%

  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 261 46.4%

  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 247 43.9%
  • Total voters
    563
I just ordered the stock Fosi 48V non-GaN power adapter and some ferrite chokes on Amazon to try and get to the bottom of this :)
 
antcollinet said:
Could also be the very fast switching edges of the GAN devices in the PSU coupling directly onto the DC output - or even directly onto the phone cables.

I would suggest getting a bluetooth receiver and connecting that to the amp input, then using bluetooth from the phone.

Or returning the GAN PSU and replcing with the sock FOSI PSU. There is no audible benefit for GAN.
Click to expand...
Using the phone without adapter connected (on its internal battery) will further isolate the source of the problem to either the phone adapter OR radiated noise from the GaN adapter.
 
I have a dumb question about this amp and i own it with the Polk Audio XT70's floor standing speakers.

Is this rating per channel like how much power at 1% distortion does it offer at 8ohms? I own the 48V 5A PSU.

Just confused as i know the PSU is 240W and i want to make sure i made the best decision buying this over the Sony Stereo AVR for $150.

Hoping for 80W or so per channel 8ohms RMS
 
Last edited:
PolkFan said:
I have a dumb question about this amp and i own it with the Polk Audio XT70's floor standing speakers.

Is this rating per channel like how much power at 1% distortion does it offer at 8ohms? I own the 48V 5A PSU.

Just confused as i know the PSU is 240W and i want to make sure i made the best decision buying this over the Sony Stereo AVR for $150.

Hoping for 80W or so per channel 8ohms RMS
Click to expand...
This is Amir's 8 Ω output measurement from post #1. With the 48 V 5 A power supply he tested it with, the 1% (-40 dB) THD+N power output per channel is ~110 W. Using Amir's criteria of taking the point when the rise in THD+N curve takes off (-80 dB = 0.01%) , it was 89 W. However, the difference between 110 W and 89 W is just 0.9 dB, which is just barely noticeable.

index.php
 
I'm kind of dumb is that per channel or all channels driven

BTW love this place thinking about donating again haha been awhile since i've been on.
 
Update: The stock Fosi 48V non-GaN power supply works just fine!

The Aiyima GaN power supply is going back to Aliexpress.
 
Hi guys, new to this forum, I would like your advices : I'm currently using a V3 (48v) paired with floorstand speakers focal Profile 918 (in a room 25m2). My main source is a pc connected via an Aiyima T8 dac. It sounds ok, but I don't have a lot of hifi experience. so I wonder if I can get better results with some other amp. What if I change my v3 to :
1/ a power amp Audiophonics MPA-S250NC 480€
2/ Or all in one Audiophonics DA-S250NC 699€
3/ I'm a bit nostalgic of vintage amps, and I can get a Yamaha RN 800A for 580€ (brand new and discount theses days)
4/ last, a friend recommends a rega brio (only 2x50w, but very good according to him with floorstand speakers...)

Plz, some advices telling me : go for a change or it s not worth it ?
 
Last edited:
MajorTom said:
Hi guys, new to this forum, I would like your advices : I'm using now a V3 paired with floorstand speakers focal Profile 918. My main source is a pc connected via an Aiyima T8 dac. It sounds ok, but I don't have a lot of hifi experience. so I wonder if I can get better results with some other amp. What if I change my v3 to :
1/ a power amp Audiophonics MPA-S250NC 480€
2/ Or all in one Audiophonics DA-S250NC 699€
3/ I'm a bit nostalgic of vintage amps, and I can get a Yamaha RN 800A for 580€ (brand new and discount theses days)
4/ last, a friend recommends a rega brio (only 2x50w, but very good according to him with floorstand speakers...)

Some advices telling me : go for a change or it s not worth it ?
Click to expand...
Please advise the source material that you are listening to? Lossless or lossy? MP3s? Vinyl Rips? FLAC? Spotify? etc. My premise is good sound always starts with the source material. As my Grandfather used to say, you can't make a silk purse out of a Sow's Ear.
 
MajorTom said:
Hi guys, new to this forum, I would like your advices : I'm currently using a V3 (48v) paired with floorstand speakers focal Profile 918 (in a room 25m2). My main source is a pc connected via an Aiyima T8 dac. It sounds ok, but I don't have a lot of hifi experience. so I wonder if I can get better results with some other amp. What if I change my v3 to :
1/ a power amp Audiophonics MPA-S250NC 480€
2/ Or all in one Audiophonics DA-S250NC 699€
3/ I'm a bit nostalgic of vintage amps, and I can get a Yamaha RN 800A for 580€ (brand new and discount theses days)
4/ last, a friend recommends a rega brio (only 2x50w, but very good according to him with floorstand speakers...)

Plz, some advices telling me : go for a change or it s not worth it ?
Click to expand...
First - forget the brio - like its little brother the IO (measured here) it gets hot, and performs (objectively) quite badly.


Regarding other options - mainly what it boils down to is:

Do you need more power. If not (if you are not clipping the Fosi, or experiencing distortion at your higher listening levels) then you are not likely to hear a massive difference. You would probably get much better sound improvement for your money by investing in room equalisation, such as a MiniDSP flex.

Having said that - if you decide to upgrade anyway, you should be looking at one of the Ncore 250W amps from your list. The Yamaha - though pretty, doesn't offer a sufficient power advantage over the Fosi.
 
Thanks for your answers.
@Jim : flac files and streaming deezer and webradios.
@ antcollinet : my wallet thanks you ;) so no, my v3 never "clipped", it is enough power to fill the room. But I had an alientek d8 just before, and it did fill the room as well. However when i tried the v3, it is better with bass, in the sense that the sound is more plain, or full. I'm wondering if i can go further in this direction, and exploit totally my speakers, or if it is already done with the v3.
 
MajorTom said:
Thanks for your answers.
@Jim : flac files and streaming deezer and webradios.
@ antcollinet : my wallet thanks you ;) so no, my v3 never "clipped", it is enough power to fill the room. But I had an alientek d8 just before, and it did fill the room as well. However when i tried the v3, it is better with bass, in the sense that the sound is more plain, or full. I'm wondering if i can go further in this direction, and exploit totally my speakers, or if it is already done with the v3.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. FLAC files, as long as they had a good source when created can be great. My take is web radio is notoriously poor quality (at least the few rare times when I tried it as I quickly abandoned it due to the lack of quality), but Deezer can be decent if you get a package with their HiFi included with it's 16-Bit/44.1 kHz FLAC Tunes.

When you assess your system, I suggest you use tunes you are familiar with via the best quality source you have available. For me there's a difference when really listening to the music, and just having it for the background where a lossy streaming service like Spotify can suffice.

Of course I'm assuming you've got your Focals in the best position for your room as well. Proper Speaker placement is impactful as well. Probably more so than moving to a different Amp.
 
I think position is ok. 35 cm from the walls (side and behind), triangle 2.8m. Flac files directly encoded from my cds. Deezer with Hifi, I'm good to go !
And even the mood can change the way you listen to your music !

In fact, the V3 price tag is so low, I paid 109€ (48v), that I cannot imagine getting 6 or 7 times better sound quality with an amp 6 or 7 times more expensive :p
You know what i mean, I'm not ready to spend much more for just a little nuance, or maybe nothing. I'm not audiophile after all...

For me, the ratio size/power/consumption/price of the class D is unbeatable. I'd be curious to test Ncore 250W.

By the way, never heard of "room equalisation, such as a MiniDSP flex" I'll have a look into this. Thx.
 
-Jim- said:
Thanks for the info. FLAC files, as long as they had a good source when created can be great. My take is web radio is notoriously poor quality (at least the few rare times when I tried it as I quickly abandoned it due to the lack of quality), but Deezer can be decent if you get a package with their HiFi included with it's 16-Bit/44.1 kHz FLAC Tunes.

When you assess your system, I suggest you use tunes you are familiar with via the best quality source you have available. For me there's a difference when really listening to the music, and just having it for the background where a lossy streaming service like Spotify can suffice.

Of course I'm assuming you've got your Focals in the best position for your room as well. Proper Speaker placement is impactful as well. Probably more so than moving to a different Amp.
Click to expand...
In general you are correct regarding internet radio however I did a survey of classical station sound quality a couple of years ago & found: WCRB best, WQXR, YourClassical & KKJZ (jazz) to be good. If anyone knows of others please reply. HTH.
 
MajorTom said:
I think position is ok. 35 cm from the walls (side and behind), triangle 2.8m. Flac files directly encoded from my cds. Deezer with Hifi, I'm good to go !
And even the mood can change the way you listen to your music !

In fact, the V3 price tag is so low, I paid 109€ (48v), that I cannot imagine getting 6 or 7 times better sound quality with an amp 6 or 7 times more expensive :p
You know what i mean, I'm not ready to spend much more for just a little nuance, or maybe nothing. I'm not audiophile after all...

For me, the ratio size/power/consumption/price of the class D is unbeatable. I'd be curious to test Ncore 250W.

By the way, never heard of "room equalisation, such as a MiniDSP flex" I'll have a look into this. Thx.
Click to expand...
I paid $72 (32V) for the V3 Stereo last Black Friday, incredible. It's a backup amp & I went with 32V to improve reliability. Some are recommending the Infineon based amps as having better 'sound' although it's hard to find one that is as plain as the V3 Stereo, the SMSL PA40 is closest.
 
You can listen to via dab+ or via internet browser, chrome for exemple, or via their app. I let you judge of the sound quality, but i like very much their music programming, from jazz, to rock, world, french, classical, etc. Good way to discover new artists.
 
Hey, I just received my Fosi V3 and am using it for desktop use. There are a lot of pages on this amp for me to sift through. My question concerns the pre-out function. I am using it with a powered subwoofer. Current testing suggests that when volume is raised on the V3, it does not increase volume on the subwoofer. I have to manually calibrate both, correct? I also powered off the V3; the pre-out still sends the signal to the subwoofer.

Since im using the amp in a desktop setup, I am using Peace APO to EQ the speakers. Is there a way I can EQ both the sub and speakers using PEACE APO? Im worried that I will blow the subwoofer or the speakers, so currently all EQ is off.

I am a noob learning.
 
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