Fosi Audio V3 Mono Amplifier Review

[antcollinet]

These are available for 800 USD near me in India

A pair - or per monoblock?

The specs look fine - though we don't have independent measurements to verify.

 

[rwnano]

A pair - or per monoblock?

The specs look fine - though we don't have independent measurements to verify.

a pair - dual mono inside a single chassis.
your feedback?

 

[DavidM1]

Back in 2000 I bought speakers for my wife - Mission 73. The manufacturer specifically stated that adding (dry) sand to the base would aid performance. This was tested by a prominent hi-fi mag in the UK and found to be correct.

I used the sand in the speaker stand example because it struck me as the engaging sort of activity that hifi enthusiasts embark on which is rarely measured or tested objectively. I imagine having done it most speaker owners are inclined to enjoy the results.

I admit I haven’t looked into it and if there are comparison results to read then I’m keen to do so. Without being facetious, what was the difference that the test found? Did it make the speakers louder? More balanced? Changed the resonance of the box? Were the results measured or was it unsighted A/B testing?

 

[antcollinet]

a pair - dual mono inside a single chassis.
your feedback?

Nice.

To be honest - in your shoes, and assuming I didn't have the FOSI already, and If I knew and liked the brand, and I was able to validate the specs - I'd be leaning in that direction.

 

[whit]

Just received 2 V3 Monos. Hooked them up in place of Emotiva PA-1s. Played a couple of Jack White's No Name album tracks, which had noticeable higher frequency harshness through the PA-1s. Harshness gone. Quite impressed. Signal path in this comparison is WiiM Pro > Emotiva XDA-3 DAC > Yamaha CX-A5100 (in pure direct mode) > V3 (XLR) > Revel Performa3 F206. It's also better balanced across the spectrum, so less to be gained by the trade-off of going to room correction on the Yamaha instead of pure direct, where the PA-1s were a bit better off with room correction on.

Those PA-1s, in turn, were better sounding than the Emotiva BasX A-300 I had in that position before them. So this is definitely going in the right direction.

 

[avdoc]

Just received 2 V3 Monos. Hooked them up in place of Emotiva PA-1s. Played a couple of Jack White's No Name album tracks, which had noticeable higher frequency harshness through the PA-1s. Harshness gone. Quite impressed. Signal path in this comparison is WiiM Pro > Emotiva XDA-3 DAC > Yamaha CX-A5100 (in pure direct mode) > V3 (XLR) > Revel Performa3 F206. It's also better balanced across the spectrum, so less to be gained by the trade-off of going to room correction on the Yamaha instead of pure direct, where the PA-1s were a bit better off with room correction on.

Those PA-1s, in turn, were better sounding than the Emotiva BasX A-300 I had in that position before them. So this is definitely going in the right direction.

I've also been moving from one amp to another, each time getting better sound than the last. These V3Ms are really amazing for the price. I've got 2 more coming.

 

[rwnano]

I've also been moving from one amp to another, each time getting better sound than the last. These V3Ms are really amazing for the price. I've got 2 more coming.

Do share your experiences with other amplifiers

 

[avdoc]

Do share your experiences with other amplifiers

Most recently, I compared the V3M to my Carver A-753x (class AB 400W into 4 ohm: carversound.com/carver-amplifiers/A-753x) and the internal amps on my Pioneer Elite SC-LX901 receiver (class D3 ~200W into 4 ohm: https://www.pioneerhomeaudio.com/av-receivers/sc-lx901/). The Carver was not as revealing and the Pioneer was too "digital" sounding and harsh. The V3M has much lower background noise than both and is much smoother than the Pioneer.

 

[vuittion]

I have a Topping E70 would this be a suitable pairing for the Fosi Audio V3 Mono.

 

[Bleib]

I have a Topping E70 would this be a suitable pairing for the Fosi Audio V3 Mono.

As long as this doesn't happen

Topping E70 randomly went to MAX volume..

Not sure what happened but all the sudden the E70 went from -30db or so to 0db. Basically blew out my ears for a few seconds and it was stuck on 0db, I couldn't even lower it. Tried spinning the volume control on the E70 for a few seconds, it was locked at 0db. Afraid to put my windows volume...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I'd purchase a pre-amp

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I have a Topping E70 would this be a suitable pairing for the Fosi Audio V3 Mono.

I have been using my pair of V3 monos with a E70 Velvet for the past couple months (via XLR cables). Seems to work really well for me, definitely happy with the performance.

I had heard of the concern @Bleib mentioned above. I have not experienced it on either this set or the E70 Velvet at work (connected with a pair of Outlaw 2220's). But always cognizant that this could be a bug in the firmware.

 

[xiedd1234]

thanks， i just bought it on Taobao

 

[LukeA]

Finally received my V3 Mono. Got it powering two 12" subwoofers @ 2ohm. Sounds fantastic.

 

[kingkoolkris]

This review just made me buy the Set of 2xV3s with the 48V/10a (split) power brick for 264$ on their website.
Excited to try them with my ADW Duettas.

 

[kingkoolkris]

Another possibility. Costs a bit more but has balanced outputs and a headphone amp and remote. This, along with a WiiM mini, a $20 Sony blu ray transport and a pair of B&W 601 v3 speakers makes up my entire system… including the v3 monos of course.

AOSHIDA SMSL C200 Review (DAC & Amp)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AOSHIDA SMSL C200 balanced DAC and headphone amplifier. It costs US $210. The unit looks attractive enough for a desktop product. The LED is function but sadly displays the sample rate rather than volume (until you change that). Navigating the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Is there anything comparable with a configurable sub-out? Wouldnt need the headphone amp or Bluetooth.

 

[DavidM1]

Is there anything comparable with a configurable sub-out? Wouldnt need the headphone amp or Bluetooth.

I don’t know of any. There are a lot of good DACs but a sub-out is typically from a preamp.

 

[rvsixer]

Is there anything comparable with a configurable sub-out? Wouldnt need the headphone amp or Bluetooth.

I think the closest you can get to is one of the miniDSP FLEX/SHD lineup. Completely configurable (and multiple) subouts, but also with additional preamp functionality (a plus in my book considering the only other thing you need is the Fosi's).

 

[antcollinet]

I think the closest you can get to is one of the miniDSP FLEX/SHD lineup. Completely configurable and multiple subouts, but also with additional preamp functionality (a plus in my book considering the only other thing you need is the Fosi's).

Perhaps something like this...

Tangent PreAmp II (Black)

Shop for Tangent PreAmp II (Black) Stereo Pre-Amplifier with Richer Sounds for expert advice and Lowest Prices Guaranteed

www.richersounds.com

 

[Lux_ury]

Quick question on the monos'.
Everything is running to spec but turning the unit off on one side creates a low hum to the speaker that's still on. So I've got to switch both off simultaneously?
Also who is running two bricks and are you running two DC filters
Realising I need a single DC extension cable if I was to use the DC filter?
By the way after 1.5hrs it never got above 41.3C on both units at max recording temps centre top. Ambient 22C

 

[Kalium]

Long time lurker finally creating an account making my first post. Never had anything useful to add to the discussions here until now.
Ordered a pair Fosi V3 Mono from Swedish Amazon, paid 2999.99SEK (~€260/$290) for it. Including 2 V3 Mono, 1 10A power supply, and 1 DC filter. Shipping was a little longer than usual, a little over a week. Setup was super easy and straightforward.

I have MiniDSP as streamer/pre-amp and using XLR cables to connect the power amplifiers. Previously I've had a pair of Emotiva UPA-1 monoblocks so I am really happy that this new setup is a lot more compacty and "living room friendly" so to speak. The auto on/off feature has worked flawlessly so far the last couple of days. There is an audibly relay click sound from the amplifiers when they turn on/off but I can't really hear any noise coming from the speakers, just the relays. With no music playing they are very quiet. I have to put my ear within 10cm from the tweeter to hear a faint hissing noise. The tweeter is Morel CAT408 with 89dB/w sensitivity. My old Emotiva amplifiers were not this quiet, they had a faint humming noise that could be heard from the listening position.

Sound wise I can't say much really. I don't have golden ears but I can at least say that they are definitely not any worse than my old Emotiva. However I would guess that the V3 Mono would beat the Emotiva in all measurements except maybe power output. Power output shouldn't really be a problem for me though, 89db/w speakers and a quite small living room and mostly listening at low/moderate sound levels. I am planning a new speaker build with high efficiency compression drivers and 10" PA mid-woofers and for those power output of the V3 Mono will definitely not be an issue.

Thermals... These do run pretty hot, to the point where they are almost a little uncomfortable to touch. Hopefully this will not cause any long term issues.

I also noticed that the gain seems to be lower than on my Emotivas. Previously I achieved a good sound level at around -35db to -40db on my SHD. Now I need to go to around -25db to -35db to reach about the same SPL. Not really a problem, just something I noticed.

So far I'm happy with my purchase. Sold the Emotivas today for 5500SEK, almost twice of what I paid for the V3 Mono. Sound is equally good or better. Background noise is gone now. The new power amplifier setup is like 15-20x smaller than my old one.