solderdude
Grand Contributor
I want a (hot) swappable DAC chip... now that would be a nice feature. 
-
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Fosi Audio ZD3 $179 and Presale starts Sept 19
- Thread starter avdoc
- Start date
Amazon has a listing for the ZD3 now. It shows shipping November 16th - December 5th.
Alexandre Delaforetnoire
Member
The package sent by Fosi Audio took 10 days to leave Shenzen and arrive at home in France. This time, Fosi has evolved in the packaging and offers us a nice package, worthy of the big electronics brands. When opening, the feeling is the same: we feel a quality product, well packaged with the accessories provided. The presence of a minijack/minijack cable to turn on the ZA3 is a plus (Trigger 12v input and output).
The power supply provided is a traditional 12v, ensuring a stable current for the ZD3. The remote control is light and seems low-end but sufficient for its use (be careful, the two batteries are not provided).
The ZD3 is built with the same quality as the ZA3: black anodized aluminum chassis, orange aluminum volume button, rubber feet, impeccable printed circuit and exemplary assembly, we feel that the assembly line is not at its first attempt.
Disassembly for a possible change of the OPAmps chips is easy with the two screws on the back and the volume button to remove, as on the ZA3. Be careful not to tear off the "bypass" connector during this operation!
The connection to the ZA3 amp is made by choice in XLR (5v) or RCA (2.5v) even if this has little impact on listening on short cable lengths. A discreet but present Bluetooth antenna ensures compatibility with the APTX HD codec on my Samsung A52s.
On this side, the sound is powerful, clear and I can't hear any difference to the ear with the same song played from my Android box on the Optical input of the ZD3, it's a good point. The Bluetooth range is respectable, at 5m through light walls of my apartment, the sound plays without interruption.
Listening
I spent two years with my Topping e30 Pro II DAC which remains a quality reference in DACs around €150 and I was very happy with the clear musical result of the two AK4493S chips. The ZD3 tempted me for three main things: Bluetooth (for evenings with friends or to quickly take music to someone's house), XLR outputs (to theoretically optimize the connection to the ZA3) and of course the design, perfectly adapted to the ZA3 for a homogeneous ensemble in my living room.
Once connected to my source in Optical or HDMI Arc to my TV (practical to manage the volume of the DAC with the remote control of your TV), I turned the volume of the ZA3 up to full, and then it was off for a listening experience totally comparable to my Topping E30 Pro II, clean, clinical, detailed, without coloration. Note that the maximum volume of the ZD3 is 80 and not 100.
I didn't find any hiss or background noise even with my 93.5db sensitive speakers.
Using the ZD3 as a preamp and DAC, I have therefore not tested the "bypass" function located under the case.
Through the ZA3 I played music through the ZD3 on my two pairs of fairly similar French speakers: Focal JmLab Profil77 (1996) and JmLab Opium 603 (1988), both pairs renovated with Mundorf MKP capacitors. The titanium (Profil 77) and kevlar (Opium 603) tweeters can be tiring with poor amplification. Here, it is not the case with the ZD3 + ZA3 combo even at high volume where the kevlar tweeter tires faster than the titanium tweeter.
Clear sound on every inputs
Flawless design and good color screen
Improvements ?
For around 200 euros, you can find a lot of decent DACs from the competition but very few with a useful HDMI Arc input even if not essential. On the other hand, if you like the design, it is certainly the one that stands out the most and takes its place in a living room. My wife finds it pretty at home and that is the main thing!
I would nevertheless like to make some improvements that I find important for a future version:
Support for the LDAC codec for even better Bluetooth
The 12v power cable is too short, one more meter would have been perfect
A USB type C input to connect to smartphones without having to find an oldschool adapter
An Android/Os application with equalization management
I didn't find the online manual to be able to safely open the case
Recommandation
I highly recommend the ZD3 with its original LME 49720 chips that have their place in high-end audio equipment.
Easy to use, responsive and well finished, it is the ideal companion for a Fosi ZA3 or a pair of V3 monoblocs.
In France, you can buy it on Audiophonics.fr if you need to be safe with a local seller or on Amazon.fr at the best price.
If you want to listen it live, you are welcome at my home for a free listening session in Besançon, France.
The power supply provided is a traditional 12v, ensuring a stable current for the ZD3. The remote control is light and seems low-end but sufficient for its use (be careful, the two batteries are not provided).
The ZD3 is built with the same quality as the ZA3: black anodized aluminum chassis, orange aluminum volume button, rubber feet, impeccable printed circuit and exemplary assembly, we feel that the assembly line is not at its first attempt.
Disassembly for a possible change of the OPAmps chips is easy with the two screws on the back and the volume button to remove, as on the ZA3. Be careful not to tear off the "bypass" connector during this operation!
The connection to the ZA3 amp is made by choice in XLR (5v) or RCA (2.5v) even if this has little impact on listening on short cable lengths. A discreet but present Bluetooth antenna ensures compatibility with the APTX HD codec on my Samsung A52s.
On this side, the sound is powerful, clear and I can't hear any difference to the ear with the same song played from my Android box on the Optical input of the ZD3, it's a good point. The Bluetooth range is respectable, at 5m through light walls of my apartment, the sound plays without interruption.
Listening
I spent two years with my Topping e30 Pro II DAC which remains a quality reference in DACs around €150 and I was very happy with the clear musical result of the two AK4493S chips. The ZD3 tempted me for three main things: Bluetooth (for evenings with friends or to quickly take music to someone's house), XLR outputs (to theoretically optimize the connection to the ZA3) and of course the design, perfectly adapted to the ZA3 for a homogeneous ensemble in my living room.
Once connected to my source in Optical or HDMI Arc to my TV (practical to manage the volume of the DAC with the remote control of your TV), I turned the volume of the ZA3 up to full, and then it was off for a listening experience totally comparable to my Topping E30 Pro II, clean, clinical, detailed, without coloration. Note that the maximum volume of the ZD3 is 80 and not 100.
I didn't find any hiss or background noise even with my 93.5db sensitive speakers.
Using the ZD3 as a preamp and DAC, I have therefore not tested the "bypass" function located under the case.
Through the ZA3 I played music through the ZD3 on my two pairs of fairly similar French speakers: Focal JmLab Profil77 (1996) and JmLab Opium 603 (1988), both pairs renovated with Mundorf MKP capacitors. The titanium (Profil 77) and kevlar (Opium 603) tweeters can be tiring with poor amplification. Here, it is not the case with the ZD3 + ZA3 combo even at high volume where the kevlar tweeter tires faster than the titanium tweeter.
Clear sound on every inputs
Flawless design and good color screen
Improvements ?
For around 200 euros, you can find a lot of decent DACs from the competition but very few with a useful HDMI Arc input even if not essential. On the other hand, if you like the design, it is certainly the one that stands out the most and takes its place in a living room. My wife finds it pretty at home and that is the main thing!
I would nevertheless like to make some improvements that I find important for a future version:
Support for the LDAC codec for even better Bluetooth
The 12v power cable is too short, one more meter would have been perfect
A USB type C input to connect to smartphones without having to find an oldschool adapter
An Android/Os application with equalization management
I didn't find the online manual to be able to safely open the case
Recommandation
I highly recommend the ZD3 with its original LME 49720 chips that have their place in high-end audio equipment.
Easy to use, responsive and well finished, it is the ideal companion for a Fosi ZA3 or a pair of V3 monoblocs.
In France, you can buy it on Audiophonics.fr if you need to be safe with a local seller or on Amazon.fr at the best price.
If you want to listen it live, you are welcome at my home for a free listening session in Besançon, France.
- Thread Starter
- #86
Yes. If you're just using the ZD3 as a DAC and not a preamp, turning it on defeats the volume adjustment.
But what are you trying to say? Everyone has their own taste. One prefers OPA1612, the second MUSES02 and the third a double OPA627 configuration. I used LME49720 in SMLS SU-1, but I replaced it by soldering OPA627.
I recently received the Fosi Audio ZD3 flagship DAC/Preamplifier for a full objective review and sound test in my own system.
The device arrived very quickly and safely (5 days!) and I was very happy to unpack it. Here are the full contents of my package.
Package Contents: 1: Zd3 Dac
2: Wall Power Supply
3: USB Cable
4: 3pcs Jrc 4580D Op Amps (for rolling)
5: Remote Control
6: 12V Trigger Cable
7: User Manual.
From the very first moment, it was clear that the device was very well built, the housing was very solid when held it in my hand. Thick, stable housing made of aluminum. We get the elegant shapes and quality surface treatment that we are used to from Fosi Audio with this device. There is a generous set of connectors on the back.
List of rear connection sockets: XLR outputs. RCA outputs. 12 volt trigger in/out. HDMI ARC. Optical input. Coaxial input. USB input. Bluetooth antenna and 12v power in.
We can connect all our important digital devices to it. Many people miss at least one analog RCA input,
But it is important to note that this is a digital device with a preamp mode, and the preamp is not its primary function. Since I have several analog devices, one analog input would not have been enough for me anyway. I have a multi-channel tube preamp, so this was not a shortcoming of the zd3 for me. I filled in the inputs and outputs that I used.
The remote control is well thought out, ergonomically designed and I tried it from practically every impossible angle, the device detected it well from everywhere and turned on immediately without thinking. Of course, it is plastic, but this is common with many other companies and is not a problem at all.
I connected the ZD3 to two Fosi Audio V3 monoblocks with XLR connectors. The dual output of the Zd3 is very good because the XLR and RCA outputs work simultaneously. For example, I can power cassette decks, reel-to-reel tape recorders, another amplifier or any device with RCA inputs from the ZD3 RCA output, while I can power two V3 monoblocks from the XLR output. I can also connect other sources to the V3 mono RCA inputs, for example from my other 4-channel preamplifier, thereby increasing the number of devices that can be used simultaneously. The ZD3 is ready to use in less than 2 seconds after switching on. The OLED display is informative and sharp. It cannot be dimmed, but it can be turned on and off.
The chipset used (XMOS XU316 + ESS 9039Q2M + QCC3031 + LME49720)
These and the technical data and other details of the device can all be found on the Fosi Audio website, so instead of dry data, let's look at my own experience with it. First, I downloaded the ZD3 driver from the Fosi Audio website, installed it and the device worked immediately. I connected my CD player (Technics SL-PS7) to it via the optical input. I tried my mobile phone with Bluetooth connection and flac files. I connected my laptop to it via USB. It handled any resolution of the files I used on the USB input well, be it high-resolution dsd or wav, flac or whatever. The connection to my phones was fast and stable via the Bluetooth input. The sound quality of the Bluetooth transmission is very good. The internal DAC of my CD player used on the ZD3's optical input is audibly weaker than the ZD3. The optical connection is completely seamless. (This freed up an RCA input on my other preamplifier, because now the CD signal goes to the zd3 via optical.) I couldn't try it with the coax and hdmi arc inputs, because I don't have the equipment for it at the moment. This is what the V3 mono and Zd3 look like paired.
The sound quality of the Zd3: Instant smile on my face.. I listen to a wide variety of music from acoustic guitar + vocals, rock, blues, pop, reggae, techno and disco to lighter jazz. I was satisfied with the Topping e30 I used so far, which I powered from a power bank. But this ZD3 is completely different. I don't know how much more could be gotten out of it with a linear power supply, but what the ZD3 brought in terms of sound quality far exceeded my expectations. Airy, clean, light and dynamic sound, large space and very pleasant sound for all styles. Almost with holographic spatial representation. It has a uncolorized, very clean and calm detailed sound. It can be listened to for a long time. For the price of the ZD3, we get a higher-class sound. New details, better space, beautiful and lifelike instrument sounds appear. There is more of almost everything. Accurate bass, beautiful and airy clear mids and highs. More highs sound than my older (e30) Dac, but not toomuch. For me it's like putting a missing brick in the wall, chain... Something that fits exactly. All this with the help of the factory installed op amps. The replacement is no problem for me, I tested more in v3. Interesting, but I don't feel this is necessary for the ZD3. With a much better power supply and, for example, more expensive Spark op amps, you can definitely go much higher.
I'll just write as an interesting fact that after unpacking, I first felt that the combined volume/on-off/input selector button seemed unstable. (But it's not..) It was also strange that the volume button mode was infinite and adjusted the volume a little slowly. Changing the input mode with the button also seemed unstable. However, after a few days I got completely used to it and even loved it. Switching inputs is much easier with the remote control. I just wanted to write that what you don't like at first is just different, not bad. By the way, I prefer the physical volume control. However, with the physical one you can't change the input, for example. You can change the DAC/Preamp mode with the bypass switch on the bottom of the case. I can only write one negative experience here, if it counts at negative... The volume control does really not work when switched to direct mode, but the volume change is still visible on the display. But it doesn't affect the actual volume. All in all, for a price of around $180, we get a very well-built and very good-sounding DAC/PREAMP, which spoils us with beautiful sounds. In addition, it can be tuned even further. I would definitely recommend it because she has a fantastic voice! If you like to listen to your music with a smile and you like to do it at an affordable price, choose the Fosi Audio ZD3!
Pros: Adequate number of digital inputs.
Dual audio output
Very good and solid construction.
Thick strong aluminum housing.
Spectacular oled display.
Very nice design.
Stable solid input connectors.
Additional tuning is possible.
Full-function remote control that works from all angles, no need to aim it.
The sound quality far exceeds its price. Wide, airy, accurate, dynamic, clear and
very detailed sound reproduction.
Cons: Perhaps the volume control could be a little shorter way.
It is strange that the volume level indicator on the display also works in bypass mode.
No dimmer.
It could also be an automatic shutdown, similar to the za3 and v3 mono.
The small user manual is also very small in font, so it is difficult to read.
The device arrived very quickly and safely (5 days!) and I was very happy to unpack it. Here are the full contents of my package.
Package Contents: 1: Zd3 Dac
2: Wall Power Supply
3: USB Cable
4: 3pcs Jrc 4580D Op Amps (for rolling)
5: Remote Control
6: 12V Trigger Cable
7: User Manual.
From the very first moment, it was clear that the device was very well built, the housing was very solid when held it in my hand. Thick, stable housing made of aluminum. We get the elegant shapes and quality surface treatment that we are used to from Fosi Audio with this device. There is a generous set of connectors on the back.
List of rear connection sockets: XLR outputs. RCA outputs. 12 volt trigger in/out. HDMI ARC. Optical input. Coaxial input. USB input. Bluetooth antenna and 12v power in.
We can connect all our important digital devices to it. Many people miss at least one analog RCA input,
But it is important to note that this is a digital device with a preamp mode, and the preamp is not its primary function. Since I have several analog devices, one analog input would not have been enough for me anyway. I have a multi-channel tube preamp, so this was not a shortcoming of the zd3 for me. I filled in the inputs and outputs that I used.
The remote control is well thought out, ergonomically designed and I tried it from practically every impossible angle, the device detected it well from everywhere and turned on immediately without thinking. Of course, it is plastic, but this is common with many other companies and is not a problem at all.
I connected the ZD3 to two Fosi Audio V3 monoblocks with XLR connectors. The dual output of the Zd3 is very good because the XLR and RCA outputs work simultaneously. For example, I can power cassette decks, reel-to-reel tape recorders, another amplifier or any device with RCA inputs from the ZD3 RCA output, while I can power two V3 monoblocks from the XLR output. I can also connect other sources to the V3 mono RCA inputs, for example from my other 4-channel preamplifier, thereby increasing the number of devices that can be used simultaneously. The ZD3 is ready to use in less than 2 seconds after switching on. The OLED display is informative and sharp. It cannot be dimmed, but it can be turned on and off.
The chipset used (XMOS XU316 + ESS 9039Q2M + QCC3031 + LME49720)
These and the technical data and other details of the device can all be found on the Fosi Audio website, so instead of dry data, let's look at my own experience with it. First, I downloaded the ZD3 driver from the Fosi Audio website, installed it and the device worked immediately. I connected my CD player (Technics SL-PS7) to it via the optical input. I tried my mobile phone with Bluetooth connection and flac files. I connected my laptop to it via USB. It handled any resolution of the files I used on the USB input well, be it high-resolution dsd or wav, flac or whatever. The connection to my phones was fast and stable via the Bluetooth input. The sound quality of the Bluetooth transmission is very good. The internal DAC of my CD player used on the ZD3's optical input is audibly weaker than the ZD3. The optical connection is completely seamless. (This freed up an RCA input on my other preamplifier, because now the CD signal goes to the zd3 via optical.) I couldn't try it with the coax and hdmi arc inputs, because I don't have the equipment for it at the moment. This is what the V3 mono and Zd3 look like paired.
The sound quality of the Zd3: Instant smile on my face..
I listen to a wide variety of music from acoustic guitar + vocals, rock, blues, pop, reggae, techno and disco to lighter jazz. I was satisfied with the Topping e30 I used so far, which I powered from a power bank. But this ZD3 is completely different. I don't know how much more could be gotten out of it with a linear power supply, but what the ZD3 brought in terms of sound quality far exceeded my expectations. Airy, clean, light and dynamic sound, large space and very pleasant sound for all styles. Almost with holographic spatial representation. It has a uncolorized, very clean and calm detailed sound. It can be listened to for a long time. For the price of the ZD3, we get a higher-class sound. New details, better space, beautiful and lifelike instrument sounds appear. There is more of almost everything. Accurate bass, beautiful and airy clear mids and highs. More highs sound than my older (e30) Dac, but not toomuch. For me it's like putting a missing brick in the wall, chain... Something that fits exactly. All this with the help of the factory installed op amps. The replacement is no problem for me, I tested more in v3. Interesting, but I don't feel this is necessary for the ZD3. With a much better power supply and, for example, more expensive Spark op amps, you can definitely go much higher.I'll just write as an interesting fact that after unpacking, I first felt that the combined volume/on-off/input selector button seemed unstable. (But it's not..) It was also strange that the volume button mode was infinite and adjusted the volume a little slowly. Changing the input mode with the button also seemed unstable. However, after a few days I got completely used to it and even loved it. Switching inputs is much easier with the remote control. I just wanted to write that what you don't like at first is just different, not bad. By the way, I prefer the physical volume control. However, with the physical one you can't change the input, for example. You can change the DAC/Preamp mode with the bypass switch on the bottom of the case. I can only write one negative experience here, if it counts at negative... The volume control does really not work when switched to direct mode, but the volume change is still visible on the display. But it doesn't affect the actual volume. All in all, for a price of around $180, we get a very well-built and very good-sounding DAC/PREAMP, which spoils us with beautiful sounds. In addition, it can be tuned even further. I would definitely recommend it because she has a fantastic voice! If you like to listen to your music with a smile and you like to do it at an affordable price, choose the Fosi Audio ZD3!
Pros: Adequate number of digital inputs.
Dual audio output
Very good and solid construction.
Thick strong aluminum housing.
Spectacular oled display.
Very nice design.
Stable solid input connectors.
Additional tuning is possible.
Full-function remote control that works from all angles, no need to aim it.
The sound quality far exceeds its price. Wide, airy, accurate, dynamic, clear and
very detailed sound reproduction.
Cons: Perhaps the volume control could be a little shorter way.
It is strange that the volume level indicator on the display also works in bypass mode.
No dimmer.
It could also be an automatic shutdown, similar to the za3 and v3 mono.
The small user manual is also very small in font, so it is difficult to read.
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