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Fosi Audio ZD3 Balanced DAC Review

Rate this DAC:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 5 2.0%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 67 26.2%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 180 70.3%

  • Total voters
    256
Is it really true the the optical and coax max rez output is 16/48? as per the app?

It should not be per the specs. Only the bluetooth and USB are limited as per below...but nothing to 16/48

Maximum Sampling Rate:
USB: PCM 32bit/768kHz; DSD512
OPT/COAX: PCM 24bit/192kHz
Bluetooth: PCM 24bit/48kHz
 
Is the opamp opa1622 good on this?

You are going to get some varying and very polar views on whether op amp swapping on a DAC really makes a difference. There is test evidence on this site for another DAC that would support it does not, yet many feel that there are sonic despite the test measurements. As to your question though, if op amp swapping is something that you personally think makes a noticeable difference, then in truth only you can decide if any particular op amp sounds good or not because beyond the measurements what sounds good and what does not is really a matter of taste.

Also and just in case you were thinking that the OPA1622 was the stock op amp for the ZD3, I believe it is not. The stock one is the LME49720.
 
This is a great product. Paired with the ZA3 and Oberon 5's, I'm very happy with it. Kudos to Fosi on the kit!
image.jpg


Got mine paired with a pair of V3 mono and the Oberon 9s that need a lot of power to drive. Work flawlessly in my setup.
 
You could use the two inputs of the V3M.
That would work, but I'm maxed out on plugs on the power bar!
One way or another you need analog to digital conversion as the ZD3 only takes digital inputs. The mini can do that through the aux in. The converter is not great, but does it matter for a normal turntable? Unlikely, I’d try it you might be fine.
Depends on what your playing too, a 50 year old used copy of Flat as a Pancake from Head East? Well that converter is isnt the limiting factor lol…
It took until 3 days ago to find the toslink cable that came with the WIIM. But it works just like you said it would and it's hard to tell if it matters. (I know, I know. Sacrilege)
Thanks Miser_Audioman and Rotel75.
 
Hi all,

Is there any way to install the latest firmware updates via a Mac?
 
I have audio dropouts where listening when connected to a TCL TV with an Apple TV. No audio dropouts when using a Marantz NR1200 instead of the ZD3.
I am in contact with Fosi Audio support to help me. Here is the question I asked them : Is it possible to change the DPLL setting ?

ZD3 and SMSL DL200 have the same DAC chip ESS ES9039Q2M.
You can read from the SMSL manual :
https://www.smsl-audio.com/upload/portal/download/DL200Manual.pdf

DPLL 1~9, the lower the value, the smaller the clock jitter.

This DPLL setting is a unique function of ESS series products. It can adjust the bandwidth
of the DPLL digital phase-locked loop circuit inside the chip, so that the chip can achieve
a balance between anti-clock jitter and input tolerance.
Effect:
- When the clock stability of the input signal is good, this value can be reduced, so
that the clock performance of the system is better;
- When the clock stability of the input signal is not good, the sound may be
interrupted. Increasing this value can avoid the occurrence of audio interruption!
Especially when using TV as the signal source.
I am using SMSL C200 and have to set DPLL to highest 9 to stop choppy audio (TV > C200 > Amp). Does Fosi ZD3 have DPLL adjustable setting function ?
 
That looks fantastic! I heard the 9's at a local showroom. Really liked them. Were you driving them with another amplifier before the V3 M's?
Yes, believe it or not, I was driving them with a 6w tube amp. It sounded great, but nothing like these mono blocks. Haha these are on another level with the Oberon 9’s.
 

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Question, is it worth only updating the Opamps in this if your not doing the same in the amp?

My setup is..

Wiim Ultra > Coxail -> ZD3 XLR > Amp
 
Question, is it worth only updating the Opamps in this if your not doing the same in the amp?

My setup is..

Wiim Ultra > Coxail -> ZD3 XLR > Amp
You can always try out some cheaper ones. It's kinda fun to tune the sound a bit.
 
Question, is it worth only updating the Opamps in this if your not doing the same in the amp?

My setup is..

Wiim Ultra > Coxail -> ZD3 XLR > Amp
Is there any point having the ZD3 in this lineup? IIRC the DAC in the Ultra is as good as the Fosi.
 
Is there any point having the ZD3 in this lineup? IIRC the DAC in the Ultra is as good as the Fosi.
By SINAD, but in real world applications, the XLR connectivity of the Fosi may be better.
 
By SINAD, but in real world applications, the XLR connectivity of the Fosi may be better.
Only if you have inter-component interference though, right?

Edit: I’m not trolling, BTW. I’ve been considering putting a ZD3 between my WiiM Pro Plus and ZA3, but it seems in theory at least as though it won’t add anything, except more components in the signal path.
 
Only if you have inter-component interference though, right?

Edit: I’m not trolling, BTW. I’ve been considering putting a ZD3 between my WiiM Pro Plus and ZA3, but it seems in theory at least as though it won’t add anything, except more components in the signal path.

There are a handful of people who have complained about ground loops with the Node Icon, but one of the reasons I returned my WiiM Ultra is that I had worse ground loop than I got with the Fosi ZD3. Unfortunately, the ZD3 was glitchy with my HDMI CEC power off control. I am literally waiting on a Node Icon to provide

1) HDMI ARC/CEC DAC
2) Reliable 12v trigger activity
3) No mains noise

I did return my WiiM Ultra before I saw reports that the Node Icon is inconsistent — so who knows if my setup will have the ground loop or not.
 
There are a handful of people who have complained about ground loops with the Node Icon, but one of the reasons I returned my WiiM Ultra is that I had worse ground loop than I got with the Fosi ZD3. Unfortunately, the ZD3 was glitchy with my HDMI CEC power off control. I am literally waiting on a Node Icon to provide

I have no ground loop/interference issues with my current setup, and the WPP triggers the ZA3 just fine (with a custom trigger cable). So I don’t think the ZD3 would do much for me.
 
How do you use the ZD3 with an LG TV on HDMI ARC? I'm not getting any output from the ZD3. On optical it works perfectly.
I turned off the CEC functionality to avoid that power on bug, but it shouldn't be related to the audio part, or is it? Do you use eARC? What settings do you put on the TV exactly? I have a LG G2.
 
Question, is it worth only updating the Opamps in this if your not doing the same in the amp?

My setup is..

Wiim Ultra > Coxail -> ZD3 XLR > Amp

From my experience and personal observations, changes in the amp will be more impactful. That said, I swapped the stock LME op amps for Sparkos 3602's which I had purchased for older Eastern Electric DAC I own, and while I know others will disagree that it does, I could certainly hear the difference after doing so. IMO, the Sparkos are just cleaner and tighter sounding in the bass and mid sections. They also are more resolving and have better highs to my ear. It's important to note that everyone's tastes run different so I could see someone actually preferring the LME's. It's horses for courses as they say.

For anyone venturing forth to change out the op amps in the ZD3 I have two thing I would like to note.

1. Make sure you disconnect the volume bypass switch before pulling the board out. You can do this without removing the switch by carefully peeling away the red sealant they put on it and then using a pair of hemostats to gently unplug the switch from the board.

2. The knob is a real pain to remove as it is on their very tightly, but I found that using a soft covered jar opener like the one picture below works perfectly to grip it and pull forward to get it off. When doing so, don't grip the know with the recessed side, use it sort of backwards so that the side show below is towards the face plate on the dac.

1737216315547.png
 
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