Fosi Audio ZD3 Balanced DAC Review

[Mikig]

Very good devices.
Once again Fosi hits the mark. Performance, appearance, components and price make it truly attractive.
I also like the fact that they have a line, the “Z” that has the same dimensions and physical characteristics, so as to allow a visually ordered and coordinated system. Something that other competitors do not do, producing a myriad of different shapes.

The orange knob adds the finishing touch. In two years Fosi has created a family feeling: its products are recognizable in the endless jungle of devices.

Well done, excellent result. I also like the fact that you can change op-amps. Not so much for the pursuit of a particular sound, but because it allows users to play, learn, understand how things work, open the devices and see them from every point of view.
This thing is almost educational, regardless of the final result. It allows you to have a more complete cognitive experience.

Thanks Amirm as always for the time dedicated and for the test!

 

[dtaylo1066]

Just nuts what 180 clams can get you in a DAC these days. And a remote. Perhaps they can intro a $225 model with EQ and analog input in the future. These guys at Fosi have nailed what the mainstream listener wants in audio. They are doing what Vizio did to TVs a decade or so ago -- produce really good ones at a budget price that drives quality up and prices down among all competitors.

 

[TonyJZX]

hmm i think the DL100 is more versatile but yeah

i can scan the manual if you guys want but it doesnt tell you anything worth knowing... because the device does not have a menu

pretty much what you see here is what you get

 

[FTB]

So much performance for 180 bucks...

 

[turbotuff]

the fact this is as low as $130 on ebay with11/11 sales and coupons makes it a no brainer

i do get there's some issues with the hdmi and the BT is truly 5yrs behind the times but as yet no one comes close with the price

and fosi at least update the firmware

Where are you seeing it for $130? The cheapest I'm seeing is $149

 

[GXAlan]

@amirm is the HDMI ARC testing through the Audio Precision upgrade? Or did that Sonos dongle convert optical to HDMI ARC?

 

[Billy Budapest]

Not SOTA performance but audibly transparent and with this feature set and price, it’s a no-brainer purchase.

 

[diaolodoro]

I am still waiting for a DAC with HDMI arc with EQ presets (5bands+). I'm using a 42 oled TV as a PC monitor and sometimes I want to use the build-in TV apps. It would be very nice if I could set an EQ for the speakers for all my use cases.

 

[mrmoizy]

Does anyone have experience with this unit? I'm curious if the balanced and RCA outputs work at the same time. Like, could I use the RCA outputs for signals for a 2-channel setup, and use one/both of the balanced outputs for a sub or subs? Obviously, the voltage output would be different, but that could be balanced with the amplifiers themselves.

Also, now that we're starting to see more DACs with HDMI ARC input, does anyone have experience feeding these DACs a 5.1 decoded PCM signal from an A/V source? Are they able to mix it to stereo? Or do these DACs only work with stereo sources?

I would love to have something that my TV could plug into for a stereo setup. I find Toslink too inconsistent in the volume control department, but HDMI ARC passes through the volume levels in my experience, so I could turn things up or down with my TV remote. I've messed with home theater setups in the past, that whole market is a racket. The fact I have to pay for Dolby/DTS decoding at the end device when most sources and TVs can do the decoding themselves is silly. And then if I want my own amplification, I have to buy a fancy "processor", that somehow costs 3x as much as the entry-level HTRs that process surround formats AND include crappy amplification. I would love to have just a clean 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2 modular setup with some discrete, high-performance devices like this DAC.

 

[turbotuff]

Been looking for a decent ARC device with CEC support to use powered speakers with my TV. Now the dilemma is ZD3 vs SMSL DL100... Anyone have thoughts on this comparison?

 

[PlasticDoc]

This Fosi ZD3 DAC is an ugly duckling: it has an inferior design (both internally and externally) at about the same cost as the (arguably) best in class: SMSL D-6s

 

[turbotuff]

This is an ugly duckling: it has an inferior design (both internally and externally) at about the same cost as the (arguably) best in class: SMSL D-6s

No HDMI ARC support on that one.

 

[Piotr]

Yes please do not compare non-HDMI devices with HDMI because it's a different league.

Also, now that we're starting to see more DACs with HDMI ARC input, does anyone have experience feeding these DACs a 5.1 decoded PCM signal from an A/V source? Are they able to mix it to stereo? Or do these DACs only work with stereo sources?

If it's a PCM signal, I think it'll downmix to stereo. Dolby digital or Dolby digital+ is a different story. Not at this price point.

 

[JeremyFife]

Cute, good and cheap ... nice one Fosi!

 

[tccalvin]

For the same price, you can get a better measured SMSL dl100, which also has hdmi arc and in addition LDAC bluetooth and a good headphone amplifier.

And selectable filters too!

The only thing that continues to bother me is that SMSL products use floating ground even though they have three prong plugs. A bit misleading.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Why USB type B insted of type C

You rarely ever see a broken one, and changing the port is quite easily relatively speaking. For what a DAC needs, type B is perfectly adequate.

OLED is the incorrect choice for a static display. I will likely be unreadable within 6 months.

Admittedly, this design choice would have me slightly concerned as well...

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Thanks for the review, Amir. Glad to see another one of these with HDMI-ARC, and now you can evaluate it on the Audio Precision unit. So any modern TV with HDMI ARC can be the source for a high quality AV system now. If Dacs were not a solved problem before they certainly are now. This just needs some PEQ and Dirac Live to finish the deal.

 

[amirm]

@amirm is the HDMI ARC testing through the Audio Precision upgrade? Or did that Sonos dongle convert optical to HDMI ARC?

The Sonos was a bust. However, a member told me about an HDMI splitter that had the right feature set. I tested it and it worked! It has a ton of features to boot. This is the one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNSY3VKW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

[DearSX]

Love the new look and feature set like trigger and HDMI Arc.

Thanks @amirm

 

[sarieri]

They build a DAC with 9039q2m but only measured -116 THD+N at 4V? I gonna shut up.