Guddu
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- Feb 10, 2020
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Dear FMs, [<< If you haven't seen Amir's review yet (which is super unlikely): Amir's Measurements & Review of Fosi v3 Mono >>]
A pair of Fosi v3 mono arrived on my desk last evening, I feel that this amplifier deserves its own User Impressions & Owner's Thread.
I am hoping that it will keep other measurement & review thread limited to its purpose and rest could get a place here in this thread.
I mean to summarize:
> what I get as a buyer or user of Fosi v3 mono amplifier pair
> aspects other than measurements that you might be interested in
> testing features & functions to see if there are any issues and how could get around those, if any
> I also hope that this thread could provide some information as to "what to expect" while you are buying this amplifier
*** I hope other Fosi v3 mono owners can also sum up their feedback and some work arounds here to help other potential future Fosi v3 mono owners ***
Packaging & transportation:
It came in decently packed, box had signs of transportation torture but nothing to be worried about.
I think it would be better with Amazon delivery.
Look & Feel:
> I don't need to say much on this, but this amplifier looks even better. While Fosi ZA3 had slightly non-shiny matt look, Fosi v3 mono's case is shiny-er looking better than ZA3 case to me.
> It's height marches with Topping E50 DAC and/or Topping PA7 amplifier.
> Shouldn't need to be saying again, but it looks cute under my TV. Low profile makes things really easy for placement however speaker cable termination requires some consideration, notes added.
> No matter how hard I try to ignore but the speaker binding post is small, its same as used in other Fosi amplifier and so some considerations are needed.
Power Supply:
> I got 48v 10a PSU, and it is supplied with a splitter cable to connect to 2 amplifiers.
> PSU is heavy, which feels good and safer. 18 AWG cables are used by manufacturer which is good enough for 10a current (in general), details in picture below:
> In comparison to other 48v PSUs supplied with other amplifiers:
My Setup, Connectivity and Pairing devices:
PC & nVidia Shield Pro (source) >>>> Topping E50 >>>>balanced out>>>> Fosi v3 Mono Amplifiers >>>> ELAC DBR62 Speakers
Note: Center Speaker in pic isn't connected to this setup
Auto ON/OFF
> I found it working every time, without any issues or any miss
> it's rather more convenient than triggered in IMO, it turns off after about 10-11 minutes when no signal and turns up immediately by any signal
Idle Power - Powered ON vs Auto
> Measured on 20a smart plug
> When Powered ON but No music playing: approx. 20W (v3 mono, pair)
> When toggle set to Auto but its OFF: approx. 10W (v3 mono, pair)
> When toggle set to OFF, no power drawn captured
Amplifier Case Temperature
> As noted in above statement, amplifier uses at least 10W on idle with Auto setting but Off and 20W on idle when powered ON
> Sitting approx. 2.5 meters from speakers, listening to 70-75 db which is my normal listening volume, it never went over 22W
> With 20-22W power consumption, amplifier chassis did go a bit hot for sure
> I pushed it around 30W and I didn't like touching the case, however I would worry too much
> I did not feel that I should measure the temperate, given my normal listening requirements, but I will probably try over the weekend just to note it down here if possible
Illusional and Delusional Stuff - How I feel about Fosi v3 Mono after listening for few hours
Note:
>> Amir has provided all the measurements that could tell you more than anything and anyone to evaluate the amplifier objectively.
>> And So, you might want to ignore this part as its purely based on my setup, in-room response and my likings.
I use MusicBee and use equalizer on the player to manage some in-room response anomalies, which I forgot after connecting and moving from Topping PA7 to v3 mono.
but anyways, It sounded superb just like PA7 does in my setup. There was not any blind AB test, which will be done probably over the weekend with some friends, but I totally doubt that anyone could tell a difference even if there is any.
So, no comparisons.
These amplifiers with Elac DBR62 are sounding amazing, no complaints.
I am trying hard not to use any words that someone would come after me reading, but its simply FANTASTIC.
With my confidence and doubts, I fired up REW to quickly see how different is frequency response in my room at my listening position and I wasn't surprised seeing it was more or les same as PA7 with minor variance here & there that I can perhaps not hear.
If you want to look at the below REW measurements, please ignore un-evenness and only look at the differences. I try to make up for a few of these issues with EQ on music player, which isn't subject to REW measurements.
If anything, it only appears a bit better. My Topping PA7 isn't liking me saying this.
====================================
Some considerations, could be helpful for planning:
====================================
Speaker cable connectivity:
> Banana Plug is the safest option for these amplifiers considering spacing between binding posts and PSU connector.
Amplifier placement if using splitter cable
> Splitter cable can allow about 2 feet or 25-26 inches stretch or distance
Popping Noise/Sound
> There is popping noise/sound on turn on/off, if you want to listen for any reason: Fosi v3 Mono Power ON-OFF Pop.m4a
> Note*: The sound clip was recorded on iPhone kept about 1 feet from speaker.
> Amir has notified in his measurements as well:
Humming Sound issue when only one amplifier is powered ON - Probably Resolved Now!
> As we heard humming sound issue when simple PSU is used for v3 mono pair but only one amplifier is ON, I did not find it in the units I received.
> I don't know if it is resolved or I could not replicate it, but I have tested these many times with one amplifier ON/OFF/Auto however never found the issue
=========================================
While I plan to add on more details later as I observe, capture or measure something that could be useful for someone, I am wrapping it up here with a note that if you need mono bocks for a small room then you will surely miss something if you don't get these Fosi v3 mono amplifiers in your list (amazon makes it easier to try).
I wasn't aware that these are getting delivered, so thanks @Fosi Audio.
A pair of Fosi v3 mono arrived on my desk last evening, I feel that this amplifier deserves its own User Impressions & Owner's Thread.
I am hoping that it will keep other measurement & review thread limited to its purpose and rest could get a place here in this thread.
I mean to summarize:
> what I get as a buyer or user of Fosi v3 mono amplifier pair
> aspects other than measurements that you might be interested in
> testing features & functions to see if there are any issues and how could get around those, if any
> I also hope that this thread could provide some information as to "what to expect" while you are buying this amplifier
*** I hope other Fosi v3 mono owners can also sum up their feedback and some work arounds here to help other potential future Fosi v3 mono owners ***
Packaging & transportation:
It came in decently packed, box had signs of transportation torture but nothing to be worried about.
I think it would be better with Amazon delivery.
Look & Feel:
> I don't need to say much on this, but this amplifier looks even better. While Fosi ZA3 had slightly non-shiny matt look, Fosi v3 mono's case is shiny-er looking better than ZA3 case to me.
> It's height marches with Topping E50 DAC and/or Topping PA7 amplifier.
> Shouldn't need to be saying again, but it looks cute under my TV. Low profile makes things really easy for placement however speaker cable termination requires some consideration, notes added.
> No matter how hard I try to ignore but the speaker binding post is small, its same as used in other Fosi amplifier and so some considerations are needed.
Power Supply:
> I got 48v 10a PSU, and it is supplied with a splitter cable to connect to 2 amplifiers.
> PSU is heavy, which feels good and safer. 18 AWG cables are used by manufacturer which is good enough for 10a current (in general), details in picture below:
> In comparison to other 48v PSUs supplied with other amplifiers:
My Setup, Connectivity and Pairing devices:
PC & nVidia Shield Pro (source) >>>> Topping E50 >>>>balanced out>>>> Fosi v3 Mono Amplifiers >>>> ELAC DBR62 Speakers
Note: Center Speaker in pic isn't connected to this setup
Auto ON/OFF
> I found it working every time, without any issues or any miss
> it's rather more convenient than triggered in IMO, it turns off after about 10-11 minutes when no signal and turns up immediately by any signal
Idle Power - Powered ON vs Auto
> Measured on 20a smart plug
> When Powered ON but No music playing: approx. 20W (v3 mono, pair)
> When toggle set to Auto but its OFF: approx. 10W (v3 mono, pair)
> When toggle set to OFF, no power drawn captured
Amplifier Case Temperature
> As noted in above statement, amplifier uses at least 10W on idle with Auto setting but Off and 20W on idle when powered ON
> Sitting approx. 2.5 meters from speakers, listening to 70-75 db which is my normal listening volume, it never went over 22W
> With 20-22W power consumption, amplifier chassis did go a bit hot for sure
> I pushed it around 30W and I didn't like touching the case, however I would worry too much
> I did not feel that I should measure the temperate, given my normal listening requirements, but I will probably try over the weekend just to note it down here if possible
Illusional and Delusional Stuff - How I feel about Fosi v3 Mono after listening for few hours
Note:
>> Amir has provided all the measurements that could tell you more than anything and anyone to evaluate the amplifier objectively.
>> And So, you might want to ignore this part as its purely based on my setup, in-room response and my likings.
I use MusicBee and use equalizer on the player to manage some in-room response anomalies, which I forgot after connecting and moving from Topping PA7 to v3 mono.
but anyways, It sounded superb just like PA7 does in my setup. There was not any blind AB test, which will be done probably over the weekend with some friends, but I totally doubt that anyone could tell a difference even if there is any.
So, no comparisons.
These amplifiers with Elac DBR62 are sounding amazing, no complaints.
I am trying hard not to use any words that someone would come after me reading, but its simply FANTASTIC.
With my confidence and doubts, I fired up REW to quickly see how different is frequency response in my room at my listening position and I wasn't surprised seeing it was more or les same as PA7 with minor variance here & there that I can perhaps not hear.
If you want to look at the below REW measurements, please ignore un-evenness and only look at the differences. I try to make up for a few of these issues with EQ on music player, which isn't subject to REW measurements.
If anything, it only appears a bit better. My Topping PA7 isn't liking me saying this.
====================================
Some considerations, could be helpful for planning:
====================================
Speaker cable connectivity:
> Banana Plug is the safest option for these amplifiers considering spacing between binding posts and PSU connector.
Amplifier placement if using splitter cable
> Splitter cable can allow about 2 feet or 25-26 inches stretch or distance
Popping Noise/Sound
> There is popping noise/sound on turn on/off, if you want to listen for any reason: Fosi v3 Mono Power ON-OFF Pop.m4a
> Note*: The sound clip was recorded on iPhone kept about 1 feet from speaker.
> Amir has notified in his measurements as well:
Humming Sound issue when only one amplifier is powered ON - Probably Resolved Now!
> As we heard humming sound issue when simple PSU is used for v3 mono pair but only one amplifier is ON, I did not find it in the units I received.
> I don't know if it is resolved or I could not replicate it, but I have tested these many times with one amplifier ON/OFF/Auto however never found the issue
=========================================
While I plan to add on more details later as I observe, capture or measure something that could be useful for someone, I am wrapping it up here with a note that if you need mono bocks for a small room then you will surely miss something if you don't get these Fosi v3 mono amplifiers in your list (amazon makes it easier to try).
I wasn't aware that these are getting delivered, so thanks @Fosi Audio.
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