BudgetAudiophile

So I have some "built in" Bluetooth speakers in a piece of furniture. No other inputs are available, just Bluetooth. I'm trying to find an AC or USB powered MP3/audio player that can transmit via Bluetooth to these speakers. I don't care if it has built in memory or if I need to plug in a flash drive out SD card. I don't want it to have a battery because it will always be in one spot and always on. I only need to be able to pause/play from the speaker remote. I've been using a garbage flip phone that I CAN mod and power from USB, but I'd like a cleaner solution. I don't want to use a phone. I don't want to hack something together. I'm having a hell of a time finding something. Probably 10 hours over 2 weeks. I'm drained. Does anyone have an idea?

WARNING: In this post I talk about working on HIGH POWER electrical circuits. DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED... PERIOD! The capacitor in the final photo is quite easily capable of KILLING YOU if you discharge it through yourself. The amp uses TWO of those in its power supply.

As a hobby, I pick up distressed amplifiers, receivers, and other audio equipment and attempt to bring them back to life. This has netted me some spectacularly great pieces for pennies on the dollar, to outright free.

This photo is a receiver I picked up locally for free. Both main channels were "out". It wasn't the internal amplifier that was the problem though, rather the input board had some dry solder joints. About 3 hours of soldering netted me a perfectly working receiver, which has been in my living room for the past two years working perfectly. If you want photos of when I took it apart, just let me know.

Below is an 8 channel McIntosh MC7108 that I bought off of eBay listed "for parts". While what I paid for it probably doesn't fit the definition for "budget", it was less than a quarter what the amp is worth... So maybe budgetish? It's works great, but I ended up not really fixing it. It actually worked for about a week after I bought it. I thought I had really scored, until it started up with a horrendous buzzing noise that came from inside the cabinet. The protection circuits also kicked in and the amplifier would not power up. Some investigation, again photos are available if you want to see them, revealed that buzzing came from a bad capacitor and relay in the on/off switch circuit. As I didn't care about the on/off switch, I simply bypassed it. Now, if the amp is plugged in, it turns on. I control it using a Zwave outlet (look at the power outlet and you'll see it) and that is what I use to turn on and off the entire stack you see.

Below the McIntosh is a Carver TFM-15B that needed the input pots cleaned and new meter lights. It's not a well built amp, but I've always loved Bob Carver's work and it sounds very warm. Bob was known for is ability to copy the sound of much more expensive amplifiers in his design, which he called "Transfer Function." In the case of the TFM-15B is copies the sound of a Classe amp, although I don't remember which one.

Below that is my wife's old Soundcraftsman amplifier that I put new power supply capacitors in. The caps in that thing are the size of coke cans.. Don't believe me? See the last photo...

At the very bottom is an old HTPC I built many years ago. It is retired as an HTPC and is currently serving as a low power server for my house.

Big honking Capacitor:

I want to have it always plugged to the power and to an external speaker so I dont care about its battery life

some must haves:

• aluminum
• not more than 80£
• reliable (ideally buy for life as muxh possible for tech)

good to have:

• easily repairable
• I can remove the battery

does this thing exist?

Hey folks, I recently found a 1980s Yamaha PX-55 turntable for $20 and figured I would give it a go. Only issue with it is that its missing the entire headshell. I figured this would be an easy fix as they're (mostly) plug and play.

Now I'm looking at universal headshell and realising I may be SOL. The tonearm connector is as pictured

Seems there's no space for the captive pin on this tonearm. Now, I don't have a spare headshell to check... Is that pin removable?

Do I need a different type of headshell/will a universal connector even work with this tonearm?

OR

Will I have to replace the tonearm connector to a universal type in order to get it all working nicely?

Any help is appreciated. Happy to discuss as required. I'm somewhat familiar with electronic repairs but new to turntable repairs, parts and terminology.

I wanted to "just quickly record a vinyl" with my Wiim ultra, but sunk over one hour into troubleshooting the USB audio out. If that would work it would be so immensly convinient to digitize my records, but the option to output audio over USB just didn't appear in the app... I am running the latest firmware and even did a factory reset

Has anyone an idea what it could be? I tried multiple cables, but I do not own a USB A 2.0 to USB A 2.0. I tried a A to A 3.0 cable and 2 A to C 2.0 cables. I tried my tuxedo laptop (linux) and also my HP (windows) and my Tablet (Android). Nothing worked

Hi guys,

Currently I'm running a 15 year old Sony TV with two Behringer Truth 2031's over RCA. I've added a Denon DCD-810 to that mix with a simple RCA switch to either listen to CD's over the speakers or my TV. The setup is somewhat clunky, I have to power on each speaker manually and walk over to the RCA switch to choose between TV or CD's. Since I've already had the speakers and the TV this was a very cheap way to go and I don't mind the extra steps. I am bound by CD players with variable outputs because of this, hence the 35 year old CD player which has it's disadvantages.

Now being realistic my TV is getting old, it's only 40 inches and I want it replaced in the coming years. Looking at modern TV's they don't seem to have RCA out for audio, just optical and HDMI as options. My plan was to get a nice second hand receiver and a nice pair of second-hand stereo speakers.

Doing a bit of reading HDMI for audio seems to be the superior option. My big question is, in what way is an older receiver future proof for all the different technologies? I would probably need a receiver that is 4k capable and whatever protocols I might need. Will optical out really give me a big disadvantage over HDMI? And if I would use HDMI on the receiver what technologies would it have to support?

Sorry for the long story!

I have an older Sony amplifier I want to use for my computer, paired with some sort of speakers. While planning, I'm thinking: should I just use my motherboard's line out to the amp, or would I be better utilising the S/PDIF header on my mobo to get the audio digitally to the amp?

Hi everyone, I recently bought a Wiim Ultra because it was the perfect device for my usecase. However I noticed that basically all BluRay players only have coax out and the Wiim doesn't have a coax input. Is it lossy to buy a cheap coax to toslink converter? In theory it should just convert the data 1 to 1 since both connections are digital ones, but I am not sure.

The reason I want this is because I am most certainly not paying hundreds of dollars to listen to CDs. I wanted to buy a "cheap" BluRay player for ~80€ and just use it to listen to CDs as well. As long as I bypass their DAC that should be fine imo. But I don't want my TV to be on for listening to CDs so thats why I want to use the digital output of it.

I have a pair of Audio Technica M40x and while I like the sound decently enough, I find the pads very uncomfortable. They hurt after a while and my ears get quite warm. So I'd like to replace the pads. I've seen Brainwavz and Dekoni recommended before, but the former is not available in the EU (for a reasonable price that I can find anyway) and the latter is quite pricy. Are there any other recommendations?

I'm going to get the 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Dioko IEMs but I want to make them wireless. In the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMTs5bvAsGA) they feature the KZ Apt-X HDs from linsoul, however they're sold out right now. Which other adapters would you recommend instead of these. (Must be 2 pin 0.78 plug.)

I was just wondering at what point to set up an equalizer for a turntable setup. I’m moving into a bigger place soon and will be taking my grandfather’s old equalizer and speakers from the 80s (not audiophile quality I’m sure but it’s free and I can upgrade in the future when I have more disposable income). I know typically you’d have the turntable plugged into a pre-amp, that plugged into an amp/receiver and that plugged into speakers. I tried looking it up online but all I found was either explanations on how to use an equalizer, or people talking about whether a specific equalizer was good or bad. Where in the “chain” of components would the equalizer go? I’m quite new to home theatre setup obviously. The only turntable setup I’ve ever used had an equalizer built into the receiver so that was simpler to put together.

This is my first post here so hopefully this is the right community to ask the question to

Looking at a couple receivers. I'm not a huge audiophile or anything, but have some functional things I'm looking for (Zone 2, phono, network control, Bluetooth transmission would be nice). I tend to hang on to this stuff for a while, so 8K would be nice so I don't need to buy a receiver if/when the day comes that I get a new TV (Sharp 1080p sorta-smart TV still going strong 12 years in!)

Anyway, I'm down to two receivers:

• Denon AVR-X1700H (new at Costco)
• Marantz NR1711 (used on Facebook, includes some nice speakers I could probably resell if needed)

On paper, the Denon has a little more power and a few more 8k HDMI ports but otherwise similar. Since they're both run by the same company behind the scenes, I suspect most components inside are identical.

In practice, I know the Marantz is supposed to be the better brand... but it seems conceivable that a lower-end slimline, slightly older Marantz could probably be beaten by a midrange Denon, yeah?

For what it's worth, this is replacing an Onkyo TX-NR709 I've had for about 14 years. It's been a workhorse but I really want proper Zone 2 functionality and it's been giving me troubles there (no HDMI sources work, even with the "source" mode)

These headphones are tuned exceptionally well. Unfortunately, I have not heard the AKG K371 so I cannot compare them to their sibling cans, but from what I am told, the K371s have a bit more excitement in the bass at the cost of less soundstage.

The K361 is really well-tuned, with accurate tonal balance throughout the whole frequency response. These headphones are also very comfortable, with an all-plastic build that makes for a very lightweight and fatigue-free fit. It's mostly soft-touch plastic that feels rather sturdy in the hand. I imagine most folks could wear these things for hours without any particular problems with comfort.

On The Alan Parsons Project's "Don't Answer Me," the soft background vocals in harmony with the chorus can often fade into the mix on poor headphones. This is especially the case around 2:14 during the lyrics "Run away and hide from everyone." Fortunately, the AKG K361s present the background vocals just fine, separating the vocals well enough to differentiate the background vocalist in the left channel from the lead vocalist in the center and another background vocalist in the mid-right area. It's that mid-right background singer that can often gets buried, but I can pick him out plenty well on the AKG K361.

Transients are also smooth, these drivers certainly run quick enough to make sense of them. On the track "Bremen" by PigPen Theatre Co., vocals have a very gentle reverb on them that can often get buried by the guitar and banjo. The fast decay is audible with these cans, making it easy to track exactly when each note finishes.

Sub bass definitely seems favored over mid bass, with a fairly clear low-end- an exciting but well-balanced bass. I like this pair of headphones for the tune "あめあがりのうた" by Snail's House. I don't consider myself much of a bass-head as I certainly prefer bass quality over bass quantity, and this is one of those tracks than can give me a headache when I play it on bass-heavy headphones. Fortunately, the low-end is present and with plenty of excitement, but tame enough for my ears to really enioy on this track.

As the title suggests, this pair of headphones has one fatal flaw. The biggest problem with the AKG K361s for me would be that it's nigh impossible to get a good seal while wearing glasses. Seriously, the first time I put thes headphones on, I thought something was wrong, they didn't sound right. Then I took my glasses off and they sounded amazing. Looking online, it seems Dekoni Audio makes some pads for the AKG K361/K371 that are alleged to work a lot better for getting a good seal with glasses, but that is adding $50 to a headphone that costs only about twice that. In total one would end up having to pay about $150 total for the headphones and their remedy. I do believe that's still a fair price for what you get, but at that price point one might consider a different pair of headphones instead.

In case you're curious, the headphones come with a fair assortment of goodies, including two cables, one of a short length and one that is longer, as well as a soft tie-up case and a screw-on quarter inch adapter. It's nothing particularly significant, but it's also nice to have the different options for cable length. The cables plug into the headphones with a 2.5mm TRRS end that twists to lock into the left ear. Both cables terminate in 3.5mm single-ended that can be used with the screw-on quarter inch adapter.

The headphones also fold up for compact storage.

I have an older stereo system which I use mostly for listening to vinyl and CDs. I also have a cassette player which I rarely use.

Currently I have my turntable routed to my EQ which then has an out to the 'phono' input on my receiver.

Unfortunately with this setup I can't use the EQ with CDs as my CD player has an 'out' that goes directly to the 'CD' input.

I feel like I had this set up so that I could EQ any input but don't remember how I got this to work. I've googled and haven't found anything that explains this clearly, like I'm 5.

I feel like I had to loop things through my cassette deck or something.

Here are the connections on the back of my Receiver.

Here is my EQ

Here is my Cassette deck.

Any assistance appreciated.

Greetings fellow budget audio enthusiasts, you wonderful people. Today I am sharing my mont hlong experience with the Wiim Pro Plus streamer and DAC, there will be no measurements in this review, if you want measurements be sure to go check out Audio Science Review where the Pro Plus has been extensively tested. Budget Considerations I have no interest in spending thousands of dollars on a network streamer, but as an enthusiast for great sounding audio I want access to apps like Qubuz everywhere I listen. Enter the Wiim Pro Plus, priced at retail around $329 CAD, the Pro Plus can be had on sale for as low as $239, or found on Ebay, refurbished, direct from the manufacturer, for under $200 CAD. eBay is how I bought mine, and I have no regrets in that regard, having eventually received a fully functioning, like new unit.

Customer Service

Let’s jump right into this because it plays a role. My first Wiim Pro Plus from the manufacturer on eBay had dead line-out on arrival. No good. So, I did the regular troubleshooting to confirm the problem and emailed my findings to the manufacturer. Less than 24 hours later I received the following response:

1. Thank you for troubleshooting
2. Here is the tracking number for the replacement, sent express
3. Could you please open a ticket with our engineers so they may log the issue
4. The defective unit has already been refurbished once, and is partially functional, so keep it.

This is exactly how I like customer service interactions to go, it was all focused on me and my experience. I cannot recommend Wiim / Linkplay customer service team enough based on this interaction. In the future, I will be connecting my partially defective Wiim Pro Plus to a receiver/DAC to make use of it as a replacement for my much less useful (for audio) Shield TV Pro. Watch for a review on that.

Setup

With my functioning Wiim Pro Plus in hand setup was a breeze, there is one power input, and one RCA/line out to my speakers in the simple, listening nook setup I’m running. I decided to go with active Edifier R1200T speakers for this, considering saving space is a goal here I didn’t want to introduce passive speaker amplifiers into the mix. This lets me keep the entire setup to just 2 power cords, and 1 line out. Very neat and Tidy. The software setup went very well, I was able to quickly download the app, which I have to say works extremely well. You can tell that Wiim/Linkplay was founded with Google and Broadcom veterans because the software quality is high, with intuitive menus and no errors for me to report. Even setup on a second phone was easy. My Audio Nook My Wiim Pro Plus lives in my living room audio nook. It is the only electronics in the room and sits in a recessed shelf near my old Lay-Z-Boy. It’s a comfortable spot where I can turn my chair towards the speakers and just listen in the evening while I have my evening tea. This brings me to the first complain I have about the Wiim, no built in headphone amplifier/output. While I enjoy near field listening over the open air, sometimes I want to not wake everyone up, so this is lacking feature for me. Watch for a future ears-only review when I eventually pick up a headphone AMP for this space, I’m currently leaning towards the FOSI SK02.

Feature Experience

The hardware features a high-quality built-in DAC with Optical and Analog RCA input. I have not tested either of these inputs, I have no use case for them, but they are nice to have. I use the built in DAC to get full quality digital to analog conversion in apps. Most of my listening is through native control using the Wiim app and its Quboz support. The software features access to major audio sources like Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn, Amazon Music and Roon. I have tested most of these apps and can report that playback is of high quality, with the Wiim Pro Plus easily handling each of the supported apps at their maximum streaming quality. You want to get what you’re paying for with these apps, and the Wiim does that with very little configuration. For Youtube music and audiobook/ podcast streaming you need to use Google Chromecast or Bluetooth streaming, which are built in. This is my second issue with the unit, while Chromecast is easy to use, and Bluetooth is also straightforward, the Wiim would benefit from native YT music apps, and native podcasting/audiobook app support. Bluetooth is especially bothersome since audio can be taken over my anything on your screen, and Chromecast, while fine, has all the same issues chromecast always does such as occasional loss of control and slow responses. One of the best features of the Wiim is the ability to easily share access to others in your home, without having to share a bunch of account information. My wife can stream music from the nook using my accounts, on the Wiim, with just the Wiim app. Before the wiim, she needed my login information on an app-by-app basis, which basically stopped her from ever using the services. For us this is a big plus. The Wiim Pro Plus also comes with a parametric EQ. I was able to dial in my speakers to my preference and get a much more on target listening experience than had they not added this option.

Another feature that I’m loving is Bluetooth output. I have long wanted to put speakers on my deck, but lacked the initiative to wire passive speakers outside. With the Wiim Pro Plus acting as a Bluetooth transmitter, I now use the Wiim app to control music while sitting on my deck, streaming to a Sony Bluetooth speaker from the Wiim with no concern over running out of phone battery or having my music interrupted by a phone notification or unmuted ad. This brings me to my third and final issue with the unit, where is the LDAC support? This is a high quality streamer, with capable hardware, Bluetooth 5.1, but relying on lower quality AAC and SBC codecs. No Apt? Fine. But high quality LDAC is free for encoding. So at least offer LDAC for BT transmitting. This would let me use my Sony WH1000-MX4 as a listening solution without having to buy a headphone amp. I thin k the Wiim Pro Plus would benefit from letting users get the most out of their high quality Bluetooth receivers speakers and headphones both.

Closing Thoughts

The Wiim Pro Plus can be had for around $200 CAD refurbished, it doesn’t get much more budget than that. For your money you get a bit-perfect streamer with a capable AKM4493SEQ DAC, a good variety of digital output options and supported setups, a low footprint including cords, a dead simple app experience, excellent customer service experience and broad support for your steaming services. The downsides are few, and specific to my use case, but perhaps we will see some of them addresses in future software updates as Wiim has been known to add support for apps over time, and to add features (like EQ). If you are in need of a network streamer, you really can’t go wrong for the money. I recommend the Wiim Pro plus for budget buyers like me.

This is my pair of AKG k240 MkII. I posted about it 9 months ago here: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/7345872 Since then I grew tired of the original braid and made a new one.

I also wanted to go wireless so I bought the FiiO BTR5 dac/amp which has bluetooth. There's lot's of cheaper BT receivers online but since they are typically advertised for usage in cars I worry about their latency; I do video work so I need low latency to synchronize sound effects, lip sync etc.

I've only ever had bad experiences with BT audio on Linux so I'm pleased to say the BTR5 works almost flawlessly. No issues with pairing or automatically choosing low quality HFP audio (I'm using LDAC; supposedly the BTR5 supports AptX-LL but I'm not seeing the option to enable it, maybe my BT adapter, TP-Link UB500, does not support it, I don't know)

Range is not as good as some other BT headphones I've tried, after a few meters it starts to occasionally cut out. Still far more convenient than cable.

The cable is a bit too long (30cm) but it was the shortest one I could find. I don't know how to make custom cables.

For the price of all of this I probably could've bought better headphones but these purchases were made a few years apart. Plus I kind of like how janky it is, makes it feel homemade even though its all mass produced :)

Hello fine folks, a couple of months ago I shared my experience with Fosi Monoblocks . In the time since I posted about those I have hooked them up with a Wiim Pro Plus for a killer digital music budget setup. Anyway, I was checking out the Fosi 7th anniversary/ZD3 balanced amp launch page and see they have a contest running to win a ZD3, ZA3 and a VOL20. I could make good use of that VOL20 myself, and the rules are just that the 15 most impressive setups (even just text descriptions of setups count) will win prize packs. There aren't even a hundred comments on there right now, and this seems like the right place for budget equipment (it doesn't get more budget than winning!) so I thought I would pop back in to share. Good luck if you choose to participate.

I bought a used Yamaha A2A and can return it for 30 days.

Do you have any advice to check that it's fine? What have you seen go wrong with these things?

I'm watching a DVD piped through it and it's working. It turns on. The knobs rotate. The remote remotes...?

So I did the jump and bought myself some good Sennheiser Accentum Plus headphones which are overall pretty good, the only issue I'm facing is that the headphones itself didn't come with buttons to skip/pause music and instead uses a touch panel, the problem is that when I try to skip a song or pause it with the touch panel it doesn't work at all, it works nice in my phone but on my Linux system it doesn't. I tried with different programs and it doesn't change anything.

Someone have some advice? I'm using ArcoLinux i3

I have never spent a lot of money on headphones, but for the first time I would like to try to spend a little more, and not only because of the brand, but also because of the features which are not entirely clear to me.

1. Are they (the Sennheiser Accentum Plus Wireless) compatible with PS5 consoles? As far as I understand, as a general rule the only wireless headphones (via bluetooth) that work with Sony consoles are Sony's own headphones, but I would like to know if I'm wrong.

2. How does the multipoint technology work? I would love to be able to listen to music playing from my phone and at the same time listen to the sounds of the game I'm playing on my Steam Deck, but I don't know if it works like that.

3. How good is the noise cancellation? I am interested in buying them to be able to study in a noisy environment and I don't expect it to cancel 100% of the noise but at least most of the noise.

They don't need to be brilliant, just decent enough.

Hello,

I own a Denon DCD-810 which plays mostly fine. I've cleaned the lens, changed the belt and cleaned / greased the rails and gears on this thing and it can play hours without a hitch.

Now I notice that certain CD's skip sometimes. Nothing is physically damaged with the CD's themselves (as far as I can see). The skipping is not always on the same moments but seem to concentrate more on the first few tracks. Although that might also be my perception because usually I just throw in a different CD when the skipping starts.

So having playing Purple Haze for the third time now in a row I started out with skipping and now it plays almost flawlessly. The player has already been playing for more that an hour before so no cold components as far as I know. I can find no relation between the skipping CD's in age. Old or new both can be jerky.

Does anyone know what could cause skipping on certain CD's while others play fine for hours on end? I accept my DCD-810 being a fossil as a valid answer ;)

I love Bluetooth bone conduction earphones and I'm ready to buy something pricier, sturdier, waterproof, and hopefully sound far superior to everything I've tried.

I've had a few budget sets, and I love the convenience, portability, and weight of all of them, but the audio is obviously dog s***.

Are there any bone conduction headphones that are not dog s*** audially that any of you can personally attest to?

Thanks

Hello, I'm not really too well versed in Audio, so im sorry if this question may seem a bit silly to you experts.

A few Months ago, I got my self some Vintage 4 Way Speaker Boxes from the late East germany. The person I bought it from, insisted that these need very specific Amplifiers so all 4 Speakers of the 4 Way System will be utilized.

The Amplifier he said worked best with that are Fera V150s, also Vintage east German stuff... issue here being that mine has issues working consistently, so I'll probably have to replace it at some point.

What seems odd to me is that the 4 way Speaker Boxes need specific Amplifiers to use all 4 Speakers? Is that true, or would any amplifier be able to drive all 4 Speakers just fine?

With the V3 mono coming out to the broader public soon (and not just the presale buyers), I took the time to give an “ears only” review for this community of my pair. Be warned: it is personal, subjective, and shies away from too much technical discussion. I may even use the wrong terms here and there. But for those interested in technical measurements, I recommend consulting detailed reviews that provide objective data. I go into this review with no expectations of improvements to my sound system, after all we’re just talking about power being sent to a speaker, right? I tested these amps over several days and with plenty of music and media content. Read on to learn how these amps stomped all over my expectations and may have changed my audio upgrade path for the better.

**Unboxing Experience: **

The unboxing experience was fine, I was surprised by the substantial weight of the box, it reminded me of a high-quality phono preamp. The packaging was generic, likely pre-retail, and was missing product details. Inside, the amplifiers were well-protected in foam, and the pair of 48V/10A power supplies were individually packed, ensuring no damage during transit. A tiny manual with basic information was included, but no other cables were provided.

**Build Quality and Design: **

Upon first impression, the Fosi V3 monoblocks are compact, smaller than expected, similar in size to an Art DJ III phono preamp. Note the toggles on the front.

They are dense, not heavy but heavier than you would expect for their size. The separate power supply significantly reduces the desktop/rack footprint, allowing for a cleaner display of the neat little amplifiers, just tuck those power bricks away behind something.

The color scheme fits well with other black equipment like Denon and Sony, with a touch of orange in the vents adding a unique flavor. The toggles on the front make for easy switching between inputs (RCA and XLR) and to turn the amps off quickly. On the rear, there is plenty of space for the inputs without having them bump into each other or crowd each other out, an issue I’ve run into on some smaller devices.

  **Specifications and Features: **

Channel : 1.0 Amplifier Chip : Texas Instruments TPA3255 Input : RCA, XLR, ¼" TRS Output : Speaker Output (supports banana plug or bare wire connection) SINAD : XLR: 101dB ; RCA: 93dB SNR : ≥123dB Dynamic Range : ≥123dB THD : ＜0.006% Gain : XLR/¼” TRS: 20dB ; RCA: 25dB, 31dB;
Terminal Impedance : 2-8Ω Rated Power Output : 48V/5A--240W@4Ω ; 32V/5A --100W@4Ω Frequency Response : 10Hz-30kHz（±0.06dB）
Input Voltage Range : DC 32-48V
Standard PSU : 48V/5A

Not shown in the provided specs the swappable OP-AMP (a part you can swap out to change how audio is processed) offers flexibility for future flavor changes. Also, there is a selectable gain on the back of 25 and 32db, preset to 32db, with most of my testing conducted at 25db. Optionally, there is a 48V/10A PSU available that can be split to power two amps at a time. The v3 Mono features auto-standby mode, which kicks in after 10 minutes to save you a bit of power. Source: https://fosiaudio.com/pages/monoblock-power-amplifier-v3-mono   **Setup and Installation: **

Setup was straightforward. The amps connected via RCA to my DAC, and the speakers plugged in using banana cables. The provided power supply cables are quite long which made for easy placement. I used two audio chains for my testing: The digital chain for testing: Qobuz/Plex -> Nvidia Shield TV Pro -> Topping D30 -> Fosi V3 Mono -> Mordaunt Short MS300. The analog chain for testing is the: Denon 400 turntable -> Art DJ III Phono Pre -> Fosi V3 Mono -> MS300. Comparisons are made against a Denon AVR S570BT (Retail $399 USD), which is my daily AMP.

Performance:

I ran the Bunker Analog Stereo test suite to start, as I do with all my new equipment and this evaluation was surprising as I did not expect much change. Five-point separation tests showed a wide soundstage and a dynamic range of -72 db, which was an improvement of -12db vs my AVR. Signal sweeps confirmed clear frequency separation, but especially in the low frequency range 40-80hz, making the bass more differentiated and eliminating muddiness I had come to expect from my stack, turns out the mud wasn’t my MS300 speakers, it was my amps! In the high frequency range, I confirmed that my hearing stops at around 16kHz, but my young daughter assures me that higher frequencies are being produced even if my old ears can’t hear them. At and below 16kHz, everything sounded like it should. This clear separation of frequencies and lack of audible distortion in test tones is a good omen and turns out to be a preview of good things to come.

*Can you spot the Fosi Amps? Their footprint is tiny. *

For my first tracks I listened to Babymetal, I love this band and they’re a recent obsession of mine combining Jpop and metal in a way that you didn’t know you needed in your life. I had a session with their live album, “Babymetal Returns: The Other One” as I have been listening to this album a lot lately and know it well. Expecting nothing new, I was surprised immediately at the difference revealed in the live track "Doki Doki Morning," as I could no longer hear the distortion in the higher frequencies and sustained vocals. This is an issue I was hearing across all my audio equipment, to the point I wrongly believed it was a problem with the recording. Turns out, again it was my AVR! It’s like my session went from listening to a live recording to having a live experience, the sound profile changed that much here, the presentation just felt much more ‘live’ than it had previously. This is exciting!

On the analog chain, the Lemon Twigs' newest LP "A Dream is All We Know" showcased the amps' ability to provide vocal detail and instrument separation. Tracks like "If You and I Are Not Wise" and "How Can I Love Her More?" sounded great with clear stereo separation, a wide soundstage, and differentiated low frequencies bringing the base playing to life.

I also had the chance to test some TV content on the Nvidia Shield Pro, mostly while watching shows with my kids. Sailor Moon Crystal in flac stereo sounds great, with a wide soundstage differentiating the location of voices and clear voice reproduction. I swear, this stereo setup powered by the Fosi V3 Mono might be better for TV vocals and separation than the 5.1 system I disconnected.

Disadvantages

Let’s talk about disadvantages, or annoyances I found along the way. In my analogue stack there was nothing but the PreAmp Gain and the selectable gain on the Fosi V3 Mono to control volume levels. In an integrated amp or AVR you get more volume control. For those wanting more fine-tuned volume control in your analogue stack you will need a different preamp, maybe some other kind of controller like a Schiit Sys Passive Preamp. Note for digital users: I didn’t have this issue on the digital stack as the Nvidia Shield provided all the volume control I needed, I don't know if a preamp would matter there.

Also worth mentioning, but not exactly the AMPs fault, the Auto Standby mode doesn’t kick in when connected to my analogue stack. The reason is obvious, my Art DJ III Phono Preamp has no power off switch and is always delivering at least a bit of signal as long as it is plugged in, this is all it takes for the v3 Mono to remain ‘on’ and a little bit warm. This is worth being aware of if your use case involves a component like the Art DJ III, you can either turn the v3 Mono off directly via the front toggle, or rig something up to disable your preamp to solve this problem. Another minor annoyance is that these AMPs are identical in rear configuration, good for modularity, but a little inconvenient for intuitive wiring. An optional left / right model (when purchased in a set) might make cable management for these a little more intuitive with right outputs to the right and left to left. Although I haven’t found a competing product that does this kind of thing. This is a minor concern, however, as once the amps are setup frequent rewiring is unlikely.

Lastly, the units I have do make a bit of an audible tick or pop when the unit comes on. This isn’t a big deal to me and my Denon AVR does it too, it lets me know they’re on, but it did startle me the first time it happened.   Alternate Speaker test:

I was so impressed by the life breathed into my Mordaunt Short MS300 speakers by these Fosi Audio V3 mono amplifiers that I decided to unretire my Sony SSCS3 towers to see if these amps could redeem them. Sadly, there is no saving the SSCS3 speakers and they’re just as frustrating as ever. They produced noticeably more bass than previously, but it was all mud. One thing these amps have done for me is to let me hear the difference between good speakers like the MS300 and let’s say a less good speakers like the SSCS3. These AMPs won’t save poor speakers, but they will help your good speakers perform at their best!

Comparison with my AVR setup:

Just a bit of dust on the Denon. But look at that size difference.

Like many people, my introduction to home theater and stereo is just getting an AVR based on the spec sheet, and looking for a bundle to match my TV with speakers that are well reviewed at a value. So, I come to this comparison from that background, my Denon AVR S570BT drives my home theater speakers, and I always thought it did a good job. Compared to my AVR and those like it, the Fosi V3 monoblocks excel in sound quality and detail. I don’t have the measurements to quantify this, but my ears aren’t lying and after 2 days of A/B tests, swapping speakers out, disabling EQ /using Pure Direct mode, I know I can hear a difference. From Babymetal to The Lemon Twigs, David Bowie to Neil Young, GA20 to Brittney Spencer, Sleigh Bells to Low Roar, every track and genre I threw at it sounded better on the Fosi V3 Mono amps than from my AVR. From a technology standpoint, it feels great to assemble a small footprint, quality stereo system from these Monoblock amps, an old Nvidia shield, an old DAC, and vintage speakers I got from a private sale ad for a song. When it comes to the modular design there are significant advantages versus all-in-one systems. The modular design allows for replacements, upgrades, and customization of your stack whether you are building for style, substance or both. These amps can fit into various configurations, from a simple stereo system to a high-end setup, providing versatility and quality at an excellent value. I can’t find anything comparable in value at the expected asking price.

Just consider the flexibility and upgrade paths on offer here, like a low-cost stereo system: Wiim Mini > DAC > Monoblock > Stereo Speakers

Or a value-oriented home theater chain: Denon X3800H > Monoblocks > 2/5/7/9 channels

Or even provide the power needed to your higher-end configuration like: Anthem STR Preamplifier> > Monoblocks (XLR) > Stereo Speakers

Yes, yes, I know I didn’t do measurements. I don’t have measurement equipment other than my ears! If measurements are your thing you’ll want to check out the review over at Audio Science Review that has all the measurements you could ever want.

**Final Thoughts: **

My overall experience with the Fosi V3 monoblocks was surprising, because I didn’t expect it to make any difference. Let’s sum it up though, easy setup, flexible configuration options, powerful performance, what’s not to like? After hours of listening, I can say with no doubt that these amplifiers outperformed my expectations and proved to be a significant upgrade over my home AVR. I’m convinced to pursue a separates system for future upgrades and recommend these to friends and family looking for high quality amplification at a fair price. At their expected asking price of below $260USD a pair, these monoblocks offer incredible value, with performance well above price comparable units. I highly recommend the Fosi V3 monoblocks for anyone interested in exploring separates, powering vintage speakers, adding passive speakers to your computer, or adding quality stereo amplification to any room with a minimal footprint and maximum flexibility. These amplifiers deliver exceptional performance and versatility, making them a worthwhile investment.