Review Fosi Audio ZA3: my personal experience

[Jasonovich]

Interesting review here about the mono config.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWft9BX0fLQ


I saw another one that mentioned it was no more powerful as dual mono than a single stereo which seems to contrast the specs ... although it's not just about watts.

I had a little chuckle; W Da' F did he do to that Ayima A07? Dragster racing comes to HiFi

It's difficult to pick up all the nuances listening to Youtube, the NAIT and Fosi's dare I say it, had parity, the dual mono's had better kick and wider depth than the NAIT 3. Nice music he played, I was loving it.

Also check out Paul McCarthy impersonator's YouTube also

View: https://youtu.be/YTNT4jp-Xq4?si=EeLHk22gBfXjICyk

This is useful, shows the setup.

View: https://youtu.be/fICMe0QvYrE?si=K8TeYjI8TjsZDh9c

 

[Witterings]

Also check out Paul McCarthy impersonator's YouTube also

That was the one I was referring to when I said someone had mentioned you didn't get and more power

 

[Jasonovich]

That was the one I was referring to when I said someone had mentioned you didn't get and more power

Ah...thanks

 

[Fandango Andy]

Interesting review here about the mono config.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWft9BX0fLQ


I saw another one that mentioned it was no more powerful as dual mono than a single stereo which seems to contrast the specs ... although it's not just about watts.

By the laws of physics it has to top out at 240W as it is powered by 48V 5A, this is in line with the quoted 235W. There is a certain degree of smoke and mirrors as the website mentions a 10A power supply but doesn't seem to offer one.

These are all into 4ohms, but realistically people will be driving 8ohm speakers. From what I have read, in thevreal world its good for about 130W into 8ohms before clipping in stero and about 180W in mono.

 

[nopiano]

By the laws of physics it has to top out at 240W as it is powered by 48V 5A, this is in line with the quoted 235W. There is a certain degree of smoke and mirrors as the website mentions a 10A power supply but doesn't seem to offer one.

These are all into 4ohms, but realistically people will be driving 8ohm speakers. From what I have read, in thevreal world its good for about 130W into 8ohms before clipping in stero and about 180W in mono.

Here is the stereo test results…amazing for such a tiny box. And consistent with the first post too!

 

[Witterings]

By the laws of physics it has to top out at 240W as it is powered by 48V 5A, this is in line with the quoted 235W. There is a certain degree of smoke and mirrors as the website mentions a 10A power supply but doesn't seem to offer one.

These are all into 4ohms, but realistically people will be driving 8ohm speakers. From what I have read, in thevreal world its good for about 130W into 8ohms before clipping in stero and about 180W in mono.

Bring on the 10A power supply is all I can say

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Much like others, I wish those switches weren't on the front. It really deserves the clean look of the V3.

 

[Witterings]

What was the cost of the 1st release??

Pre-orders at the moment for the 48v are $189 on their site, not sure if you'd then get hit with import duty as well.

 

[nopiano]

What was the cost of the 1st release??

Pre-orders at the moment for the 48v are $189 on their site, not sure if you'd then get hit with import duty as well.

I was concerned about that, but they air ship it to Blighty and send it by Royal Mail 48 to us with no extra duty. Clever and efficient, I must say.

They often show a little ‘roulette wheel’ gimmick on their site. I clicked it and got a code for 20%, which I’m guessing everyone does, but you ‘feel lucky’! That made it $152.

Under £125 in total including credit card’s currency charge.

 

[Jasonovich]

I was concerned about that, but they air ship it to Blighty and send it by Royal Mail 48 to us with no extra duty. Clever and efficient, I must say.

They often show a little ‘roulette wheel’ gimmick on their site. I clicked it and got a code for 20%, which I’m guessing everyone does, but you ‘feel lucky’! That made it $152.

Under £125 in total including credit card’s currency charge.

I assume this was Temu, I have the app but haven't shop there yet.
Does seem like an excellent deal.

 

[Witterings]

They often show a little ‘roulette wheel’ gimmick on their site. I clicked it and got a code for 20%, which I’m guessing everyone does, but you ‘feel lucky’! That made it $152.

Under £125 in total including credit card’s currency charge.

Now that you mention it, I remembered when it was in stock o Amazon there was a tick this box and you immediately got a £20 or £25 discount which would bring it back down to that.

 

[nopiano]

I assume this was Temu, I have the app but haven't shop there yet.
Does seem like an excellent deal.

That was direct with Fosi. Here…. https://fosiaudio.com/

 

[nopiano]

Now that you mention it, I remembered when it was in stock o Amazon there was a tick this box and you immediately got a £20 or £25 discount which would bring it back down to that.

Yes, I got my v3 from Amazon, with the £20 off box ticked. I looked just now, and the discount is only ten quid!

 

[Witterings]

Don't know if anyone can help with this .... thinking about setting a pair up as monoblocks but really want to set up with HT Bypass and have a second input for a streamer.
My AVR only has RCA out and my streamer the same ... I'm guessing the only way I could do it is with a preamp that one of the channels has a fixed gain ... if so does anyone have suggestions for a relatively budget one that doesn't affect the signal at all?

Also, any idea how the trigger works in a monoblock config?

 

[nopiano]

Don't know if anyone can help with this .... thinking about setting a pair up as monoblocks but really want to set up with HT Bypass and have a second input for a streamer.
My AVR only has RCA out and my streamer the same ... I'm guessing the only way I could do it is with a preamp that one of the channels has a fixed gain ... if so does anyone have suggestions for a relatively budget one that doesn't affect the signal at all?

Also, any idea how the trigger works in a monoblock config?

I can’t help with your query I’m afraid, but you may not have seen this teaser shot that Fosi put on Facebook today.

Monoblock and with the circuit to flatten the HF regardless of impedance. Not long to wait!

 

[Jasonovich]

I can’t help with your query I’m afraid, but you may not have seen this teaser shot that Fosi put on Facebook today.

Monoblock and with the circuit to flatten the HF regardless of impedance. Not long to wait!

View attachment 6303

Well spotted
I really hope they'll stick to the Fosi price and not 'We're pretty famous now, so we can charge you the premium price'.
I think, it'll be the Fosi price

 

[nopiano]

Well spotted
I really hope they'll stick to the Fosi price and not 'We're pretty famous now, so we can charge you the premium price'.
I think, it'll be the Fosi price

So do I, but to be fair they’ve built a reputation in direct sales at a massive saving versus traditional purchases, so I’m sure they won’t get carried away. It’s their speed from design to execution that stuns me!

 

[Revolutions]

I’m starting to think the price of their products, and the timing of incremental improvements is actually a really clever marketing move for customer retention.

I noticed it first with the WiiM, now seeing the same with Fosi. It’d be really easy to get sucked into buying each iteration, which is a clear improvement on the last. And you’ve used it for a while, so it’s ok to upgrade. £100-£200 isn’t peanuts, but there are clearly large swathes of hifi addicts who can afford that every 3 months or so.

 

[Gray]

£100-£200 isn’t peanuts

So true - and I always have a wry smile at how often people describe it as such.
Of course it's very much the Wiim / Fosi business model - and good for them - but more than anything else it's the overpriced stuff making theirs seem like peanut prices.

 

[nopiano]

So true - and I always have a wry smile at how often people describe it as such.
Of course it's very much the Wiim / Fosi business model - and good for them - but more than anything else it's the overpriced stuff making theirs seem like peanut prices.

I agree, and an amplifier or a headphone-preamp for less than what many spend on a set of cables seems a veritable bargain.

 

[plastic penguin]

That was direct with Fosi. Here…. https://fosiaudio.com/

In real world listening, how does Fosi stack up against more costly equipment?

 

[nopiano]

In real world listening, how does Fosi stack up against more costly equipment?

I can’t add much to what I wrote here…

Post in thread 'Fosi Audio ZA3: my personal experience'
https://forums.whathifi.com/threads/fosi-audio-za3-my-personal-experience.131429/post-1321620

I would stress that I used my Linn Pre-streamer, and I’m not convinced I’d want to use it as a single input equivalent to an integrated amp. It’s more like a gain-adjustable power amp in my estimation.

Also, note that if your speakers are 8 ohms or more at HF, the amplifier response is rising slightly in the top octave. Into 4 ohms it’s fine. The PFFB feature in the new monoblock should remove the HF rise.

PS. On reflection, I recall the v3 sounded a bit too ‘smooth’ at first, but I soon adjusted (or it burned in, if that’s a thing with this design) and appreciated how even handed it sounded with my system. I must say I found it hard to believe that a tiny box about the dimensions of a CD box (though obviously thicker) could whack out such a huge and capable sound. Importantly for me, I soon forgot I was listening to an amp, and just enjoyed the music. I couldn’t really ask for more than that.

The ZA3 didn’t seem significantly different, though it was much more impressive to look at, and the orange led and matching volume-on/off knob was very slick.

 

[Revolutions]

Going to test the V3 with my new speakers today. Will be using WiiM mini as source.

First step will be to do a quick a/b with my amp on WiiM optical vs 3.5mm outputs. Then I’ll hook up the V3 to see how it compares.

 

[Witterings]

In real world listening, how does Fosi stack up against more costly equipment?

My own experience compared to an Arcam SA30 ... on the low end the ZA3 has a bigger "thwack" of the bass but doesn't deliver quite as rich and as full a low end.
The mids / vocal on the ZA3 are slightly more forward ... this may be as the bass is less of an overall sound so makes the vocals stand out more and I'd say is personal prfernce as to which you prefer.
The Arcam, you could pick out the echo of the room where the vocals were recorded in giving it a greater feeling of actually being there and on a very very few songs if female vocal were a little "sharp" the Arcam was a lot more forgiving.

Overall I'd not replace my Arcam with one but if someone is on a budget, overall I think the ZA3 is absolutely amazing for the cost and I wouldn't hesitate in using one as a secondary system.

Going to test the V3 with my new speakers today. Will be using WiiM mini as source.

Do you have a seperate DAC or are you using the Mini's DAC?

 

[plastic penguin]

I can’t add much to what I wrote here…

Post in thread 'Fosi Audio ZA3: my personal experience'
https://forums.whathifi.com/threads/fosi-audio-za3-my-personal-experience.131429/post-1321620

I would stress that I used my Linn Pre-streamer, and I’m not convinced I’d want to use it as a single input equivalent to an integrated amp. It’s more like a gain-adjustable power amp in my estimation.

Also, note that if your speakers are 8 ohms or more at HF, the amplifier response is rising slightly in the top octave. Into 4 ohms it’s fine. The PFFB feature in the new monoblock should remove the HF rise.

PS. On reflection, I recall the v3 sounded a bit too ‘smooth’ at first, but I soon adjusted (or it burned in, if that’s a thing with this design) and appreciated how even handed it sounded with my system. I must say I found it hard to believe that a tiny box about the dimensions of a CD box (though obviously thicker) could whack out such a huge and capable sound. Importantly for me, I soon forgot I was listening to an amp, and just enjoyed the music. I couldn’t really ask for more than that.

The ZA3 didn’t seem significantly different, though it was much more impressive to look at, and the orange led and matching volume-on/off knob was very slick.

Sounds interesting. It wouldn't fit into my system, despite having 4 ohm speakers. I have everything but the kitchen sink connected to the Leema.

Thanks