Fosi Audio V3 Mono Amplifier Review

[olieb]

I'm sorry for asking,but you people are actually using 100 euro op-amps at an amp which costs,just about the same for no actual audible benefit?
I mean it's your money,fine,but saving a little more could get you a nicer amp with built in PSU,etc.

Maybe we have to change perspective. What if it is not about an amp at all, but instead about a test bed for opamp-rolling?
Then the V3mono is the choice of the day.
EDIT: Next week they might buy something else to roll their opamps (edited ;( in and out.

 

[EddNog]

I'm sorry for asking,but you people are actually using 100 euro op-amps at an amp which costs,just about the same for no actual audible benefit?
I mean it's your money,fine,but saving a little more could get you a nicer amp with built in PSU,etc.

For people like us, we like the fact that we can roll different op-amps and experiment with the sound. It’s like ordering a custom-tailored suit rather than just buying off-the-rack. Same reason I love my Schiit Freya+, because I was able to tune the distortion to my liking by rolling tubes.

-Ed

 

[Sokel]

The other interesting question is how close these get, with PFFB to significantly more expensive units from hypex etc.

Not close enough I'm afraid,not yet.
Internal PSU's is not about audibility,this matter is way beyond human perception at 100db SINAD (I would argue even at 70db SINAD if it's about distortion and noise stays low) but it's nice and practical!

 

[SMen]

I knew a guy through work who brought a cheap class D amp a few years back from Amazon, can't remember the model etc but was saying about power supply noise, lol, he'd clearly been drinking the influencer cool aid and went on about some fancy power supply worth far more than the amplifier's. I didn't know him very well so basically said nothing, plus didn't want to spoil the magic, lol.

Actually, I think comparing power supplies with the same board with measurements would be a worthwhile exercise ... as they would be clearly measurable. @daniboun is doing this with his bamboo 3e 3255 projects - looking forward to seeing the results of his endeavours. He's sent them off to a lab in Germany.

"Micro Bamboo Project" : 3E Audio 260-2-29A Stereo amplifier + Micro-Audio PSU

Sorry for being so euphoric No need to be sorry. That's the way it is meant to be played! :D The problem I have with most stuff is the lack of musicality. They often sound very good, but they "sound" good. They don't "play" good, or better, "sing, groove". It seems to me, all your speakers...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Sokel]

Maybe we have to change perspective. What if it is not about an amp at all, but instead about a test bed for opamp-rolling?
Then the V3mono is the choice of the day.
EDIT: Next week they might buy something else to roll their pampas in and out.

I can think of a better platform where the actuals tests showed no audible difference (far-FAR from it) :

Discrete OpAmp Review: Sonic Imagery vs Sparkos

Recently I reviewed the Nord Three SE 1ET400A Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier. That unit came with the Sonic Imagery's 990ENH discrete operational amplifier ("opamp") in the buffer stage (pre-amplifier). The owner then ordered a set of Sparkos Pro SS2590 discrete opamps. This gave me a chance to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[SMen]

I can think of a better platform where the actuals tests showed no audible difference (far-FAR from it) :

Discrete OpAmp Review: Sonic Imagery vs Sparkos

Recently I reviewed the Nord Three SE 1ET400A Dual Mono Stereo Amplifier. That unit came with the Sonic Imagery's 990ENH discrete operational amplifier ("opamp") in the buffer stage (pre-amplifier). The owner then ordered a set of Sparkos Pro SS2590 discrete opamps. This gave me a chance to...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I think it is fun for people to try, but much cheaper alternatives exist. I had fun just to establish for myself. But both the sonic imagery and sparkos are pretty darned expensive I agree. Four OPA1656's for 20 dollars or euros might be worth a pop to hear or not hear a difference. For me NOT hearing a difference between a couple of options was as significant as hearing a difference between a couple of others.

Apparently we can quite like second-order or 'even' harmonic distortion so good on @EddNog for enjoying his Freya 2

 

[SMen]

I would not be at all surprised if PFFB negated differences too.

 

[EddNog]

I think it is fun for people to try, but much cheaper alternatives exist. I had fun just to establish for myself. But both the sonic imagery and sparkos are pretty darned expensive I agree. Four OPA1656's for 20 dollars or euros might be worth a pop to hear or not hear a difference. For me NOT hearing a difference between a couple of options was as significant as hearing a difference between a couple of others.

Apparently we can quite like second-order or 'even' harmonic distortion so good on @EddNog for enjoying his Freya 2

The way I see it, it’s like this analogy: I’m making tandoori chicken. The Freya+ is pouring Tikka Masala sauce on the chicken and rolling tubes is trying different curry mixes for the base of the sauce. Rolling op-amps in the V3 Mono is adjusting the amount of salt & pepper.

Here at ASR, the general consensus dish is unseasoned, pure chicken fresh out of the tandoor. I’m looking for extra spice.

-Ed

 

[Talisman]

@Fosi Audio I will never stop criticizing you for this unfortunate choice of advertising replaceable op amps which lead to these endless and very boring discussions on replacing opamps.... I understand that this brings you a lot of sales to fans of the design mess, but it also leads to these pages of boredom

 

[EddNog]

@Fosi Audio I will never stop criticizing you for this unfortunate choice of advertising replaceable op amps which lead to these endless and very boring discussions on replacing opamps.... I understand that this brings you a lot of sales to fans of the design mess, but it also leads to these pages of boredom

I think, like anything else on the internet, you just have to filter out whatever isn’t of any interest to you. There’s plenty of discussion in these threads about using the single-ended connections and frankly I don’t find it particularly difficult to just ignore it all (my entire system is running balanced connections). It’s the nature of things on the internet in general.

-Ed

 

[sikahr]

The way I see it, it’s like this analogy: I’m making tandoori chicken. The Freya+ is pouring Tikka Masala sauce on the chicken and rolling tubes is trying different curry mixes for the base of the sauce. Rolling op-amps in the V3 Mono is adjusting the amount of salt & pepper.

Here at ASR, the general consensus dish is unseasoned, pure chicken fresh out of the tandoor. I’m looking for extra spice.

-Ed

Opamp rolling is for weak men . Install Vst host application,and listen music using it. Now you can try the whole bunch of VST effects & find distortion profile your ears&brain thinks is the most spicy.

 

[Talisman]

I think, like anything else on the internet, you just have to filter out whatever isn’t of any interest to you. There’s plenty of discussion in these threads about using the single-ended connections and frankly I don’t find it particularly difficult to just ignore it all (my entire system is running balanced connections). It’s the nature of things on the internet in general.

-Ed

I willingly ignore threads about things that don't interest me, the problem is that I'm very interested in this product but less than zero in all the imaginative theories and considerations about "salt and pepper and barbecue sauce" that opamps are associated with.
If you created a thread dedicated just to this I would be happy to ignore it and not complain about it.

 

[Sputnik]

Opamps are just an excuse to keep buying stuff, it's like women and handbags. Don't try to find reason.

 

[SMen]

@Fosi Audio I will never stop criticizing you for this unfortunate choice of advertising replaceable op amps which lead to these endless and very boring discussions on replacing opamps.... I understand that this brings you a lot of sales to fans of the design mess, but it also leads to these pages of boredom

I'm more concerned about confusion I'm being caused by Fosi between op amps operating in sequence vs in parallel!

 

[StefanC]

@Fosi Audio I will never stop criticizing you for this unfortunate choice of advertising replaceable op amps which lead to these endless and very boring discussions on replacing opamps.... I understand that this brings you a lot of sales to fans of the design mess, but it also leads to these pages of boredom

Not boring to everyone, obviously. It's an inexpensive tweak that may noticeably improve sound quality. I replaced the op amps in my Aiyima A07 Max (two units used as mono blocks) with Muses02, and the change was significant. (I am not sure I would have kept the A07 Max without this upgrade.) I know some people will say I am hearing unicorns fly. Still, I am happy Fosi and Aiyima keep offering the option to roll op amps .

 

[somebodyelse]

It’s like ordering a custom-tailored suit rather than just buying off-the-rack

More like the Emperor's new clothes.

 

[Negatywny]

sooooo it's 7 minutes when the kickstarter starts?

 

[spandy]

it's live! early bird confirmed. 2x Mono V3, 1x 48v/10a 1x T-shirt $217 shipped.

 

[amix]

2 X Mono V3
2 X 48V/10A

Done deal!

 

[YesChickenNuggets]

The Fosi's RCA input has higher gain to compensate for the lower line voltage.

More gain -> worse SINAD.

Is it not possible for @Fosi Audio to do an RCA optimized version with 100+ sinad?

Is RCA itself the bottleneck?