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Me Impresiono Mas el Naim Supernait 3 su Sonido esta Intermedio (Equilibrado) entre la Claridad de las voces del Fosi Za3 en Stereo y el Sonido con mayor Cuerpo de Bajos (+ Watts) de los dos Fosi Za3 en Mono. Comparar el Costo del Naim Supernait 3 Vs Dos Fosi Za3 seria mas Economico esta ultima Combinacion 200$ + 200$ con Menor Calidad de Sonido que del Naim Supernait 3 de 5.000$.
I have a Marantz 2235 receiver, I used to be happy with it connected to my Klipsch Forte 3. One day I tried hooking up a Fosi Audio ZA3 on the preamp out of the Marantz and I was amazed by how better it sounds than the Marantz builtin amp alone. Its not even close. The soundstage is so much wider. So i permanently used the ZA3 as a power amp with the Marantz as preamp. I also have a Little Dot MK3 tube headphone amp so I decided also to use it hoping to improve the sound and add some tube sound. Oh boy its night and day, with the Little dot, the soundstage is even more pronounced, holographic and the bass is punchy and the treble is crisp and open. So what it tells me is that the Fosi audio can sound really good if you have a great source feeding it. The sound between Marantz + ZA3 + the tube preamp is night and day with the Marantz and ZA3 alone.
To me, The Naim sounds a little bit more natural with some of the female vocals and piano compared to the Fosi. Overall, I prefer the Nait, but $5000 vs $130!!! Even if The Naim sounds a tiny bit more natural (sometimes). Is that worth $4900 of added expense? 🤔
Yes, the Nail has great vocals and they sound very good also because they are a bit more present in the balance compared to the Fosi, wiry fosi though there is even more richness and midbas. So I'd say all can prefer one over another but the price difference ... Well that just shows how good those little amps are ;)
Don't forget that you can add the P3 tube preamp for 45-60$ and you go past the Naim in the mids while still adding more soundstage and a bit of that tube goodness...
I am not surprised about the Fosi Za3 sound quality. I can confirm the great potential of the TI TPA3255 chip that is a true game changer after having a class AB and class A tube amp and AB solid state amp's. Overall the Aiyima 07 is better, considering price, energy consumption (heat), output power, general sonic profile and sound quality. It is stunning what class D is able for and for that price point! I am looking out for a Fosi V3 so i can use the same power supply's. Fosi is almost at DAC level distorcions!
thanks for your insight. I completely agree this chip is stunning. Fosi V3 is coming my way so I'll do a video comparing the V3 and za3 ;) so stay tuned for more videos ;)
I think the fosi sounds great, but has a bit less edge on the vocals , but for the price, if I was on a budget it is something I would definitely sacrifice, great review keep up the great work
Your recording sounded wonderful on my system. There was noticeably more soundstage for the Naim, with sound further back behind the speakers. Apart from that I would agree that the sound is comparable.
Great video! Would it be possible to include portions of the original audio stream next to the recorded ones for comparison? Everyone agrees that audio sounds differently depending on the equipment used but rarely people investigate why exactly that is. My conclusion is that harmonic excitation and Haas effects are primary factors between good and great sound reproduction.
Thank you very much. I am a Physicist by education and still I don't think that much on the principles but this Hass effect explains the soundstate and air of the open baffle sound filling the room so beautifully ;) Yes I plan to add such thing, but I am going to experiment with a proper form of it in the backend here first ;)
i am not saying that the za3 is bad by any means, i m still not really sure what it is for other than saving space maybe. i kind of see this thing more as a power amp. it has a volume knob, thats it. if you want some nice preamp or tone controls or whatnot then it gets more expensive quite fast. the fact is: za3 is supposed to be a budget amp. however, in my oppinion, if you work on a budget the amp is the last thing you should worry about and every $ spend onto your speakers will give you way much return. right now i am listening an old Kenwood KA3020. It did cost me 20$ in really nice condition, put some contact cleaner on and ready to go. it sounds nice, it has tone controls, more features, it doesnt get warm at all, power drain isnt that high and it has so much power in reserve, i am sitting at like 13% on the volume knob and its already at the max volume i would listen to in my room without it raping my ears. it drives my speakers more than fine. now does the za3 sound better? well i dont know. maybe. but the za3 is 160 Euros, my kenwood is 20. does the za3 sound 8 times better than my kenwood? i am pretty sure it does not. and i m also pretty sure za3 with 100$ speakers will sound worse than my 20 Kenwood with 240$ speakers.
Thank you for sharing your comment. I haven't heard your Kenwood amp but I heard similar Ayima A07 amp sounding better than similar class amps (200 WPC) costing 10'000-20'000$. Just because something is cheap to manufacture doesn't necessary mean that it will have cheap sound. I know that looking at the price tag of 100$ one can think it's a silly small entry level amp, but it's not. Check most of the comments where most people prefer it's sound signature to 5000$ Naim supernait integrated amp ;)
@@VirtualHiFi i think you did not understand my comment correctly. but matter of fact is: its a budget amp and people with enough of money will rather buy that naim anyways. i have not seen a single person of the reviewers actually using an amiyia as their main rig amp. they all say: ''oh its so amazing'' but if you tell them to replace it then with their main amp, the answer is 100% no. and its not to say, it doesnt sound nice. i m just saying that on a budget, wich this amp is targeted for, putting money on speakers will give you more audio quality in return instead of putting it on amps. and i had someone with an ayima coming to my place to hook it up and it 100% did not sound better in any way, the opposite. but having reviewers and influencer state that a 70 bucks aiyima is supposedly sound better than a 20.000$ amp is straight up ridiculous and one prove more to not trust youtube people and just stay clear of what people hype up online really. i mean, why do you own a naim? it makes no sense right? if the aiyima is so awesome i want you to sell your naim right now and put an aiyima to your main rig
Thank you for the message. Yes I totally agree that its better to spend as much as possible on the speakers (well worth the money). Tpa3255 is awesome since it can really shine and for real embarrass some multiple thousand dollars amps. That is why I am so optimistic about that since I believe it's a great opportunity for all except Amps manufacturers. You are right about the naim. I bought it an year ago when I did not have the aiyima yet. And as I listened to them I noticed I like the aiyima more and more. And yes I have my main listed for sale for 2 months now ;) I am happy I can unfreeze some cash since I can put it elsewhere in the system easy ;)
@@MaybeTiberius Not sure if I am going to make the right analogy here but please have an open mind in this audiophile community. Having the means to afford a Naim or its equivalent brand and its associated synergistic parings to form a music rig installed in a sound treated listening chamber with plush seating seems to be the desire of every audiophile - I being one! To be very honest, perhaps it is due to practicality and being trained in electronics engineering, I will tread on the very fine line in appreciating music by acquiring equipment within a reasonable budget and having the expectation that I may not reach high end audiophile status (workmanship, build quality, choice components, excellence in service, legacy etc) by my choice. Fosi Audio has created a wonderful product here which is accessible by enthusiasts due to its budget friendly propositions so by no means are they going to challenge the big wigs in the audiophile industry and dethrone their dominance they have dedicated their time to build over the decades. Yet, for many audio enthusiasts like me, we love INNOVATION and DISRUPTION because who doesn't in this time and age? Able to capture our interest and reignite our love of music and appreciating a maturing technology is part of the audiophile game in my most humble opinion. Let us embrace it with open arms and let everyone access hi-fi with ease!
Excellent video, I'm glad you compare it to the SN3. I own a 10 year old XS2 and am really curious to compare it to the ZA3. Question: They offer a 48V Gan PSU option when you order the V3 but not when you order the ZA3. Any reason why I should/should not get this seemingly better PSU for the ZA3? Thanks, Mike
Thanks for watching! I have not heard the GAN PSU, so I don't have an opinion on it yet. Maybe in time I will get an option to listen to it. I'll try to ask the Fosi About that ;)
@@VirtualHiFi Thanks! BTW I received the little ZA3 yesterday and it put a big smile on my face. I had ordered the GaN PSU but they sent me the regular 48V. Not a big deal since I was lucky to get a unit so fast considering they're out of stock everywhere.
Dual Mono and Supernait 3 are trading blows but I'd say ultimately Dual Mono surpasses it in dynamics at least, Supernait 3 sounds a bit more tubey maybe, a bit warmer, just Stereo on the Fosi is not good enough on the dynamics and bass, it's decent on mids and treble though
@@VirtualHiFi I am / will be looking for something to upgrade to on my speaker setup, instead of Schiit Vidar v1, new tech is always welcome in my book but I'd love to have it monoblocks without the volume control cause I've got a decent enough preamp in the form of Holo Audio Bliss
I totally understand. After this video I was contacted by few companies including Fosi about other potential reviews of their products and I'm sure they do read the comments and will bring such products very soon :)
I much agree to your findings. It would be very interesting if you do a blind listening test, by not showing what is what (and reveal in another vid). I wouldn't be surprised when a lot of 'super-ears' fail at that point, as this is often the case in such listening tests. 😄
Wow ! Interesting… the fozi in stereo sounds very good …in mono block a little more ? The Naim 3 is full . You could do a lot to the Fozi to change the sound… very cool .
Im running a modest Triangle Br03 with Musical paradise 301 amp. Sad to say but esp on 101 eastbound the fosi Za3 just sounds wrong. Not only is there a noticable comb like bumpy patten were its supposed to be smooth it also has this strange 0 decay instant cutoff. Sounds fun though, I can understand why people will be wowed by it having a added V shape colouration. Maybe I need a less revealing smoother dac so that it can smear the transients more so that it sounds less wrong. Maybe if I listen more to electronic music the Fosi Za3 might be better? Here is to hoping that it is the youtube compression that is causing the fosi to sound so strange.
Have you tested a full digital amplifier like Sabaj A30a or SMSL VMV A2 during your journey over class D amps? With those you can bypass a DAC and connect only a high quality streamer. It will be interesting to hear your opinion and comparison with Fosi ZA3. Thanks.
Hello I have the Sabaj a30 with icepowe onboard and I like it very much, but I did not hear the A30a version. I am not a big fan of DSP and it is very funny how good some d-clads amps now are, but when it comes to the DACs I like denafrips ares 2/12 at a mid budget one and all cheap DACs that I heard definitely were not able to compete with 10'000 ones, however I might need to check those amps due to my curiosity ;) ☺️
@VirtualHiFi You definitely need to check the fully digital Sabaj A30a. It has plenty of power too, you can switch DSP off. The point is instead of first converting the digital signal to an analog one and then amplifying it by OP amps it amplifies directly the digital stream via the pulse width modulation technique. No D/A conversion, preamp or any analog signal related losses. Shortest path possible. Moreover, what may be important for you regarding the Qualio speakers, it is designed as an open loop, i.e. no problem in driving speakers with even very low impedance. Best wishes!
Teraz dopiero obejrzałem i jestem pod wrażeniem brzmienia w dual mono w porównaniu do Sn3. Nadal nierozumiem pracy tego ampa w dual mono ,czy trzeba osobno regulować głośność na każdym z nich czy przełącznik załatwią sprawę
Did you ever compare the Aiyima A07 Max which can also be monobloc'ed? As just a monoblock they have the same chipset and may be less flexible as stand alone stereo amp (due to sub output etc) but as a way to get 2 mono blocks or 4 if you want to go active (Naim IBLs)... they are almost half the price of the ZA3. Thoughts?
@@VirtualHiFi excellent 😁 I have seen someone post about MUSES02 IC opamps being really good in these and they're a little cheaper than the fully discrete types. I've had my Naim IBLs active in the past but buying two stereo Naim's or 4 mono Naim's are not in my budget ATM.. but 4 A07 Max's could be 😁 or even two in stereo. If they perform as well as the ZA3 I'll be tempted to proceed.
Hi.. great video. What if we want stereo output into the left and right rca line level in of a single powered subwoofer? Can we connect from left monoblock amp sub/pre out into left line level in of the sub and another cable from right monoblock amp sub/pre out into right line level in of the same sub?
@VirtualHIFI, hello and thanks for this démo. I have a fezz audio Titania tubes amp. So I would like change for a class d amp with tpa 3255. I see the 3 E audio with pffb and the dual mono fosi za3 too. I dont want a downgrade about the sound quality of the Titania. Do I do a mistae if I change the Titania for the fosi za3 ( X2)? Please, excuse my english I'm from France and there's a long Time I dont excerce my english😊..... Thanks.
titania is a great amp, and the all depends on the speakers that you have. it might be an upgrade for hard to drive speakers, and if you have easy to drive speakers the midrange on the titania with 6550 is great 😃 so what are your speakers ;)
Thanks for your answer.. my speakers are elipson prestige facet 14f. 2X150 w, 92db 6 ohms. Titania IS really fantastic in my opinion with them ! But I' m very curious about the fosi za3 mono mode...
I dont have the Titania here any more but I believe the Fosi will be soun ding richer and deeper than the Titania. You can get the amps since its priced great, or experiement with the tubes since going for KT150 or 6550 witht the titania will also change alot ;)
yes the higher the speakers impedance the more high frequencies are present, but it's as far as I remember a case of around 2db at around 20khz. the Qualion IQ are 4 ohms
@@VirtualHiFi Too bad they haven't fixed that. I use an amp with the same chip in it as a secondary system and am very satisfied... but that was $100. When you start to pay hundrends of $$$ a fault like this starts to make it a real downside. A speaker with 4 ohm impedence probably goes up to well above 12 ohm in the edges of it's crossover points or to it's Fs. An 8 ohm speaker is often way "worse". The Kef R5 Meta goes up to 12 ohms @ 3 kHz. Would be fun to see how a speaker like that messured on an amp like this. Will it be a problem? Well, not for me probably since I hear jack shit above 16,5 kHz, but still too bad they hadn't fixed it somehow. Great video. Liked the sound demo. :)
It's required by the chip. It needs second order filter at the end and it will change with the speakers impedance. But I have a freind who is using Aiyima A07 MAX in dual mono and it measures better with his Qualio than his 8000 Euro integrated amp :)
Yes it's more voltage and the left channel is defunct as only the right is used no point in buying upgraded op amps for the left channel in mono mode. @@VirtualHiFi
@@adivarso8175 Wrong ... the left channel is NOT dormant. The TPA3255 chip supports 4 basic operating modes... 4 x SE (single ended) for quad sound 2 x se + 1 BTL (Bridge Tied Load) for 2.1 stereo 2x BTL ... the basic stereo mode with bridged outputs. 1 x PBTL ... (Parallel BTL) for high current mono. In PBTL the two BTL stereo pairs are paralleled together. It doesn't produce higher speaker voltages but it does double the chip's output current capacity. Generally this is used for Public Address and Sound Reinforcement duties, but it is also useable as a monoblock amplifier for home systems. The "mono" position on the ZA3 and A07Max are PBTL. AND... there's not much point in buying upgraded op-amps to begin with. They're mostly operated at unity gain so the sonic differences will be truly minimal.
@@VirtualHiFi via in ear electrostatic headphones I can't tell the difference from mono to SN3 .. is the Naim better though in the room? I have had Naim amps in the past. So intriguing...
@@VirtualHiFi haha well im a big fan of mono blocks so many advantages and at this price point you might be able to offset the cost of 2nd za3 with speaker cable cost savings...lol by getting them as close as possible, set the volume and use 12v trigger which looks like what you would have to do for those as the switch to change mono to stereo might become a issue not to mention dialing both volumes in everytime will get old quick.
I think there is a problem with the demo recording... In my opinion the mics were placed too close to the speakers (tweeter and mid range driver) picking up mostly high and mid range frequencies as there was no mid bass or bass present in this demo recording. To compare I listened to the first track "Mama This One's for You" in Deezer HiFi (CD Quality) and heard the full body of the track with a good amount of bass present through my aune Magic DAC XVIII with Sparkos opamp going into Ayima 07 MAX, also with a Sparkos opamp upgrade. (I listened to the YT demo through the same system.) The microphones needed to be placed at the listening position, about where you're standing in front of the camera for a more accurate demo recording. This would allow all upper/mid/bass frequencies to gather and come through. It's simple, nobody listens to large speakers 1 meter (3 feet) away from them right? Sorry, I didn't like the demo, there was very little to hear and to listen to, to be able to tell any meaningful difference for myself... But I will be picking up the ZA3, thanks for the review!
Thanks for the comment. When it comes to recordings yes position of the mics are different. It's a balance of soundstage, balance and room response. Microphones used in this way are not registering the sound the same way as human ear, since the microphone capsule has different frequency range and gain and to present it the most accurate binaural mics with head would be needed, but I did such experiments and experimented with placement. For me it was easy, the at around 1 meter there is a sweet spot where I can get a very similar balance on the recording to what I get in my listening room, and the further I get with the mics the muddier the sound gets due to the room response. That results in worse differentiation between amps, DACs, cables etc. So the placement of the mics is like that on purpose. Anyway thank you very much for your comment and feedback ;)
I am not paid by Fosi and I bought the amps with my cash. I just share my opinion on yet another iteration of TPA3255 that has absolutely stunning performance that as can be heard can put many audiophile legends to shame.
I don't get paid for this review and I bought the amps myself. I share my opinion since I deeply believe that there is the same revolution in the amp world as with the MacBook M-series processors that destroyed Intel to the level its not even funny. My thesis is that you can now buy a Chinese 100-200$ amp and build a truly high end system around that amps matching and finetuning the components around those amps. In the end if you were to split the 10000$ for the speakers and amp and you can get 200$ amp and leave 9800$ for the speakers that is truly amazing option since IMO the speakers are the thing that will determine the frontier of how good your system can ultimately be :)
@@VirtualHiFidon’t listen to these people mate, they’re just suffering from buyers remorse based on knowing that they’ve had to remortgage their houses to buy the latest “Audiophile high end amplifiers” provided that an amplifier is able to provide enough power to drive a set of speakers with low enough distortion, then that’s all we actually need and require from an amplifier to make “high end” sound.
I've changed out the stock ZA3 Op-Amps (RCA and XLR sections) with the discrete Sparkos Labs SS3602 versions, and on the subwoofer side of the house, the MUSES02 IC-based versions. This resulted in more open sound-staging with better depth and dare I say, sounded more like a class AB amp than a class D version. Between their BT20A Pro, followed by their V3, and now the ZA3, Fosi Audio keeps improving and there are many forums out there that provide feedback and requests to Fosi for future improvements to their products - and apparently, Fosi is listening. And what was quite remarkable for me was that the ZA3 has taken over as my main amp (pushing my Cambridge Audio stuff aside, which I put back in their respective boxes for future use). With both it's diminutive size (compared to other audiophile level amps), and it's improved output, many audiophiles will be forced to admit that times are a changin.'
Thanks for sharing. I'll have sparcos opamps very soon and the Fosi V3 for comparison as well so I'll share my findings with the YT community for sure. Yes modding this small amps moves them yet to another league ;)
Superb recording skills, and some said already. Quite perfect video sync while switching sources. First time here, won't be the last for sure ! Right now exploring other videos 🙂 By the way, I felt the need to write a comment because of the Chantal Chamberlain's version of this song. I didn't knew Beth Hart version, or Beth Hart at all (not sure either having been aired on french TV/Radio, despite hardly listen to mainstream networks); so I listened to both studio and live version. IMHO, you picked the best version. I do prefer both miss Chamberlain's voice and tone. Beautiful song, brilliantly and subtle interpretation and orchestration.
Thank you for your comment and feedback. I try to do my best and still learning, but it gives me plenty of fun so expect more videos for sure ;) I like Chantal as well she is great singer indeed :)
Excellent recording skills. I'm impressed with the quality of the sound, even comming from the compressed UA-cam audio codec. Immediately subscribed to the channel. As for the comparison, listening on my Mission LX-2+ bookshelf speakers driven back and forth with a Marantz and a Fosi V3 amps, the overall tonality and balance of the sound was pretty close between the three samples,but with some noticable differences in the presentation. ZA3 Stereo sounds excellent and technically very right, but two dimensional without depth. The ZA3 Dual Mono sounds more spatial and wide open, still two dimensional and feeling the missing depth. The Naim is more focused with smaller soundstage than ZA3 Mono but very saturated slightly forward midrange, with the air around the vocal and between the instruments clearly hearable, giving the best sense of virtual room acustics and separation, respectively more "life" like or three dimensional. For me personally,as i need a new amp for bookshelf speakers in an other room system, the big question is, what is better to buy? A single ZA3 with upgraded Sparkos/Staccato opamps or going to ZA3 Dual Mono? Would be very interesting if you'll be able to produce such a comparison demo. Thanks a lot for the nice done very intertaining video.
hello and thank you for your comment. that is a very interesting question you asked here. I'll record a video testing one amp with upgraded opamps vs 2 in dual mono since the price for such combos would be the same So I'll definitely make a video on that ;) Also I had the same impression that single mode is cluttered in all aspects compared to dual mono where the sound is bigger wider and with better separation and control. That is a definite advantage, so me personally I am going to try dual mono with staccato opamps all the way ;)
In dual mono there's the benefit from one PSU per channel for more headroom and theoretically minimizing crosstalk. It also depends on the sensitivity of the speaker and low Ohm.
me too! i just pressed play on this video for a review and was listening through my bluetooth sennheiser tw2s and zflip 2 (non aptx or whatever) and i was blown away by the sound i heard. I got goosebumps.... that piano trigger sound was IIIIINSANE, even heard the piano guy stepping on his pedals... Thx virtual hifi for making me realisa what was possible in terms of sound. ordering 2 amps, and many other chinese magic stuff because i'm not rich but i want music!
ZA3 is good but load specific. I have several systems. Sounded terrible on one. Unplugged it after 4 hours. Put into another and 4 days on it sounds good. Vocals clear, separation top notch, electric guitars have bite as though in front of backline 30 watts max. Not 100. No way. A good backup to my vintage receivers. Lots of good inexpensive gear out of Shenzhen these days.
Dual mono truly opens up the vocals 2x times, layered, and dimensional. Gives more instrument separation and air in-between, awesome! Many thanks for the comparisons sound while playing this very enjoyable track. ChiFi Fosi ZA3 in dual mono beats Naim Supernait hands down. Absolutely no point buying expensive WesternFi gear. Hope Fosi brings out Z4 as a dedicated Mono with RCA/XLR-in amp, and a matching feature-rich Preamp.
@@VirtualHiFi, I keep returning to listen to this high quality recording to discern the 1st track thru the 3 setups. The switching appears seamless, nice if you can explain what equipment helped you switch without any change in volume.😊
You made my day ;0 Naim is safe IMO ;) It's one of the bettern sonding amps for the price and can outclass with musicality and dynamics so many "mainstream" amps that its not even funny ;) Also most will not believe the difference and even the thought that such small amps costing 100$ can sound that good ;) So in the end nothing will change and only few open minded people will get great sound at a total bargain ;) Thanks for sharing ;)
It’s decent but if you listen to the piano heavy notes played vs on the Naim , $200 class D you hear sound but lacks feeling that you get when played on Naim.. it’s subtle but that’s the real difference between most budget amps vs mid to high end . Each to their own of course, still great value .. thanks for the upload 😊
I can't really hear soundstage over youtube. I agree about the difference between dual mono and stereo. I found the Naim a bit more open and extended on the top end, which made it more engaging. This is a specific NAIM characteristic so maybe other higher end ones will be different in that aspect. The difference between stereo and Dual mono was larger tough. I am curious about the comparison when using Staccato or Sparkos. Other upgrade could be the Fosi GaNfet powersupply.
Thank you for your feedback. Indeed the soundstage is the hardest to show of right with recording. Staccato are to big to fit into the Fosi Amp but Sparkos Labs people are amazing and as I introduced myself to them the next day Opamps were on the way to me, so I'll share my findings very soon :)
😮it's fantastic 🎉 Greetings from Mexico For the price it sounds excellent gran reseña tu canal está impresionante 👌🏽Help me, where can I get your racks? Are they glass or acrylic? Please give me the information, my dear friend.
Thanks so much! The racks are made by Polish Company Alpine Line- alpin-line.pl/ if you contact them they can create an offer for you, but acrylic shelfs are more expensive than the wood if I remember correctly.
thank you very much for your kind words. the system has no pre. its eversolo a6me streamer via USB to Weiss 204 Dac feeding the amps with RCA. that is it.
All the Naim equipment I have listened to has not impressed me at all. I had the same experience with Rega turntables. People get into the marketing hype. I would like Rega to publish data on the effects of different belts. They probably won't !
I'm going with ZA3 as the core of every system I put together from here on out. (Unless I ever get insanely power hungry speakers that need more, then I'll prob go with Hypex nCore based amp for that) .. ZA3 is perfectly clean, transparent and more power than most speakers would ever need. Sounds amazing on my 2.1 KEF setup. Planning to next build a DTS/Atmos setup with 3 or 4 ZA3 and a preamp with Atmos processing/decoding. There are no class D AV receivers yet, so this is a cost effective way to make an efficient and VERY powerful HT system.
Your recording process is stellar. The audio sounds like I am playing from my local source vs a compressed YT video. ZA3 is very popular but needs a track record of durability that takes time to establish. Curious about Stacatto vs Sparkos 2590? I have a Douk T8 Pro EQ with Tubes and Opamp sockets, so plan to explore options.
thank you very much for the comment. indeed it's a great amplifier. there is very little to break in those amps and the tpa3255 chip has built in protections for basically everything so it should be lasting long time. I did not test any sparks but OCD HiFi guy have tested opamps and I did really like the stacattos the most from his videos. I compared stacatto to some other regular ones like opa, lm and few muses and staccato always won for me ;)
@@psysword$150 with 48v. 10 reviewers all in Q4 with 100k subs+ is marketing blitz. Not organic success of proven product. $300 to achieve dual mono @300 watts. That is the allure. 80 watts...then nobody cares. Not proven in my opinion.
Denon 3800 in full 11 channel preamp mode. Emotiva amplifiers on other 9 channels. 2 Fosi za3's added in for front stage in mono mode and my hearing is not the best after being in an automotive plant for 30 years and ohhhh my!!! I ran the normal movie demos Ready player one race scene, Blade Runner, Mad Max, Interstellar and the difference is very noticeable! Ran in pure mode for all kinds of 2 channel music and I am definitely keeping these in my system!!! Hopefully they are built well enough for longevity. 🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊
What i heard was unfaithful tone and harmonics with the fosi setup compared to the naim. The vocal sounded flatter and with an odd tone in both demo’s. The guitar in the “this love” demo has a unrealistic tone that sounds squawky and weird. The closer you listen you can actually hear it in the vocals too. The spacial queue’s on the supernait are loads better, the depth and soundstage sounds better on the naim. The macro detail of the guitar is more realistic. To sum up the naim sounds more true to life with better harmonics and more realistic detail and tone. However, for the price of the fosi it’s really impressive what it can do, on the other hand this video was enough to put me off buying a pair of fosi mono blocks. Great content! Thanks for this, i enjoyed it 👍🏻
Hey Maybe mono is better for you, because you speakers need more energy and in stereo is not sufficient - i strongly recommended 48V NiB - nitrid-barium AC/DC power source (NiB psu is light, less heating etc. - can be smaller too - consume less energy becuase don't produce too much heating - by sound qulaity is of course same - this is more about filters). If you don't use XLR connector is possible buy FOSIP3 - same power, only XLR is not present - btw. XLR is better for long distance cable - theoretical every time, but if you have up to 1m maybe 2m is not hearable but someone like best quality in analog FOSI vs Aiyima - FOSI is better - use similar component, AMP chip is same - btw is same in 90% power AMP class D - becuase many other AMP chip is more retro, someone like it, but is not neutral - you have video about it ;-) ... Aiyima in history have issue vit 48V and hi-power - over heating, not have holes for better air-flow - FOSI have it solved from beginning. Component is now in both brand hifi level - Aiyima is older and some old model use some cheap components, like coil etc. btw - is prepared : Fosi Audio V3 Mono - that support 48V 10A PSU - that can be used for both mono AMP ;-) - one PSU for both - if you need XLR - you can save money
I agree with your opinion, the harder the speakers to drive the more benefit there will be. I'm also interested in 10A psu since more power is always more interesting ;) I never had overheating with Aiyima and I rock really loud with quite hard to drive speakers, but yes Fosi is definitely better when it comes to heat management ;)
So funny how many people seem to like this song. I frankly couldn’t stand listening to it🤣 Absolutely love the recording skills of the channel owner and his qualio speakers are amazing. I absolutely love some of the jazz selections. But this one song that you like- I couldn’t wait for it to be over…
Fosi needs to get rid of the attenuation and make it a "dumb amp" then bring out a pre to match. A Pre/Dac with sub out, balanced, low pass filter, eq, etc. These companies always seem to just fall short of creating the killer giant slayer bang for buck system, they just can't seem to put it all together, they have hundreds of dacs, pres, amps, headphone amps etc but just don't quite know how to deliver
Yes that would be nice. Of course that is way more expensive and I'm not sure if Gosi realizes that they can go for such market of 2 * mono + great pre ;)
Bonjour, j'ai eu deux ZA3, je ne comprends pas les avis positifs sur cet ampli. Le son est froid, agressif dans le médium et les aigus, les basses sont absentes, manque de musicalité. c'est un ampli très moyen.
Excellent video. I came to it not knowing you designed the Qualio. I love the look of those speakers and was very impressed when you, or a colleague, talked me out of buying them because they would not be a good match for my Allnic 300b amp. That alone tells me I should listen very carefully to what you say. I eventually purchased Wharfedale Elysian 4s and am very happy, so thanks ! I do have a Fosi V3 modded with Burson V6 op amps. Same chipset, and I agree these amps can sound excellent. Its a bit disappointing that running the ZA3 in mono mode does not significantly increase the power output, which is in the real world less than 150w into 4 ohm per channel. That is more than enough for most needs, however.
Thank you for the comment :) Glad that you enjoy the content. Great to hear that you enjoy your system :) How is your Fosi sounding with the Burson ? I am probably going to test is as well with Sparkos very soon ;)
Great rewview and a great choice of music .... 3 artists I'd never heard of before, all in a playlist now 😁 Have you got any links to playlists at all?
with ease. however class d amps require an output filter in it's design ( it's already implemented in the amp) but it being there makes higher impedance speakers have more high frequencies, so theoretically 4 ohms speaker would sound darker than 8 ohm same one) so if your speaker is 8 ohm and very detailed even sharp it might not be that amazing.
@@VirtualHiFi Thanks so much for your comment they say nice things about this amplifier in the forms I plan to buy or in amazon customer reviews, but I haven't made a final decision I'm quite satisfied with the DOUK AUDIO T8 pro I bought earlier, and the opamps and integrations in it have changed with the originals performance has increased I hope this amplifier also gives a nice natural sound.
Great review! Wow. I’m thinking of getting a pair to run dual mono when they come back in stock. As far as the volume knob (which I wish the unit didn’t have given I want to use it as a power amp) would you advise turning the volume to max so as to sort of get the volume pot out of the way? I will be using the amps with a Musical Paradise tube preamp.
Hi - I am using ZA3s with Musical Paradise preamp, I am actually triamping into my speakers - XLR for the trebles... I bought the third ZA3 and had it fitted with Sparkos. All I can say is I am extremely happy!
@@alanwilkinson4080 Nice! That's the same preamp I have! Maybe we have exchanged comments about it before? My apologies if we have, trying to recall your username. It's nice that the MP tube preamp has three preamp outputs. What are you doing with the volume knob, are you just turning it all the way up to max? Are you running any of the the three amps in mono or all stereo? Three-way speakers? Lastly, what were you using for amplification before?
Hi Sean, Thanks for your message, and no, we haven't chatted before! I moved back to China last year without appreciating my future! So, I left my hifi stuff ready for my return to Budapest - but an error! hence, I bought more stuff for China = and was trying to be economical. I am running two systems from the Musical Paradise preamp - as it is so friendly to this. I have the MP tube amp (the small one!) going to the MP speakers and the Fosis going into Leema Xeros. These are two quite different but, to my ears, really great sounds. @@sean_heisler
Came here again to be surprised again. I wonder how close this would be with upgraded opamps from sparkos. I do hear more air in the naim but it does not bother me when I am listening to the Fosi. I have the za3 myself with sparkos opamps and I am just amazed every time ☺️
Yes, but I'm ok with that, or you can just put the amps to the max ans regulator the volume with streamer or preamp. Is sounds very well with the eversolo A6 ME and I like it very much
Can you do a comparison between dual mono and bi-amp please. It seems to me that simply throwing away two whole Channels for a few extra watts in mono is not the best use of two amps! If you have bi-wire/amp able speakers then you gain double the power to the speakers and You gain the ability to add a bit more to the bass section compared to the upper. Extra fun. 😂
OK I understand so are you using the Eversolo volume control when using the duel mono amps as it would very difficult to control volume on two mono blocks
For my main system I've been using a Crown XLS1000 for a number of years; and have found it rock solid, with the neutrality and power that I like. I'm curious to know how today's Class D, as realized in the ZA3, compares to this older Class D. Would one of these little Fosi amps outperform one of the Crowns?
Not in power vs my XLS crown 2502, lol. However, there's a distinct difference in midrange and in favor of the ZA3. Not sure how this compares to your XLS1000 of course.
Have 3 ZA3, all in mono Mode as AMPs for Front-left/right and center of my DENON X3800H, driving 2 Floorstanders and a ELAC Center. Sounds and integrates great with this Receiver, switched on/of with 12V-Trigger together with the DENON who also regulated the output while the ZA3s are all set to max output (no hum, no hiss, they are dead silent without a signal). I might add another 2 ZA3s in mono-mode for the 2 Back surround channels, so the X3800H has to power only the 4 Hight channels with his internal amp, while my „Bed Layer“ Front/Center/Surround are all powerd by5 ZA3 Amps. Highly Recommended!
@myaudioquest 0 seconds ago I bought the Fosi ZA-3 (with 48V power supply) thinking it might be a keeper. What I discovered was a mixed bag...thin in the mid-range and bass. I also did not care for the volume control, cheap like in build and function. On the plus side is exceptional clarity in the treble but requires a sub-woofer to add body and weight to the music. Best used with a bass centric loudspeaker or possibly use two amplifiers. My two cents!
Very interesting. The Fosi Za-3 is one of the richest and most colorful Class D amps I ever had and I'd say its on the warmer side when it comes to amps. Of course it will not be as rich as some class AB amps, but one can clearly hear that it has more color than Supernait 3 which is a rather more bassy and full amp in its category. What amp are you currently using ?
The amp I was using previously was an older AB-MOSFET integrated from Pioneer. A richer mid-range and better control of the bass from my DALI loudspeakers. It could simply be a lack of synergy in my case. However, I did return it to Amazon.
My preference: Track 1 ******* Fosi Dual Mono Naim Supernait Fosi Stereo Track 2 ******* Naim Surprenait Fosi Dual Mono Fosi Stereo Track 3 ******* Naim Supernait Fosi Dual Mono Fosi Stereo In Track 2, Fosi Dual Mono's soundstage was very impressive. Overall, I found the Fosi, both stereo and dual mono, are a tad harsh on the highs and the sibilance. The Supernait temper them better than both. Generally, the Supernait's soundstage was also wider than the Fosi's. In absolute terms, I would not buy any of the three, but this could be very much due to the fact that hearing in on UA-cam is far from the quality of hearing them live. Thanks so much as always as your videos are always very insightful and I always enjoy the components that you compare because I learn a LOT LOT from them.
I would say that if you have the money, Buy the Naim! If you don't then buy what you can afford. When you AB the amps the difference is fairly clear but very few people would do that anyway.
I'm excited to see what happens next with the optimized Fosi amps. 🤗🤗🤗 The question is whether you can upgrade it yourself if you're not an electronics technician. 🤔
There's not much to it if you want to swap out the op-amps. Lot's of DIY online on how to remove the volumeknob and casing. You can get a cheap 'chip' puller if you don't want to fiddle with- and wiggle the op-amp chip out. Clean and re-apply the thermal paste (bottom) and you're set.
Interesting. Sounds good on the video but does it really sound that good in real life and does it live up to the hype? Can it be compared to for example a Bluesound Powernode or NAD C700 soundquality wise? Why i am asking? Because im very curious about the Fosi Amps in general. I just got a Wiim Amp (to test) because i read all those positive reviews but i was very dissapointed (gonna return it asap). In my setup it doesnt sound no way as good as my current NAD C700. The Wiim Amp really sounds thin, not that immersive, flat, weak (especially via HDMI Arc). My current setup: NAD C700, Jamo S808 sub and Dali Ikon 1 mk1 speakers. I know it may not be a fair comparison but the difference was night and day. My NAD C700 sounds way more powerful, smooth, dynamic, detailed, more defined and more 3d then the Wiim Amp. I am thinking of trying to build a budget system that equals or outperforms my NAD C700 with the Fosi ZA3 amp or 2 Fosi V3 mono amps, the upcoming Wiim Ultra as a streamer/preamplifier or another affordable one that has at least HDMI Arc and a display (which shows volume level). Dont know if it's necessary to add an external DAC or roll the op amps in Fosi Amps. What do you (guys) think?
Thank you for your feedback. Yes the main has better tonal character, but it lack some bass and attack compared to Fosi so it's not a Naim win for me, so I sold the supernait and will look for next amp and in the meantime I'm maxing out the Fosi amps ;)
@@VirtualHiFi Ok, I guess that is a yes that those fosi amps (ZA3 or V3 Mono) with a pre amp/ streamer like the upcoming Wiim Ultra can equal or outperform a Bluesound Powernode or NAD C700.
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Me Impresiono Mas el Naim Supernait 3 su Sonido esta Intermedio (Equilibrado) entre la Claridad de las voces del Fosi Za3 en Stereo y el Sonido con mayor Cuerpo de Bajos (+ Watts) de los dos Fosi Za3 en Mono. Comparar el Costo del Naim Supernait 3 Vs Dos Fosi Za3 seria mas Economico esta ultima Combinacion 200$ + 200$ con Menor Calidad de Sonido que del Naim Supernait 3 de 5.000$.
I am amazed at the sound reproduction you have on UA-cam,
I have a Marantz 2235 receiver, I used to be happy with it connected to my Klipsch Forte 3. One day I tried hooking up a Fosi Audio ZA3 on the preamp out of the Marantz and I was amazed by how better it sounds than the Marantz builtin amp alone. Its not even close. The soundstage is so much wider. So i permanently used the ZA3 as a power amp with the Marantz as preamp. I also have a Little Dot MK3 tube headphone amp so I decided also to use it hoping to improve the sound and add some tube sound. Oh boy its night and day, with the Little dot, the soundstage is even more pronounced, holographic and the bass is punchy and the treble is crisp and open. So what it tells me is that the Fosi audio can sound really good if you have a great source feeding it. The sound between Marantz + ZA3 + the tube preamp is night and day with the Marantz and ZA3 alone.
To me, The Naim sounds a little bit more natural with some of the female vocals and piano compared to the Fosi. Overall, I prefer the Nait, but $5000 vs $130!!! Even if The Naim sounds a tiny bit more natural (sometimes). Is that worth $4900 of added expense? 🤔
Yes, the Nail has great vocals and they sound very good also because they are a bit more present in the balance compared to the Fosi, wiry fosi though there is even more richness and midbas. So I'd say all can prefer one over another but the price difference ... Well that just shows how good those little amps are ;)
Simple answer is NO I'm getting rid of my behemoth amplifiers and buying a couple of these!!!!
Seriously, enough money to get lots of other hifi stuff 😅
Don't forget that you can add the P3 tube preamp for 45-60$ and you go past the Naim in the mids while still adding more soundstage and a bit of that tube goodness...
@@philippelabrecque6658 I tried the P3 on my V3 and was not very impressed.... it kind of destroyed the sound...
A pair of these in mono work fantastically with the little Maggies... Very happy!
I am not surprised about the Fosi Za3 sound quality. I can confirm the great potential of the TI TPA3255 chip that is a true game changer after having a class AB and class A tube amp and AB solid state amp's. Overall the Aiyima 07 is better, considering price, energy consumption (heat), output power, general sonic profile and sound quality. It is stunning what class D is able for and for that price point! I am looking out for a Fosi V3 so i can use the same power supply's. Fosi is almost at DAC level distorcions!
thanks for your insight. I completely agree this chip is stunning. Fosi V3 is coming my way so I'll do a video comparing the V3 and za3 ;) so stay tuned for more videos ;)
Thank you. The V3 video is coming soon ;)
After watching this amazing video , I'm a new subscriber !!
Thanks for sharing, welcome and wish you great experiences listening to the tests ;)
I think the fosi sounds great, but has a bit less edge on the vocals , but for the price, if I was on a budget it is something I would definitely sacrifice, great review keep up the great work
Your recording sounded wonderful on my system. There was noticeably more soundstage for the Naim, with sound further back behind the speakers. Apart from that I would agree that the sound is comparable.
Thank you for sharing your feedback and opinion. Yes the depth form Naim is good, the width is not as good though ;)
Great comparison and impressive results! Thank you for the insights!!!
Thanks for watching! :)
I'm getting one. Awesome video👍. Cheers from New Zealand.
Woow, crazy Stuff..."
Ism so thankful ...real High-End
is no avaiable ...for everyone *
🤗😇👌💫👌👍💫😇😀
In all 3 cases great sound ...to me ....99% identical !
Thank you very much for your comment ☺️
Great video! Would it be possible to include portions of the original audio stream next to the recorded ones for comparison?
Everyone agrees that audio sounds differently depending on the equipment used but rarely people investigate why exactly that is.
My conclusion is that harmonic excitation and Haas effects are primary factors between good and great sound reproduction.
Thank you very much. I am a Physicist by education and still I don't think that much on the principles but this Hass effect explains the soundstate and air of the open baffle sound filling the room so beautifully ;)
Yes I plan to add such thing, but I am going to experiment with a proper form of it in the backend here first ;)
i am not saying that the za3 is bad by any means, i m still not really sure what it is for other than saving space maybe. i kind of see this thing more as a power amp. it has a volume knob, thats it. if you want some nice preamp or tone controls or whatnot then it gets more expensive quite fast.
the fact is: za3 is supposed to be a budget amp.
however, in my oppinion, if you work on a budget the amp is the last thing you should worry about and every $ spend onto your speakers will give you way much return. right now i am listening an old Kenwood KA3020. It did cost me 20$ in really nice condition, put some contact cleaner on and ready to go. it sounds nice, it has tone controls, more features, it doesnt get warm at all, power drain isnt that high and it has so much power in reserve, i am sitting at like 13% on the volume knob and its already at the max volume i would listen to in my room without it raping my ears. it drives my speakers more than fine.
now does the za3 sound better? well i dont know. maybe.
but the za3 is 160 Euros, my kenwood is 20. does the za3 sound 8 times better than my kenwood? i am pretty sure it does not. and i m also pretty sure za3 with 100$ speakers will sound worse than my 20 Kenwood with 240$ speakers.
Thank you for sharing your comment.
I haven't heard your Kenwood amp but I heard similar Ayima A07 amp sounding better than similar class amps (200 WPC) costing 10'000-20'000$. Just because something is cheap to manufacture doesn't necessary mean that it will have cheap sound. I know that looking at the price tag of 100$ one can think it's a silly small entry level amp, but it's not. Check most of the comments where most people prefer it's sound signature to 5000$ Naim supernait integrated amp ;)
@@VirtualHiFi i think you did not understand my comment correctly. but matter of fact is: its a budget amp and people with enough of money will rather buy that naim anyways. i have not seen a single person of the reviewers actually using an amiyia as their main rig amp. they all say: ''oh its so amazing'' but if you tell them to replace it then with their main amp, the answer is 100% no. and its not to say, it doesnt sound nice. i m just saying that on a budget, wich this amp is targeted for, putting money on speakers will give you more audio quality in return instead of putting it on amps. and i had someone with an ayima coming to my place to hook it up and it 100% did not sound better in any way, the opposite. but having reviewers and influencer state that a 70 bucks aiyima is supposedly sound better than a 20.000$ amp is straight up ridiculous and one prove more to not trust youtube people and just stay clear of what people hype up online really. i mean, why do you own a naim? it makes no sense right? if the aiyima is so awesome i want you to sell your naim right now and put an aiyima to your main rig
Thank you for the message. Yes I totally agree that its better to spend as much as possible on the speakers (well worth the money). Tpa3255 is awesome since it can really shine and for real embarrass some multiple thousand dollars amps. That is why I am so optimistic about that since I believe it's a great opportunity for all except Amps manufacturers. You are right about the naim. I bought it an year ago when I did not have the aiyima yet. And as I listened to them I noticed I like the aiyima more and more. And yes I have my main listed for sale for 2 months now ;) I am happy I can unfreeze some cash since I can put it elsewhere in the system easy ;)
@@MaybeTiberius Not sure if I am going to make the right analogy here but please have an open mind in this audiophile community. Having the means to afford a Naim or its equivalent brand and its associated synergistic parings to form a music rig installed in a sound treated listening chamber with plush seating seems to be the desire of every audiophile - I being one! To be very honest, perhaps it is due to practicality and being trained in electronics engineering, I will tread on the very fine line in appreciating music by acquiring equipment within a reasonable budget and having the expectation that I may not reach high end audiophile status (workmanship, build quality, choice components, excellence in service, legacy etc) by my choice. Fosi Audio has created a wonderful product here which is accessible by enthusiasts due to its budget friendly propositions so by no means are they going to challenge the big wigs in the audiophile industry and dethrone their dominance they have dedicated their time to build over the decades. Yet, for many audio enthusiasts like me, we love INNOVATION and DISRUPTION because who doesn't in this time and age? Able to capture our interest and reignite our love of music and appreciating a maturing technology is part of the audiophile game in my most humble opinion. Let us embrace it with open arms and let everyone access hi-fi with ease!
Excellent video, I'm glad you compare it to the SN3. I own a 10 year old XS2 and am really curious to compare it to the ZA3.
Question: They offer a 48V Gan PSU option when you order the V3 but not when you order the ZA3. Any reason why I should/should not get this seemingly better PSU for the ZA3?
Thanks,
Mike
Thanks for watching! I have not heard the GAN PSU, so I don't have an opinion on it yet. Maybe in time I will get an option to listen to it. I'll try to ask the Fosi About that ;)
@@VirtualHiFi Thanks! BTW I received the little ZA3 yesterday and it put a big smile on my face. I had ordered the GaN PSU but they sent me the regular 48V. Not a big deal since I was lucky to get a unit so fast considering they're out of stock everywhere.
STEREO in XLR perform fantastic for LRS+ magnepan. 2nd za3 on the way, let's see if it crushes it in mono.
Thanks for sharing. Yes 2 are way better. Sound is fuller and definitely money meaty and dynamic ;)
Dual Mono and Supernait 3 are trading blows but I'd say ultimately Dual Mono surpasses it in dynamics at least, Supernait 3 sounds a bit more tubey maybe, a bit warmer, just Stereo on the Fosi is not good enough on the dynamics and bass, it's decent on mids and treble though
Thank you for sharing your feedback. Now think about the price difference ;)
@@VirtualHiFi I am / will be looking for something to upgrade to on my speaker setup, instead of Schiit Vidar v1, new tech is always welcome in my book but I'd love to have it monoblocks without the volume control cause I've got a decent enough preamp in the form of Holo Audio Bliss
I totally understand. After this video I was contacted by few companies including Fosi about other potential reviews of their products and I'm sure they do read the comments and will bring such products very soon :)
I much agree to your findings. It would be very interesting if you do a blind listening test, by not showing what is what (and reveal in another vid). I wouldn't be surprised when a lot of 'super-ears' fail at that point, as this is often the case in such listening tests. 😄
what a grat idea. thank you. I'll find a way to troll everyone some time in the future 😉
looking forward to hearing the Fosi's with Sparkos !!
Soon to come ;)
Naim is so resolving still relaxing... For that last amount resolution, reverbs, queues one has to pay more than 30 times!
Wow ! Interesting… the fozi in stereo sounds very good …in mono block a little more ? The Naim 3 is full . You could do a lot to the Fozi to change the sound… very cool .
thanks. yes it's crazy what such cheap amp can do now. and I'm going to upgrade it with some better opamps soon ;)
Sound great even through my Fosi Audio BT30D and ADC speakers.
Thank you very much :)
Which one do you recommend for Wharfedale Evo 4.1 Fosi ZA3 or the V3 ?
Sounds very good, good demonstration. Is there any depth to the soundstage with the Fosi?
yes vey nice one but the soundstage with 2 Fosi units in dual mono is better for me than one amp only in stereo.
@@VirtualHiFi Thank you for your answer!
Im running a modest Triangle Br03 with Musical paradise 301 amp. Sad to say but esp on 101 eastbound the fosi Za3 just sounds wrong. Not only is there a noticable comb like bumpy patten were its supposed to be smooth it also has this strange 0 decay instant cutoff. Sounds fun though, I can understand why people will be wowed by it having a added V shape colouration. Maybe I need a less revealing smoother dac so that it can smear the transients more so that it sounds less wrong.
Maybe if I listen more to electronic music the Fosi Za3 might be better?
Here is to hoping that it is the youtube compression that is causing the fosi to sound so strange.
Have you tested a full digital amplifier like Sabaj A30a or SMSL VMV A2 during your journey over class D amps? With those you can bypass a DAC and connect only a high quality streamer. It will be interesting to hear your opinion and comparison with Fosi ZA3. Thanks.
Hello I have the Sabaj a30 with icepowe onboard and I like it very much, but I did not hear the A30a version. I am not a big fan of DSP and it is very funny how good some d-clads amps now are, but when it comes to the DACs I like denafrips ares 2/12 at a mid budget one and all cheap DACs that I heard definitely were not able to compete with 10'000 ones, however I might need to check those amps due to my curiosity ;) ☺️
@VirtualHiFi You definitely need to check the fully digital Sabaj A30a. It has plenty of power too, you can switch DSP off. The point is instead of first converting the digital signal to an analog one and then amplifying it by OP amps it amplifies directly the digital stream via the pulse width modulation technique. No D/A conversion, preamp or any analog signal related losses. Shortest path possible. Moreover, what may be important for you regarding the Qualio speakers, it is designed as an open loop, i.e. no problem in driving speakers with even very low impedance. Best wishes!
Teraz dopiero obejrzałem i jestem pod wrażeniem brzmienia w dual mono w porównaniu do Sn3.
Nadal nierozumiem pracy tego ampa w dual mono ,czy trzeba osobno regulować głośność na każdym z nich czy przełącznik załatwią sprawę
Dziękuję bardzo za komentarz i tak w dual mono trzeba regulować osobno obydwa wzmacniacze, albo odkręcic w nich gałki na 100% i
Did you ever compare the Aiyima A07 Max which can also be monobloc'ed? As just a monoblock they have the same chipset and may be less flexible as stand alone stereo amp (due to sub output etc) but as a way to get 2 mono blocks or 4 if you want to go active (Naim IBLs)... they are almost half the price of the ZA3. Thoughts?
I have 2 Aiyima A07 Max burning in at the moment so next week I'll be testing them as well ;)
@@VirtualHiFi excellent 😁
I have seen someone post about MUSES02 IC opamps being really good in these and they're a little cheaper than the fully discrete types.
I've had my Naim IBLs active in the past but buying two stereo Naim's or 4 mono Naim's are not in my budget ATM.. but 4 A07 Max's could be 😁 or even two in stereo.
If they perform as well as the ZA3 I'll be tempted to proceed.
@@VirtualHiFi I can get an Aiyima A07 max for under £85 with the 48v PSU new any thoughts on this?
@@VirtualHiFi Any updates ? :D
Wow
Love your way of Demo
Perfect technic.
If its about money go for ZA3
Otherwise Naim is faaaar more better
Thank you for your vote and for your amazing kind words :)
I can actually hear naim being on the dry side and flatter sounding comparing to fosi. Is that true?
Exactly that how it sounds ;)
RCA or XLR inputs for ZA3?
While reading the comments i continued to scroll back up when impressed...only to find the NS3. -- just saying I'll save my pennies for the real deal.
Sure thing. Naim midrange is still amazing ;)
Hi.. great video. What if we want stereo output into the left and right rca line level in of a single powered subwoofer? Can we connect from left monoblock amp sub/pre out into left line level in of the sub and another cable from right monoblock amp sub/pre out into right line level in of the same sub?
Yes you can! Just connect both subwoofer outs to the subwoofer ;)
@VirtualHiFi ..Thanks.. I did and found the bass more stronger. I have the two Aiyima A07 Max amps running in dual mono.
Perfect thanks for sharing. My Aiyima max just arrived and are warning up. I'll also Dona comparison video on it vs fosi ZA3
Great... will definitely look out for that. Have subbed your channel
@VirtualHIFI, hello and thanks for this démo.
I have a fezz audio Titania tubes amp. So I would like change for a class d amp with tpa 3255.
I see the 3 E audio with pffb and the dual mono fosi za3 too. I dont want a downgrade about the sound quality of the Titania. Do I do a mistae if I change the Titania for the fosi za3 ( X2)?
Please, excuse my english I'm from France and there's a long Time I dont excerce my english😊..... Thanks.
titania is a great amp, and the all depends on the speakers that you have. it might be an upgrade for hard to drive speakers, and if you have easy to drive speakers the midrange on the titania with 6550 is great 😃 so what are your speakers ;)
Thanks for your answer.. my speakers are elipson prestige facet 14f. 2X150 w, 92db 6 ohms. Titania IS really fantastic in my opinion with them ! But I' m very curious about the fosi za3 mono mode...
May be with 2 news opamps, the fosi makes the difference ??
I dont have the Titania here any more but I believe the Fosi will be soun ding richer and deeper than the Titania. You can get the amps since its priced great, or experiement with the tubes since going for KT150 or 6550 witht the titania will also change alot ;)
Who's that wonderful voice in The first song? Sounds like Sally Barker from The voice.
Its Chantal Chamberland :)
@@VirtualHiFi Thanks
excellentes enceintes acoustiques
Would this pair well with the Buchardt S400 MKII?
With ease and great sound ;)
Does the freq response change with the load?
yes the higher the speakers impedance the more high frequencies are present, but it's as far as I remember a case of around 2db at around 20khz. the Qualion IQ are 4 ohms
@@VirtualHiFi Too bad they haven't fixed that. I use an amp with the same chip in it as a secondary system and am very satisfied... but that was $100. When you start to pay hundrends of $$$ a fault like this starts to make it a real downside. A speaker with 4 ohm impedence probably goes up to well above 12 ohm in the edges of it's crossover points or to it's Fs. An 8 ohm speaker is often way "worse". The Kef R5 Meta goes up to 12 ohms @ 3 kHz. Would be fun to see how a speaker like that messured on an amp like this.
Will it be a problem? Well, not for me probably since I hear jack shit above 16,5 kHz, but still too bad they hadn't fixed it somehow.
Great video. Liked the sound demo. :)
It's required by the chip. It needs second order filter at the end and it will change with the speakers impedance. But I have a freind who is using Aiyima A07 MAX in dual mono and it measures better with his Qualio than his 8000 Euro integrated amp :)
@@VirtualHiFi cool
No comparison. The warm naim bass
Wou!!
Fosi states this amplifier is PBTL in mono operation? That is wide of being a "true" mono.
Yes PBLT is a mode that the amp can operate and has more power and is a kind of "bridging option"
Yes it's more voltage and the left channel is defunct as only the right is used no point in buying upgraded op amps for the left channel in mono mode. @@VirtualHiFi
That Is interesting. I have to check the TPA 3255 for clarification with PBLT mode ;)
@@adivarso8175
Wrong ... the left channel is NOT dormant.
The TPA3255 chip supports 4 basic operating modes...
4 x SE (single ended) for quad sound
2 x se + 1 BTL (Bridge Tied Load) for 2.1 stereo
2x BTL ... the basic stereo mode with bridged outputs.
1 x PBTL ... (Parallel BTL) for high current mono.
In PBTL the two BTL stereo pairs are paralleled together. It doesn't produce higher speaker voltages but it does double the chip's output current capacity. Generally this is used for Public Address and Sound Reinforcement duties, but it is also useable as a monoblock amplifier for home systems.
The "mono" position on the ZA3 and A07Max are PBTL.
AND... there's not much point in buying upgraded op-amps to begin with. They're mostly operated at unity gain so the sonic differences will be truly minimal.
I think 2 FOSI ZA3 would be good enough for me to sell the naim
Yes that is why I'm selling the Naim 😁
@@VirtualHiFi via in ear electrostatic headphones I can't tell the difference from mono to SN3 .. is the Naim better though in the room?
I have had Naim amps in the past. So intriguing...
@@VirtualHiFi haha well im a big fan of mono blocks so many advantages and at this price point you might be able to offset the cost of 2nd za3 with speaker cable cost savings...lol by getting them as close as possible, set the volume and use 12v trigger which looks like what you would have to do for those as the switch to change mono to stereo might become a issue not to mention dialing both volumes in everytime will get old quick.
I think 1 is good enough, I don't hear much improvement with 2 I'd spend the $ elsewhere
Please test SMSL SA400 and the VMV A2 when you can.
Sure I'll try once I have a chance ;)
I think there is a problem with the demo recording... In my opinion the mics were placed too close to the speakers (tweeter and mid range driver) picking up mostly high and mid range frequencies as there was no mid bass or bass present in this demo recording. To compare I listened to the first track "Mama This One's for You" in Deezer HiFi (CD Quality) and heard the full body of the track with a good amount of bass present through my aune Magic DAC XVIII with Sparkos opamp going into Ayima 07 MAX, also with a Sparkos opamp upgrade. (I listened to the YT demo through the same system.) The microphones needed to be placed at the listening position, about where you're standing in front of the camera for a more accurate demo recording. This would allow all upper/mid/bass frequencies to gather and come through. It's simple, nobody listens to large speakers 1 meter (3 feet) away from them right? Sorry, I didn't like the demo, there was very little to hear and to listen to, to be able to tell any meaningful difference for myself... But I will be picking up the ZA3, thanks for the review!
Thanks for the comment. When it comes to recordings yes position of the mics are different. It's a balance of soundstage, balance and room response. Microphones used in this way are not registering the sound the same way as human ear, since the microphone capsule has different frequency range and gain and to present it the most accurate binaural mics with head would be needed, but I did such experiments and experimented with placement. For me it was easy, the at around 1 meter there is a sweet spot where I can get a very similar balance on the recording to what I get in my listening room, and the further I get with the mics the muddier the sound gets due to the room response. That results in worse differentiation between amps, DACs, cables etc. So the placement of the mics is like that on purpose. Anyway thank you very much for your comment and feedback ;)
all are very bright not for me
This is a commercial.
I am not paid by Fosi and I bought the amps with my cash. I just share my opinion on yet another iteration of TPA3255 that has absolutely stunning performance that as can be heard can put many audiophile legends to shame.
As expected, the V3 sounds forward, strained lacking depth.
Its ZA3 not the V3
shills are gonna shill
I don't get paid for this review and I bought the amps myself. I share my opinion since I deeply believe that there is the same revolution in the amp world as with the MacBook M-series processors that destroyed Intel to the level its not even funny. My thesis is that you can now buy a Chinese 100-200$ amp and build a truly high end system around that amps matching and finetuning the components around those amps. In the end if you were to split the 10000$ for the speakers and amp and you can get 200$ amp and leave 9800$ for the speakers that is truly amazing option since IMO the speakers are the thing that will determine the frontier of how good your system can ultimately be :)
@@VirtualHiFi
It's pretty amazing what can be done when you aren't charging "audiophile" markups on your products.
@@VirtualHiFidon’t listen to these people mate, they’re just suffering from buyers remorse based on knowing that they’ve had to remortgage their houses to buy the latest “Audiophile high end amplifiers” provided that an amplifier is able to provide enough power to drive a set of speakers with low enough distortion, then that’s all we actually need and require from an amplifier to make “high end” sound.
@@Douglas_Blake_579exactly
I've changed out the stock ZA3 Op-Amps (RCA and XLR sections) with the discrete Sparkos Labs SS3602 versions, and on the subwoofer side of the house, the MUSES02 IC-based versions. This resulted in more open sound-staging with better depth and dare I say, sounded more like a class AB amp than a class D version. Between their BT20A Pro, followed by their V3, and now the ZA3, Fosi Audio keeps improving and there are many forums out there that provide feedback and requests to Fosi for future improvements to their products - and apparently, Fosi is listening. And what was quite remarkable for me was that the ZA3 has taken over as my main amp (pushing my Cambridge Audio stuff aside, which I put back in their respective boxes for future use). With both it's diminutive size (compared to other audiophile level amps), and it's improved output, many audiophiles will be forced to admit that times are a changin.'
Thanks for sharing. I'll have sparcos opamps very soon and the Fosi V3 for comparison as well so I'll share my findings with the YT community for sure. Yes modding this small amps moves them yet to another league ;)
Sorry to ask. How difficult was it to swap out the op amps? I know the J2 Socketed is easy. How about the Fosi?
Thank you
It's not hard and the hardest thing is to open the case :) Sparkos just sent me some Opamps for test and I'll record a video about that very soon ;)
@@VirtualHiFiinterested in the op amp swap.
And the A07 max is also mono available too.
Are your power supplies 36v or 48v?
@@VirtualHiFi I have Naim IBL speakers and would like to try 4 mono blocks with the speakers active. But my funds won't allow this yet.
Superb recording skills, and some said already.
Quite perfect video sync while switching sources.
First time here, won't be the last for sure !
Right now exploring other videos 🙂
By the way, I felt the need to write a comment because of the Chantal Chamberlain's version of this song.
I didn't knew Beth Hart version, or Beth Hart at all (not sure either having been aired on french TV/Radio, despite hardly listen to mainstream networks); so I listened to both studio and live version.
IMHO, you picked the best version.
I do prefer both miss Chamberlain's voice and tone.
Beautiful song, brilliantly and subtle interpretation and orchestration.
Thank you for your comment and feedback. I try to do my best and still learning, but it gives me plenty of fun so expect more videos for sure ;)
I like Chantal as well she is great singer indeed :)
Excellent Review with Best possible sound Quality on YTube...Thanks a lot.
Appreciate Your Review focused on Sound Samples.❤
My pleasure. I hope you will enjoy even more videos that will come soon :)
Excellent recording skills. I'm impressed with the quality of the sound, even comming from the compressed UA-cam audio codec. Immediately subscribed to the channel. As for the comparison, listening on my Mission LX-2+ bookshelf speakers driven back and forth with a Marantz and a Fosi V3 amps, the overall tonality and balance of the sound was pretty close between the three samples,but with some noticable differences in the presentation. ZA3 Stereo sounds excellent and technically very right, but two dimensional without depth. The ZA3 Dual Mono sounds more spatial and wide open, still two dimensional and feeling the missing depth. The Naim is more focused with smaller soundstage than ZA3 Mono but very saturated slightly forward midrange, with the air around the vocal and between the instruments clearly hearable, giving the best sense of virtual room acustics and separation, respectively more "life" like or three dimensional. For me personally,as i need a new amp for bookshelf speakers in an other room system, the big question is, what is better to buy? A single ZA3 with upgraded Sparkos/Staccato opamps or going to ZA3 Dual Mono? Would be very interesting if you'll be able to produce such a comparison demo. Thanks a lot for the nice done very intertaining video.
hello and thank you for your comment. that is a very interesting question you asked here. I'll record a video testing one amp with upgraded opamps vs 2 in dual mono since the price for such combos would be the same
So I'll definitely make a video on that ;)
Also I had the same impression that single mode is cluttered in all aspects compared to dual mono where the sound is bigger wider and with better separation and control. That is a definite advantage, so me personally I am going to try dual mono with staccato opamps all the way ;)
In dual mono there's the benefit from one PSU per channel for more headroom and theoretically minimizing crosstalk. It also depends on the sensitivity of the speaker and low Ohm.
@@34332 Yes,sure. But single amp with upgrade of discreet opamps would have a noticeable different sound signature.
me too! i just pressed play on this video for a review and was listening through my bluetooth sennheiser tw2s and zflip 2 (non aptx or whatever) and i was blown away by the sound i heard. I got goosebumps.... that piano trigger sound was IIIIINSANE, even heard the piano guy stepping on his pedals... Thx virtual hifi for making me realisa what was possible in terms of sound. ordering 2 amps, and many other chinese magic stuff because i'm not rich but i want music!
ZA3 is good but load specific.
I have several systems.
Sounded terrible on one. Unplugged it after 4 hours.
Put into another and 4 days on it sounds good.
Vocals clear, separation top notch, electric guitars have bite as though in front of backline
30 watts max. Not 100. No way. A good backup to my vintage receivers.
Lots of good inexpensive gear out of Shenzhen these days.
Dual mono truly opens up the vocals 2x times, layered, and dimensional. Gives more instrument separation and air in-between, awesome! Many thanks for the comparisons sound while playing this very enjoyable track. ChiFi Fosi ZA3 in dual mono beats Naim Supernait hands down. Absolutely no point buying expensive WesternFi gear. Hope Fosi brings out Z4 as a dedicated Mono with RCA/XLR-in amp, and a matching feature-rich Preamp.
Couldn't agree more! At least in solid state amp category ;) Thank you very much for sharing your comment ;)
@@VirtualHiFi, I keep returning to listen to this high quality recording to discern the 1st track thru the 3 setups. The switching appears seamless, nice if you can explain what equipment helped you switch without any change in volume.😊
Wow so much buzzing noice from Naim in the background, great recording, thank you very much just ordered 2 pcs of ZA3
Glad I could help! Yes naim compared to the fosi is way more humming
That is truly scary. If I were the Sales Director of Naim Audio I'd be on Linkedin right now looking for a new career.
You made my day ;0
Naim is safe IMO ;) It's one of the bettern sonding amps for the price and can outclass with musicality and dynamics so many "mainstream" amps that its not even funny ;)
Also most will not believe the difference and even the thought that such small amps costing 100$ can sound that good ;)
So in the end nothing will change and only few open minded people will get great sound at a total bargain ;)
Thanks for sharing ;)
It’s decent but if you listen to the piano heavy notes played vs on the Naim , $200 class D you hear sound but lacks feeling that you get when played on Naim.. it’s subtle but that’s the real difference between most budget amps vs mid to high end . Each to their own of course, still great value .. thanks for the upload 😊
Thanks for swharing and your very kind feedback ;)
I can't really hear soundstage over youtube. I agree about the difference between dual mono and stereo. I found the Naim a bit more open and extended on the top end, which made it more engaging. This is a specific NAIM characteristic so maybe other higher end ones will be different in that aspect. The difference between stereo and Dual mono was larger tough. I am curious about the comparison when using Staccato or Sparkos. Other upgrade could be the Fosi GaNfet powersupply.
Thank you for your feedback. Indeed the soundstage is the hardest to show of right with recording. Staccato are to big to fit into the Fosi Amp but Sparkos Labs people are amazing and as I introduced myself to them the next day Opamps were on the way to me, so I'll share my findings very soon :)
😮it's fantastic 🎉 Greetings from Mexico For the price it sounds excellent gran reseña tu canal está impresionante 👌🏽Help me, where can I get your racks? Are they glass or acrylic? Please give me the information, my dear friend.
Thanks so much! The racks are made by Polish Company Alpine Line- alpin-line.pl/ if you contact them they can create an offer for you, but acrylic shelfs are more expensive than the wood if I remember correctly.
Great video once again! The quality of the recording is top level. What kind of preamplifier are You using when using fosi in dual mono mode?
thank you very much for your kind words.
the system has no pre.
its eversolo a6me streamer via USB to Weiss 204 Dac feeding the amps with RCA. that is it.
@@VirtualHiFi in this case za3 knobs are responsible for the pre or are You using eversolo digital controller to adjust volume?
No point in getting the Naim.
yup. wanna buy one ;)
@@VirtualHiFiI was considering SN1 .
I have Naim IBLs but will stick with my Ion Nexus pre-psu-power
I found one on eBay but need another.
All the Naim equipment I have listened to has not impressed me at all. I had the same experience with Rega turntables. People get into the marketing hype. I would like Rega to publish data on the effects of different belts. They probably won't !
I'm going with ZA3 as the core of every system I put together from here on out. (Unless I ever get insanely power hungry speakers that need more, then I'll prob go with Hypex nCore based amp for that) ..
ZA3 is perfectly clean, transparent and more power than most speakers would ever need.
Sounds amazing on my 2.1 KEF setup. Planning to next build a DTS/Atmos setup with 3 or 4 ZA3 and a preamp with Atmos processing/decoding. There are no class D AV receivers yet, so this is a cost effective way to make an efficient and VERY powerful HT system.
Your recording process is stellar. The audio sounds like I am playing from my local source vs a compressed YT video. ZA3 is very popular but needs a track record of durability that takes time to establish. Curious about Stacatto vs Sparkos 2590? I have a Douk T8 Pro EQ with Tubes and Opamp sockets, so plan to explore options.
thank you very much for the comment. indeed it's a great amplifier. there is very little to break in those amps and the tpa3255 chip has built in protections for basically everything so it should be lasting long time. I did not test any sparks but OCD HiFi guy have tested opamps and I did really like the stacattos the most from his videos. I compared stacatto to some other regular ones like opa, lm and few muses and staccato always won for me ;)
Track record for 70 dollars? You're surely jesting.
@@psysword$150 with 48v. 10 reviewers all in Q4 with 100k subs+ is marketing blitz. Not organic success of proven product. $300 to achieve dual mono @300 watts. That is the allure. 80 watts...then nobody cares. Not proven in my opinion.
Denon 3800 in full 11 channel preamp mode.
Emotiva amplifiers on other 9 channels.
2 Fosi za3's added in for front stage in mono mode and my hearing is not the best after being in an automotive plant for 30 years and ohhhh my!!! I ran the normal movie demos Ready player one race scene, Blade Runner, Mad Max, Interstellar and the difference is very noticeable! Ran in pure mode for all kinds of 2 channel music and I am definitely keeping these in my system!!! Hopefully they are built well enough for longevity. 🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊
Thanks for sharing and I'm happy you enjoy your system. Crazy one I must say ;)
Glad you do love the amps ,😄
Williston labs tested the za3 in mono mode and only saw 130w not 300. Basically, all it did was shut down the left channel.
Thanks just watched the video and indeed they got 190 at 1% thd at mono mode. Very interesting
What i heard was unfaithful tone and harmonics with the fosi setup compared to the naim. The vocal sounded flatter and with an odd tone in both demo’s. The guitar in the “this love” demo has a unrealistic tone that sounds squawky and weird. The closer you listen you can actually hear it in the vocals too. The spacial queue’s on the supernait are loads better, the depth and soundstage sounds better on the naim. The macro detail of the guitar is more realistic. To sum up the naim sounds more true to life with better harmonics and more realistic detail and tone. However, for the price of the fosi it’s really impressive what it can do, on the other hand this video was enough to put me off buying a pair of fosi mono blocks. Great content! Thanks for this, i enjoyed it 👍🏻
Hey
Maybe mono is better for you, because you speakers need more energy and in stereo is not sufficient - i strongly recommended 48V NiB - nitrid-barium AC/DC power source (NiB psu is light, less heating etc. - can be smaller too - consume less energy becuase don't produce too much heating - by sound qulaity is of course same - this is more about filters).
If you don't use XLR connector is possible buy FOSIP3 - same power, only XLR is not present - btw. XLR is better for long distance cable - theoretical every time, but if you have up to 1m maybe 2m is not hearable but someone like best quality in analog
FOSI vs Aiyima - FOSI is better - use similar component, AMP chip is same - btw is same in 90% power AMP class D - becuase many other AMP chip is more retro, someone like it, but is not neutral - you have video about it ;-) ... Aiyima in history have issue vit 48V and hi-power - over heating, not have holes for better air-flow - FOSI have it solved from beginning.
Component is now in both brand hifi level - Aiyima is older and some old model use some cheap components, like coil etc.
btw - is prepared : Fosi Audio V3 Mono - that support 48V 10A PSU - that can be used for both mono AMP ;-) - one PSU for both - if you need XLR - you can save money
I agree with your opinion, the harder the speakers to drive the more benefit there will be. I'm also interested in 10A psu since more power is always more interesting ;) I never had overheating with Aiyima and I rock really loud with quite hard to drive speakers, but yes Fosi is definitely better when it comes to heat management ;)
Just wanted to say thank you for introducing me to the song, "Mama This One's For You"
Thank for sharing :)
So funny how many people seem to like this song. I frankly couldn’t stand listening to it🤣
Absolutely love the recording skills of the channel owner and his qualio speakers are amazing. I absolutely love some of the jazz selections. But this one song that you like- I couldn’t wait for it to be over…
Fosi needs to get rid of the attenuation and make it a "dumb amp" then bring out a pre to match.
A Pre/Dac with sub out, balanced, low pass filter, eq, etc.
These companies always seem to just fall short of creating the killer giant slayer bang for buck system, they just can't seem to put it all together, they have hundreds of dacs, pres, amps, headphone amps etc but just don't quite know how to deliver
Yes that would be nice. Of course that is way more expensive and I'm not sure if Gosi realizes that they can go for such market of 2 * mono + great pre ;)
Please do this again with muses8920 and opa1622 opamps please! 🙏
I'll try to do opamp swap and demo. I have sparkos and staccato and will try to do some muses as well ;)
Still waiting on the one I ordered from Fosi. Plan on getting Sparkos op amps for it to match the Geshelli DAC.
Sounds like a great plan. I will have sparkos Opamps in about 1-2 weeks and will shoot the video with them as well :)
Bonjour,
j'ai eu deux ZA3, je ne comprends pas les avis positifs sur cet ampli.
Le son est froid, agressif dans le médium et les aigus, les basses sont absentes, manque de musicalité.
c'est un ampli très moyen.
Excellent video. I came to it not knowing you designed the Qualio. I love the look of those speakers and was very impressed when you, or a colleague, talked me out of buying them because they would not be a good match for my Allnic 300b amp. That alone tells me I should listen very carefully to what you say. I eventually purchased Wharfedale Elysian 4s and am very happy, so thanks !
I do have a Fosi V3 modded with Burson V6 op amps. Same chipset, and I agree these amps can sound excellent. Its a bit disappointing that running the ZA3 in mono mode does not significantly increase the power output, which is in the real world less than 150w into 4 ohm per channel. That is more than enough for most needs, however.
Thank you for the comment :) Glad that you enjoy the content. Great to hear that you enjoy your system :) How is your Fosi sounding with the Burson ? I am probably going to test is as well with Sparkos very soon ;)
Great rewview and a great choice of music .... 3 artists I'd never heard of before, all in a playlist now 😁 Have you got any links to playlists at all?
Thank you very much 👍 I'll do tidal playlist and link it to the videos ;)
C'est bluffant !
Hello Does the Fosi Za3 support an 8 ohm speaker?
Yanıtla
with ease. however class d amps require an output filter in it's design ( it's already implemented in the amp) but it being there makes higher impedance speakers have more high frequencies, so theoretically 4 ohms speaker would sound darker than 8 ohm same one) so if your speaker is 8 ohm and very detailed even sharp it might not be that amazing.
@@VirtualHiFi Thanks so much for your comment they say nice things about this amplifier in the forms I plan to buy or in amazon customer reviews, but I haven't made a final decision I'm quite satisfied with the DOUK AUDIO T8 pro I bought earlier, and the opamps and integrations in it have changed with the originals performance has increased I hope this amplifier also gives a nice natural sound.
Thank you for the video. Very informative really !!!
I am very curious of how dual mono Fosi setup would sound using a tube preamp ...
will have to check but it should be great 👍
Great ,great chanel. Thank you for your sharing that with us. Michael from Germany
Thank you very much! Such feedback gives me plenty of energy to do more and more videos ;)
Great review! Wow. I’m thinking of getting a pair to run dual mono when they come back in stock. As far as the volume knob (which I wish the unit didn’t have given I want to use it as a power amp) would you advise turning the volume to max so as to sort of get the volume pot out of the way? I will be using the amps with a Musical Paradise tube preamp.
Try with the pot and if you like the amp short the pot. It's always one element less,😊
Hi - I am using ZA3s with Musical Paradise preamp, I am actually triamping into my speakers - XLR for the trebles... I bought the third ZA3 and had it fitted with Sparkos. All I can say is I am extremely happy!
@@alanwilkinson4080 Nice! That's the same preamp I have! Maybe we have exchanged comments about it before? My apologies if we have, trying to recall your username. It's nice that the MP tube preamp has three preamp outputs. What are you doing with the volume knob, are you just turning it all the way up to max? Are you running any of the the three amps in mono or all stereo? Three-way speakers? Lastly, what were you using for amplification before?
Hi Sean, Thanks for your message, and no, we haven't chatted before! I moved back to China last year without appreciating my future! So, I left my hifi stuff ready for my return to Budapest - but an error! hence, I bought more stuff for China = and was trying to be economical. I am running two systems from the Musical Paradise preamp - as it is so friendly to this. I have the MP tube amp (the small one!) going to the MP speakers and the Fosis going into Leema Xeros. These are two quite different but, to my ears, really great sounds. @@sean_heisler
Hi guys great discussion. I'll have Sparkos opamps here soon and I'll test them with the Fosi ZA3 ASAP.
Came here again to be surprised again. I wonder how close this would be with upgraded opamps from sparkos. I do hear more air in the naim but it does not bother me when I am listening to the Fosi. I have the za3 myself with sparkos opamps and I am just amazed every time ☺️
I found them rather veiled on my Zu's and Maggies... I took them out.
These Fosi have a high quality/price ratio. But in dual mono you have to adjust the volume separately, which is a bit inconvenient.
Yes, but I'm ok with that, or you can just put the amps to the max ans regulator the volume with streamer or preamp. Is sounds very well with the eversolo A6 ME and I like it very much
@@VirtualHiFiI use 2 ZA3s in mono controlled by the Eversolo Dmp-a6. Superb sound.
Until you roll some Sparkos opamps in them, you'll be missing out ;)@@LongBlackLimousine
I have staccato opams and will check them soon
Can you do a comparison between dual mono and bi-amp please. It seems to me that simply throwing away two whole Channels for a few extra watts in mono is not the best use of two amps! If you have bi-wire/amp able speakers then you gain double the power to the speakers and You gain the ability to add a bit more to the bass section compared to the upper. Extra fun. 😂
Supernait 3 est supérieur mais à quel prix
No details Ill say
If Gregorz told us please hear him. He is the creator of Cube Audio….👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks ;)
Sound equal=
Sound equal=
You studio have amazing grade audio. But poor lighting. Do you have power outage during the recording ?😂
Thanks for your feedback. Indeed I'm constantly experimenting and now it' better. I am looking for dark background and a bit of mystery ;)
The Naim is in my opinion, is quite a bit more resolving and definitely more transparent. But then again this is youtube audio.
Thanks for sharing your opinion 😁
That naim buzz needs shielding. Now power treatment as some think usually.
Looks to be graet little amplifier, can the amplifier be used as just an amplifer without the volume control?
yes just put on the volume knob to the max and you will have a power amp that you can regulate with preamp ;)
OK I understand so are you using the Eversolo volume control when using the duel mono amps as it would very difficult to control volume on two mono blocks
For my main system I've been using a Crown XLS1000 for a number of years; and have found it rock solid, with the neutrality and power that I like. I'm curious to know how today's Class D, as realized in the ZA3, compares to this older Class D. Would one of these little Fosi amps outperform one of the Crowns?
Not in power vs my XLS crown 2502, lol. However, there's a distinct difference in midrange and in favor of the ZA3. Not sure how this compares to your XLS1000 of course.
@@34332 I think if I can score one for under $150, I may give it a try in my secondary system.
Have 3 ZA3, all in mono Mode as AMPs for Front-left/right and center of my DENON X3800H, driving 2 Floorstanders and a ELAC Center. Sounds and integrates great with this Receiver, switched on/of with 12V-Trigger together with the DENON who also regulated the output while the ZA3s are all set to max output (no hum, no hiss, they are dead silent without a signal). I might add another 2 ZA3s in mono-mode for the 2 Back surround channels, so the X3800H has to power only the 4 Hight channels with his internal amp, while my „Bed Layer“ Front/Center/Surround are all powerd by5 ZA3 Amps. Highly Recommended!
Any improvement in sound quality for your towers?
That's Chinese crazy. No wonder Amazon is sold out globally.
Thanks for sharing your feedback guys :)
The midbass thickens up amazingly. But yes quite a comparison
@myaudioquest
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I bought the Fosi ZA-3 (with 48V power supply) thinking it might be a keeper. What I discovered was a mixed bag...thin in the mid-range and bass. I also did not care for the volume control, cheap like in build and function. On the plus side is exceptional clarity in the treble but requires a sub-woofer to add body and weight to the music. Best used with a bass centric loudspeaker or possibly use two amplifiers. My two cents!
Very interesting. The Fosi Za-3 is one of the richest and most colorful Class D amps I ever had and I'd say its on the warmer side when it comes to amps. Of course it will not be as rich as some class AB amps, but one can clearly hear that it has more color than Supernait 3 which is a rather more bassy and full amp in its category. What amp are you currently using ?
The amp I was using previously was an older AB-MOSFET integrated from Pioneer. A richer mid-range and better control of the bass from my DALI loudspeakers. It could simply be a lack of synergy in my case. However, I did return it to Amazon.
@@myaudioquestsounds like you had a faulty unit
My preference:
Track 1
*******
Fosi Dual Mono
Naim Supernait
Fosi Stereo
Track 2
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Naim Surprenait
Fosi Dual Mono
Fosi Stereo
Track 3
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Naim Supernait
Fosi Dual Mono
Fosi Stereo
In Track 2, Fosi Dual Mono's soundstage was very impressive.
Overall, I found the Fosi, both stereo and dual mono, are a tad harsh on the highs and the sibilance. The Supernait temper them better than both.
Generally, the Supernait's soundstage was also wider than the Fosi's.
In absolute terms, I would not buy any of the three, but this could be very much due to the fact that hearing in on UA-cam is far from the quality of hearing them live.
Thanks so much as always as your videos are always very insightful and I always enjoy the components that you compare because I learn a LOT LOT from them.
Can someone give me some advice, which speakers would suit me best, since I bought the FOSI V3 and P3 amplifier and preamplifier?
I would say that if you have the money, Buy the Naim! If you don't then buy what you can afford. When you AB the amps the difference is fairly clear but very few people would do that anyway.
I'm excited to see what happens next with the optimized Fosi amps. 🤗🤗🤗
The question is whether you can upgrade it yourself if you're not an electronics technician. 🤔
There's not much to it if you want to swap out the op-amps. Lot's of DIY online on how to remove the volumeknob and casing. You can get a cheap 'chip' puller if you don't want to fiddle with- and wiggle the op-amp chip out. Clean and re-apply the thermal paste (bottom) and you're set.
Yes you can! And since I'll have Sparkos Labs Opamps very soon I'll record a video on how to change it and upgrade the units ;)
@@VirtualHiFi
Nice! Curious about your findings.
Opamps just landed so I'll test them in a couple of days.
@@VirtualHiFi
Good news, bring it on! 😄
Interesting. Sounds good on the video but does it really sound that good in real life and does it live up to the hype? Can it be compared to for example a Bluesound Powernode or NAD C700 soundquality wise? Why i am asking? Because im very curious about the Fosi Amps in general. I just got a Wiim Amp (to test) because i read all those positive reviews but i was very dissapointed (gonna return it asap). In my setup it doesnt sound no way as good as my current NAD C700. The Wiim Amp really sounds thin, not that immersive, flat, weak (especially via HDMI Arc).
My current setup: NAD C700, Jamo S808 sub and Dali Ikon 1 mk1 speakers.
I know it may not be a fair comparison but the difference was night and day. My NAD C700 sounds way more powerful, smooth, dynamic, detailed, more defined and more 3d then the Wiim Amp.
I am thinking of trying to build a budget system that equals or outperforms my NAD C700 with the Fosi ZA3 amp or 2 Fosi V3 mono amps, the upcoming Wiim Ultra as a streamer/preamplifier or another affordable one that has at least HDMI Arc and a display (which shows volume level). Dont know if it's necessary to add an external DAC or roll the op amps in Fosi Amps.
What do you (guys) think?
Thank you for your feedback. Yes the main has better tonal character, but it lack some bass and attack compared to Fosi so it's not a Naim win for me, so I sold the supernait and will look for next amp and in the meantime I'm maxing out the Fosi amps ;)
@@VirtualHiFi Ok, I guess that is a yes that those fosi amps (ZA3 or V3 Mono) with a pre amp/ streamer like the upcoming Wiim Ultra can equal or outperform a Bluesound Powernode or NAD C700.