- Joined
- Mar 12, 2020
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The world of DACs has been interesting to watch over the past ten years or so. A rise in demand for desktop audio, by tech savvy listeners willing to experiment with new gear based on a new generation of reviewers online, fueled a measurements race that resulted in a stream of ever improving DACs, at progressively lower prices.
Whatever one's opinion about the politics around manufacturing, or the extent to which performance measurements matter in audio products intended for subjective enjoyment, its hard to ignore the fact that we are now at a point where a Topping E30 II for $149 in 2023 can trade blows all day with a Wadia 9 for $7000 from 1990.
I wonder if the world of amplifiers is now about to go through a similar measurements race, with progressively lower prices.
I recently received a Fosi Audio V3. Tiny. Fits in your hand. Well made. Minimalist. $89.
While it's lack of power, features, and brand recognition means that it's not an amp for everyone, it was very happy filling up a 25-square-meter room, driving a pair of 84db Spendors to silly volume levels with excellent control. Sound quality was up there with NAD, Denon, Bryston, and Carver pieces I've played with recently, but certainly not up there with Kinki and Accuphase.
So, for $89, do we have a High-End amp? No, not at all. How about a quality audiophile grade amp? Oh yes!
Let's hope that the Fosi Audio v3 is a sign of things to come, and that in ten years time a $149 amp will trade blows with $7000 amps from today.
Well worth checking out if it meets your needs. Here are some online reviews of the little guy. Sadly, the local importer doesn't bring in the v3. But it's easy enough to grab from Amazon or other online stores.
Whatever one's opinion about the politics around manufacturing, or the extent to which performance measurements matter in audio products intended for subjective enjoyment, its hard to ignore the fact that we are now at a point where a Topping E30 II for $149 in 2023 can trade blows all day with a Wadia 9 for $7000 from 1990.
I wonder if the world of amplifiers is now about to go through a similar measurements race, with progressively lower prices.
I recently received a Fosi Audio V3. Tiny. Fits in your hand. Well made. Minimalist. $89.
While it's lack of power, features, and brand recognition means that it's not an amp for everyone, it was very happy filling up a 25-square-meter room, driving a pair of 84db Spendors to silly volume levels with excellent control. Sound quality was up there with NAD, Denon, Bryston, and Carver pieces I've played with recently, but certainly not up there with Kinki and Accuphase.
So, for $89, do we have a High-End amp? No, not at all. How about a quality audiophile grade amp? Oh yes!
Let's hope that the Fosi Audio v3 is a sign of things to come, and that in ten years time a $149 amp will trade blows with $7000 amps from today.
Well worth checking out if it meets your needs. Here are some online reviews of the little guy. Sadly, the local importer doesn't bring in the v3. But it's easy enough to grab from Amazon or other online stores.
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