Glad you are reviewing this as is because I don't plan on spending even more money on a budget amp for a power supply and op amps, at least not any time soon. It looks like a compelling product and that Fosi has actually put effort into making it good. I plan on using it with the Emotiva B1+ (86db and 8ohm) in a near field listening position.
OK - having tried over 22 different Chi-Fi amps (the compact ones of course), I've found that for some models produced by Fosi, Nobsound/Douk, and Aiyima, there is the ability of changing out the Op-Amps. Typically (well, almost always), the Chinese manufacturers tend to use stock NE5532 Op Amps, which sound OK, I suppose - but just like with tubes (tube rolling), when you have the option of being able to change the Op-Amps (as is the case with the V3), things can change dramatically. I've experimented now for two years, between IC based versions and Discrete (more expensive) versions of Op-Amps, and almost always, the discrete versions offer more dynamic capabilities and a warmer sound. I put in two Sparkos Labs SS3602 (dual channel) Op Amps in the V3 and the sound qualities of the V3 were elevated substantially - becoming more dynamic, adding more depth (and air around the instrumentation), and lastly, adding a bit more warmth (which is often sorely missing from typical Chi-Fi Class D Amps). So the two recommendations I suggest here with regards to "elevating" the sound and performance levels of the V3 (and the BT20A Pro, which is similar to the V3 and has tone controls) are: 1. Get the Fosi 48 volt power supply. Don't use the stock 32/36 volt model that comes with the V3. The Fosi 48V version is quiet and enables the V3 to give you that extra walloop and volume. It is also superior (much superior) to the Aiyima 48V version (which has a hum and hiss), and the Fosi version is only around $49.95, whereas the Aiyima version costs anywhere from $79.95 to $89.95. I use this Fosi 48V [power si[[;u with both the Fosi V3 and BT20A Pro amps (and the Aiyima A07 by the way). 2. Invest in a pair of discrete Op-Amps, either from Burson (the V5i) or Sparkos Labs (SS3603). These are dual channel Op-Amps (keep that in mind), and you don't want to get the wrong single channel version of the Op Amps because they won't work in the V3 (which requires dual channel versions). Do those two things and you will be impressed with what both the V3 and BT20A Pro can do. In some sonic instances, the V3 now sounds more like a class AB amp. Now to be reasonable, you can only do so much with these Chi-Fi class D models, but everything helps. I'm impressed with the V3, once these changes were made. Give them a try...
The 36v 6A power supply from Aiyima is also a good choice. Its quiet to or at least no more noisy than the 32v from Fosi and does give around a 30% volume boost over the 32v and is half the price of the Fosi 48v. The opa1622 is a good opa amp as well as the opa2604 if you are on a tight budget.
@@Panslapper Yes, you're right. For some reason the Aiyima (and a few other brands) 36V external power supply works quite well. But Aiyima's 48V model (at least up to a year or so ago) was very noisy. Maybe they changed it for the better. Bu the Fosi 48V version seems to be one of the best among the crop of external 48V models.
@@MrBenherrmann Apparently so. With Aiyimas 36v 6A the V3 drives my 88db sensitivity floorstanders quite well. I don’t go past 1.00 oclock on the dial before it gets a little too loud for a 6m x 5m room if that helps..
As far as op amps go I settled on the opa2604 over the 1622, ne5532, muses8920d, LM4562 etc…sparkos is out of the question and budget but for a fuller and dynamic sound the opa2604 goes well with the V3.
the 48v 5a power supply will help the amp achieve its potential but another huge factor is the analog voltage signal you're feeding it. Dacs/preamps in the low budget range produces about 1-2v and with the chips Db gain of 21db you're not going to get the max potential. ideally you want to feed it 3.5v input signal to maximize your output. I feel like these are things reviewers need to mention, especially since most of their viewers are beginner/novice audio enthusiasts.
Since the amp chip is fixed at 21.5db (A voltage gain of 11) the input level required to achieve clipping will vary with the supply voltage. But this is a BTL design so we have to consider that effectively that voltage gain is doubled by the out of phase outputs. So at 48 volts supply, you will want about 2 v of input and at 32 volt supply, 1.5 volts will clip the amplifier. (verified by measurement)
I just got mine. Here's my "review": It works. It's built well. It sounds great. I like it, but... Into my custom-home-built, perfectly tuned/custom built cross over speakers that would rival or more likely surpass any $1000+ high dollar "audiophile" commercial stuff...sounds pretty much exactly the same as my $30 Facmogo S800 (Nobsound NS-10G, same thing) with TPA3116(?) chip, and the same as my old, expensive Sony STR-DE945 receiver. So all that "better/audiophile grade" stuff inside...yeah, it may last longer but sounds ~exactly the same as a cheap, teeny-tiny, 6 year old amp. The volume/loudness is about the same as that tiny amp that was running on a 12v 2.5amp power supply, probably putting out ~16-20 watts. As much as I wanted to come on here and rave about how great an improvement it was. It's not. It's just another amp. Nothing bad about it, but nothing particularly great either.
I changed the op amps added the 48v power brick, put a decent source through it and it does a job . For D class i prefer the xtz a s 300s in mono setting . Fav speaker pairing on the v3 would be the Wharfedale evo 4.2 .
Note: the copper color knob isn't usually included. I just bought a V3 from Amazon and there was no extra knob. I did see it being sold from Alibaba for about $8.
I have this amp and it had no popping sound when turned on and when paired with the right speakers it has plenty of power and sounds great plenty of low end .
I've tried many of those small box amps before, and have always gone back to full sized components, PC to DAC to preamp to self powered speakers. I've tried a few of those small amps, none of them seam like they have more than a few watts. But they claim hundreds of watts. Thank you for the insight.
In the case of a TPA3255 based amplifier (V3, TB10d, BT30 Pro, A07, A07 pro, etc.) the power expectations are all laid out nice and neat in the chip's spec sheets. Do a search for "TPA3255 Spec Sheet" and right on the front page you will find a graph showing distortion vs power. Then on page 11, figure 8 gives you the power expectations for various power supply voltages. I can confirm, from measurement, that those graphs are accurate. At 32 volts from the standard supply the V3 will give you just over 50 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 100 watts per channel on 4 ohm loads ... with very low distortion.
@@Douglas_Blake_579 Hi, what is the best amp I can get for $100? I am looking for something specific, I want to listen to music, videogames on my pc. I have some big sansui, onkyo, technics vintage amps, really haavy and big, but they are oversized in power for my purpose, those amps are really loud for a desk, and if I lower the volume the sound is so poor, because those big amps only sound nice in mid-high volume. I want an amp that sounds clear and solid at a low volume, that even if it is 1am I can listen to comfortably without annoy my family, is it possible? having bass and mids-highs pressence with low volume. I hear classic music and some old ballads, so I dont those noisy amps that make the ground tremble. What should I do? by the way I cant get used to headphones.
Is there anyway you can get the fosi audio sk01 headphone amp that also is super new. It has a battery inbuilt which is super unique for transportability
I think you could'nt max it out because the input level was too low. You should be able to get the level at least so high that slight distortions would appear.
I’m driving elac ub5’s with 85 db efficiency & the speakers drop to 3.7 ohms, I’m using the 48v power supply the amp puts out 195 watts per channel measured by audio science. Full volume is to loud for my ears.
By measurement, the V3 (or any other TPA3255 amp) is going to give you an honest to goodness 50 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 90 watts on 4 ohms. With less than 0.01% distortion. If that doesn't get painfully loud I can only wonder what kind of poor ass speakers you used or, maybe, what's wrong with your hearing. I use a TB10D (also a TPA3255) on a pair of pioneer towers and at 3/4 volume I simply cannot stay in the room with it for more than a few seconds. My SPL meter peaks at 105 db. Upgrading to the 48volt supply won't make the first bit of difference to the sound of the amplifier. That is, if you set the volume to (say) 10 oclock, then take out the 32 volt supply and connect the 48 volt one, it is very unlikely you will hear any difference. What it does is give you more headroom for highly dynamic recordings.
I used a few speakers as mentioned in the video, the one that I used the most was the Wharfedale D310. I also used Martin Logan Motion15 and Sony SSCS5. I don't consider any of them to be poor 🍑 speakers but you might. I didn't say that the amp didn't drive them loudly, I said it wasn't painfully loud. Please keep in mind I am not a speaker guru so all of this could be an issue of error on my fault. But using my Schiit Vidar those speakers get mega loud at low volume knob movement off the HeadAmp GS-X MIni I use as a preamp. Also measurements don't tell the whole story, you need user experience to fill in the blanks left by measurements. Thanks for watching, commenting and subscribing.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I'm not linked to Fosi in any meaningful way. In fact I tend to be rather critical of some of their less than helpful ideas. (the power switch on the volume knob, for example) But, I do know that chip and what it can do. At the very minimum you should have an SPL Meter and a Signal Generator so that you can actually see how much output you are getting. Part of the psychoacoustic reality is that a distorted signal will seem louder, up to twice as loud, than a clean one. So to be sure of your levels you need the means to monitor them... hence an SPL meter. A competent review would say "At 85db, in room, the amplifier was...." at least then you aren't comparing apples to oranges.
I am not an incompetent reviewer but I am not an experienced speaker user. Attacking comments aren't appreciated. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for you thoughts and information. Have a great day.
Glad you are reviewing this as is because I don't plan on spending even more money on a budget amp for a power supply and op amps, at least not any time soon. It looks like a compelling product and that Fosi has actually put effort into making it good.
I plan on using it with the Emotiva B1+ (86db and 8ohm) in a near field listening position.
My pleasure, you're welcome. I look forward to hearing your impressions of the V3.
The name of the channel, suits you so much!!!
i will order Fosi Audio V3 this week i hope it is good as the reviewer said
I look forward to hearing your impressions.
OK - having tried over 22 different Chi-Fi amps (the compact ones of course), I've found that for some models produced by Fosi, Nobsound/Douk, and Aiyima, there is the ability of changing out the Op-Amps. Typically (well, almost always), the Chinese manufacturers tend to use stock NE5532 Op Amps, which sound OK, I suppose - but just like with tubes (tube rolling), when you have the option of being able to change the Op-Amps (as is the case with the V3), things can change dramatically. I've experimented now for two years, between IC based versions and Discrete (more expensive) versions of Op-Amps, and almost always, the discrete versions offer more dynamic capabilities and a warmer sound.
I put in two Sparkos Labs SS3602 (dual channel) Op Amps in the V3 and the sound qualities of the V3 were elevated substantially - becoming more dynamic, adding more depth (and air around the instrumentation), and lastly, adding a bit more warmth (which is often sorely missing from typical Chi-Fi Class D Amps).
So the two recommendations I suggest here with regards to "elevating" the sound and performance levels of the V3 (and the BT20A Pro, which is similar to the V3 and has tone controls) are:
1. Get the Fosi 48 volt power supply. Don't use the stock 32/36 volt model that comes with the V3. The Fosi 48V version is quiet and enables the V3 to give you that extra walloop and volume. It is also superior (much superior) to the Aiyima 48V version (which has a hum and hiss), and the Fosi version is only around $49.95, whereas the Aiyima version costs anywhere from $79.95 to $89.95. I use this Fosi 48V [power si[[;u with both the Fosi V3 and BT20A Pro amps (and the Aiyima A07 by the way).
2. Invest in a pair of discrete Op-Amps, either from Burson (the V5i) or Sparkos Labs (SS3603). These are dual channel Op-Amps (keep that in mind), and you don't want to get the wrong single channel version of the Op Amps because they won't work in the V3 (which requires dual channel versions).
Do those two things and you will be impressed with what both the V3 and BT20A Pro can do. In some sonic instances, the V3 now sounds more like a class AB amp. Now to be reasonable, you can only do so much with these Chi-Fi class D models, but everything helps. I'm impressed with the V3, once these changes were made.
Give them a try...
The 36v 6A power supply from Aiyima is also a good choice. Its quiet to or at least no more noisy than the 32v from Fosi and does give around a 30% volume boost over the 32v and is half the price of the Fosi 48v. The opa1622 is a good opa amp as well as the opa2604 if you are on a tight budget.
@@Panslapper Yes, you're right. For some reason the Aiyima (and a few other brands) 36V external power supply works quite well. But Aiyima's 48V model (at least up to a year or so ago) was very noisy. Maybe they changed it for the better. Bu the Fosi 48V version seems to be one of the best among the crop of external 48V models.
@@MrBenherrmann Apparently so. With Aiyimas 36v 6A the V3 drives my 88db sensitivity floorstanders quite well. I don’t go past 1.00 oclock on the dial before it gets a little too loud for a 6m x 5m room if that helps..
As far as op amps go I settled on the opa2604 over the 1622, ne5532, muses8920d, LM4562 etc…sparkos is out of the question and budget but for a fuller and dynamic sound the opa2604 goes well with the V3.
So the hanging question here, is with all the modifications bringing the total cost to about $300, is this still a good buy?
Amir at audiosciencereview gave the V3 a happy pink panther award ✌😎👍 this review made a nice change, thank you.
My pleasure, you're welcome
the 48v 5a power supply will help the amp achieve its potential but another huge factor is the analog voltage signal you're feeding it. Dacs/preamps in the low budget range produces about 1-2v and with the chips Db gain of 21db you're not going to get the max potential. ideally you want to feed it 3.5v input signal to maximize your output. I feel like these are things reviewers need to mention, especially since most of their viewers are beginner/novice audio enthusiasts.
Thanks for the information. Learn something new every day.
Since the amp chip is fixed at 21.5db (A voltage gain of 11) the input level required to achieve clipping will vary with the supply voltage. But this is a BTL design so we have to consider that effectively that voltage gain is doubled by the out of phase outputs.
So at 48 volts supply, you will want about 2 v of input and at 32 volt supply, 1.5 volts will clip the amplifier. (verified by measurement)
I just got mine. Here's my "review": It works. It's built well. It sounds great. I like it, but...
Into my custom-home-built, perfectly tuned/custom built cross over speakers that would rival or more likely surpass any $1000+ high dollar "audiophile" commercial stuff...sounds pretty much exactly the same as my $30 Facmogo S800 (Nobsound NS-10G, same thing) with TPA3116(?) chip, and the same as my old, expensive Sony STR-DE945 receiver. So all that "better/audiophile grade" stuff inside...yeah, it may last longer but sounds ~exactly the same as a cheap, teeny-tiny, 6 year old amp. The volume/loudness is about the same as that tiny amp that was running on a 12v 2.5amp power supply, probably putting out ~16-20 watts.
As much as I wanted to come on here and rave about how great an improvement it was. It's not. It's just another amp. Nothing bad about it, but nothing particularly great either.
Thanks for the impressions.
I changed the op amps added the 48v power brick, put a decent source through it and it does a job .
For D class i prefer the xtz a s 300s in mono setting . Fav speaker pairing on the v3 would be the Wharfedale evo 4.2 .
Awesome! Thanks for the comment.
Note: the copper color knob isn't usually included. I just bought a V3 from Amazon and there was no extra knob. I did see it being sold from Alibaba for about $8.
fosi make great amps i have the BT30D a great little amp.
I have this amp and it had no popping sound when turned on and when paired with the right speakers it has plenty of power and sounds great plenty of low end .
Glad you enjoy the V3. As stated in video, popping is very slight.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I've tried many of those small box amps before, and have always gone back to full sized components, PC to DAC to preamp to self powered speakers. I've tried a few of those small amps, none of them seam like they have more than a few watts. But they claim hundreds of watts. Thank you for the insight.
Interesting. Thanks for the comment.
In the case of a TPA3255 based amplifier (V3, TB10d, BT30 Pro, A07, A07 pro, etc.) the power expectations are all laid out nice and neat in the chip's spec sheets. Do a search for "TPA3255 Spec Sheet" and right on the front page you will find a graph showing distortion vs power. Then on page 11, figure 8 gives you the power expectations for various power supply voltages.
I can confirm, from measurement, that those graphs are accurate.
At 32 volts from the standard supply the V3 will give you just over 50 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 100 watts per channel on 4 ohm loads ... with very low distortion.
@@Douglas_Blake_579 Hi, what is the best amp I can get for $100?
I am looking for something specific, I want to listen to music, videogames on my pc.
I have some big sansui, onkyo, technics vintage amps, really haavy and big, but they are oversized in power for my purpose, those amps are really loud for a desk, and if I lower the volume the sound is so poor, because those big amps only sound nice in mid-high volume.
I want an amp that sounds clear and solid at a low volume, that even if it is 1am I can listen to comfortably without annoy my family, is it possible? having bass and mids-highs pressence with low volume.
I hear classic music and some old ballads, so I dont those noisy amps that make the ground tremble.
What should I do? by the way I cant get used to headphones.
Is there anyway you can get the fosi audio sk01 headphone amp that also is super new. It has a battery inbuilt which is super unique for transportability
Thanks for the suggestion.
I think you could'nt max it out because the input level was too low. You should be able to get the level at least so high that slight distortions would appear.
I have klipsch r-51m running off the fosi BT30D.
Thank you. from melbourne australia.
My pleasure, you're welcome
I was wondering why you were reviewing a speaker amplifier😉
And now you know 😉
I’m driving elac ub5’s with 85 db efficiency & the speakers drop to 3.7 ohms, I’m using the 48v power supply the amp puts out 195 watts per channel measured by audio science. Full volume is to loud for my ears.
Awesomeness 😎 Glad you enjoy it
By measurement, the V3 (or any other TPA3255 amp) is going to give you an honest to goodness 50 watts per channel on 8 ohms and 90 watts on 4 ohms. With less than 0.01% distortion.
If that doesn't get painfully loud I can only wonder what kind of poor ass speakers you used or, maybe, what's wrong with your hearing.
I use a TB10D (also a TPA3255) on a pair of pioneer towers and at 3/4 volume I simply cannot stay in the room with it for more than a few seconds. My SPL meter peaks at 105 db.
Upgrading to the 48volt supply won't make the first bit of difference to the sound of the amplifier. That is, if you set the volume to (say) 10 oclock, then take out the 32 volt supply and connect the 48 volt one, it is very unlikely you will hear any difference. What it does is give you more headroom for highly dynamic recordings.
I used a few speakers as mentioned in the video, the one that I used the most was the Wharfedale D310. I also used Martin Logan Motion15 and Sony SSCS5. I don't consider any of them to be poor 🍑 speakers but you might.
I didn't say that the amp didn't drive them loudly, I said it wasn't painfully loud.
Please keep in mind I am not a speaker guru so all of this could be an issue of error on my fault. But using my Schiit Vidar those speakers get mega loud at low volume knob movement off the HeadAmp GS-X MIni I use as a preamp.
Also measurements don't tell the whole story, you need user experience to fill in the blanks left by measurements.
Thanks for watching, commenting and subscribing.
@@TheHonestAudiophile
I'm not linked to Fosi in any meaningful way. In fact I tend to be rather critical of some of their less than helpful ideas. (the power switch on the volume knob, for example)
But, I do know that chip and what it can do.
At the very minimum you should have an SPL Meter and a Signal Generator so that you can actually see how much output you are getting. Part of the psychoacoustic reality is that a distorted signal will seem louder, up to twice as loud, than a clean one. So to be sure of your levels you need the means to monitor them... hence an SPL meter.
A competent review would say "At 85db, in room, the amplifier was...." at least then you aren't comparing apples to oranges.
I am not an incompetent reviewer but I am not an experienced speaker user. Attacking comments aren't appreciated. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for you thoughts and information. Have a great day.
@@TheHonestAudiophile
Read again ... I did not say YOU are incompetent. I simply advised a way to ensure a more apples to apples comparison.
I bought it for headphones 😂
😇 May God Bless You Always! 😇