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Fosi Audio Q4 DAC AMP $58.13 Delivered @ Fosi Audio AU via Amazon AU

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Fosi Audio Q4 DAC AMP $58.13 Delivered @ Fosi Audio AU via Amazon AUAffiliate
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piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 09:36 amazon.com.au (3007 clicks)
Last edited 04/10/2021 - 11:10 by 1 other user
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Usually floats around $75, it’s gone down to $64.59 maybe for limited time deal. Add in the 10% coupon on the listing brings it down to $58.13.

Fantastic price for a decent DAC Amp combo, I highly recommend this for anyone looking to power their power hungry headphones or sensitive IEMs alike, without spending many monies. Bonus point for having USB, Opt, Coax input.

I’ve got one hooked up to control the bass and treble of my boomy powered monitor speakers using RCA output at the back, but I did use it as an emergency headphones DAC Amp before.

Sound quality is great for its price, a tiny bit of colouring, I can tell that it’s on the warmer side.

Uses USB power SEPARATE from the USB input so you can use powerbank for “supposedly cleaner” power source. LOL.

Also, do note that the bass and treble knob is supposed to sit on the 12 o’clock position as the 0. If you’re turning them to the usual 0 position e.g. 7 o’clock, it’s actually cutting it off (I prefer analog dials to digital EQing, used this to cut the bass off my speakers as mentioned).

All in all, great cheap gadget that gives you much cleaner sound compared to built in PC soundcards.

Enjoy and take care peeps!

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Electrical & Electronics DAC Fosi Audio Headphone Amplifier

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closed Comments

  • bfimmortal on 04/10/2021 - 09:47

    Does this work with an iPad?

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 09:55

      Yes with ipad camera connector adapter or USB C adapter if on newer iPad

      • bfimmortal on 04/10/2021 - 10:17

        Thanks!

        I have an iPad Air 4 with USB Type C connector. Do I need a USB Type C to USB B cable to make it work? Cheers.

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:36

          I think just normal male USB C to female USB A adapter will work okay and more versatile that way. In case you need it to plug flash drives in or something.

    • tryingtohelp on 04/10/2021 - 10:25
      +1

      I have this one, for you to work with IPad and enjoy the high res audio, you’ll need apples usb and a lightning charging adapter. Your iPad would need to be charging while connected to USB with this DAC, otherwise you’ll get en error message saying “the accessory is drawing too much power…”

  • gakko on 04/10/2021 - 09:47
    +2

    I really want something like this except there is never a microphone input in them. Is there a way around that or an alternative product, since I use a headset (ie. headphones + mic boom)?

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 09:54

      A step up from cheapos noisy dac mic usb stick type would probably be Syba Sonic one from Amazon for $60 something. I’ve never tried those though, seems pretty neat

      • gakko on 04/10/2021 - 11:08

        Thank you I'll have a look

    • sirroachie on 04/10/2021 - 09:55
      +2

      There’s a rode usb-c DAC that goes alright.

    • InLimbo on 04/10/2021 - 10:20
      +4

      When looking for those you want to look for an "Audio Interface" rather than a DAC/Amp. Things like the Røde AI-1, Focusrite 2i2, Behringer UM2, amongst others. I can vouch for the AI-1 being good, used basically daily with no fuss.

      • gakko on 04/10/2021 - 11:08
        +1

        Thank you! For something like the Rode A1, the mic input is a serious performance mic rather than a dinky computer mic input. What sort of mic do you use? Wait - it says XLR - 1/4inch combo. So it can take both! That would be amazing if so.

      • dunc0 on 04/10/2021 - 22:55

        Does the Al-1 accept 3.5mm mic input?

        • CBrads4 on 05/10/2021 - 00:12

          No, it doesn't. It does take 1/4Inch input for which you may be able to use an adapter on your 3.5mm input to fit - not sure how effective this would be though, I haven't tried it myself.

    • snep on 04/10/2021 - 11:19

      Assuming your headset has a combo audio/mic Jack, just grab a y splitter which separates the mic input, and plug that directly into your motherboard. Then you can use whatever amp you like. $5 solution.

      https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-5mm-AUX-Cable-Mic-Audio-Splitt…

      • gakko on 04/10/2021 - 12:02

        Awesome this is a good idea too. Thank you. My headset actually has separate but good to know this exists.

        • snep on 04/10/2021 - 13:53

          Ah well if you have separate cables no problem right? Just use whatever DAC/amp you want and plug mic into mobo mic jack — pretty sure this should just work

          • gakko on 04/10/2021 - 15:19

            @snep: yeah well its a sennheiser cable which is single up to the end then separates with about 10cm of length in dual cable mode. I could probably still do so but i think the Rode A1 can handle both.

            • snep on 04/10/2021 - 16:07

              @gakko: Fair enough, whatever works for you :)

    • redrich2000 on 04/10/2021 - 11:38
      +1

      Schiit Fulla has a mic socket too.

      • CBrads4 on 04/10/2021 - 13:09

        I was thinking of the Fulla or the Hel. I can't quite work out why the Amp/DAC in the OP is called a 'gaming' unit, especially when it doesn't have a mic input. Most others called 'gaming' units have the mic input at a bare minimum.

  • matt-ozb on 04/10/2021 - 09:54

    Does it have a bluetooth 5.0 connection?

    MicroUSB power .. that is going to be inconvenient :(

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 09:56

      Nope. And yep extra plug but I’ve got plenty usb plugs lying around so not that bad

      • tonyjzx on 04/10/2021 - 10:01

        the micro usb power is irrelevant as chances are you're not going to be moving it much and they give you the cable and psu anyway.

        to me a fixed desktop headphone amp is a bit of a waste as i'm using headphones sometimes in bed, at a desk or at my other place so a portable dac amp made more sense to me

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:22

          Yeah this will better suit someone who listens on desk and needs a physical volume knob while having decent RCA / 3.5mm output.

          Speaking of bedroom setup, I’ve also hooked up my chromecast audio through the toslink input, set them on my bedside, works a charm

  • simplypankaj on 04/10/2021 - 09:58

    Any Idea if it can be used on Front Left and Right Tower Speakers for home cinema (I am planning to use 1 for each tower)?

    • tonyjzx on 04/10/2021 - 10:02
      +3

      if you have active speakers

    • UFO on 04/10/2021 - 10:02
      +1

      No chance.

      160mW RMS(32 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 KHz, 0.01% THD)

      That's MILLIWATTS RMS, not 160w RMS.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:07
      +1

      Nope you’d need proper HT class amp for those

      • tonyjzx on 04/10/2021 - 10:13
        +1

        you dont

        you need a preamp -> digital line out -> heaps of these things per speaker

        but why

        • afoveht on 04/10/2021 - 11:16

          heaps of these things per speaker

          Still wouldn't work.

      • simplypankaj on 04/10/2021 - 10:18

        I already have Yamaha AVR which claims 145W per channel (for 9 Channels) but I was hoping these by itself can take some load off the AVR (from Left and Right Speakers) since I am using all 9.

        • tonyjzx on 04/10/2021 - 10:22
          +1

          nah

          these have no amplifcation

          you need something like this:

          https://avaustralia.com.au/mclelland-power-pro-300-150w-ster…

          but really if you have a 145w yamaha then you already have better than most cheap china stuff

          • simplypankaj on 04/10/2021 - 10:41

            @tonyjzx: Beauty Mate! This is good for the price! Appreciate it!

            I agree, on paper, I would not need a power/stereo amp but I am not sure if it's producing 145 Watts per channel on continuous use.

        • pin4e on 04/10/2021 - 10:22
          +2

          You need a power amp

        • didelly on 04/10/2021 - 10:35
          +1

          I'd be thinking if you have a decent Yamaha receiver or amp the DAC in it would most likely be better anyway. In Pure direct mode it will bypass all other circuitry to isolate signal from interference inside amp. HT receivers are built to power full range towers and HT speakers. This little DAC isnt(its more for powering high impedance headphones). Unless as other guy mentioned you have active speakers with their own amps built in

  • browser on 04/10/2021 - 10:11
    +1

    I have no need for it, but looks like a nice gadget.

  • 0power on 04/10/2021 - 10:14
    +1

    My sennheiser hd599 I picked up last black friday sounded a bit muffled and honestly wasn't that all impressed with it. Will this improve the sound quality ?

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:18
      +2

      It may or may not improve it, I personally feel that it might only improve a tiny bit due to having decent power thus improving the dynamics.
      It usually comes down to the sound signature of the cans, yes you can always use EQ or coloured DAC Amp, but only to a certain extent.
      What I would do, give this a go, if it doesn’t work for you, just return it? It’s relatively cheap enough to give this a punt I reckon.

      • Bedgrub on 04/10/2021 - 10:29

        What about something like the MX4’s wired?

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:37

          Sorry I’m not really familiar with that device. Could you elaborate more please?

          • Bedgrub on 04/10/2021 - 11:07

            @piupiupiu: Somy 1000XM4 is a mid-top tier active noise cancelling headphone, basically on par with Bose. They’re Bluetooth but they have 3.5mm, which certainly sounds somewhat better than BT on my MacBookAir audio jack, but I’m interested to know m if driving them from something beefier is worthwhile.

            • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:30

              @Bedgrub: Oh the XM4. I’ve got no experience with that particular one, but from my experience with Jabra Move and Bose QC35, they sound crap on wired no matter how expensive the amp is. They sound best with bluetooth on due to their built in DAC Amp, driver was not tuned for wired use although can be used in a pinch with heavy EQing and all. Would not recommend, but again I’venever tried the Sony ones.

    • lordezekiel on 04/10/2021 - 11:02

      I have Sennheiser HD 598 and am similarily underwhelmed with them after reading years of glowing 5 star reviews pretty much everywhere i look. It's not like they sound bad, they sound quite good in fact, but i also think that my wired apple earpods sounds pretty much as good (blasphemy, i know) and they are so comfortable i basically forget im wearing them.
      Also wondering how much of an impact this DAC Amp would have,

      • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:33
        +2

        I think some of the Senn 5 series can be too flat and not so fun. I always feel that Whatever works for you, is good for you. Hype in hobbies can be really misleading. Same goes to Senn HD6xx + tube amp combos, many were disappointed as soon as they tried it and it didn’t really fulfill their fantasy of having ooey gooey sound.

      • Vin01 on 04/10/2021 - 11:40
        +1

        the HD598 lack bass. It’s supposed to be good for anything primarily highs and mids. Seems like you can increase the bass with the dac/amp so it may help a little but I doubt it.

        When I was still silly enough to be into audio I bought one of those fiio portable amps to boost the bass of the hd598 which did actually help but I didn’t use that combo long.

    • sycodiver on 04/10/2021 - 18:06
      +1

      I have those headphones and I have this DAC. you can adjust the treble and or base directly on the amp and I think (to my ears) it does a great job with these cans. For the money I don’t think you can do better…I looked at loads of options…

  • bfimmortal on 04/10/2021 - 10:21

    Anyone able to recommend a matching headphone? Budget around $100-$200 thanks!

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:25

      Can’t say much about matching, but around that price, Hifiman HE400SE, AKG K612, AKG702, Beyer Dt770, depends on what you need the cans for.
      A Koss portapro / ksc75 are cheaper too.

      • jasswolf on 04/10/2021 - 14:04
        +1

        Porta Pro ain't worth recommending when the KPH30i exist… god tier easy listening for sub-$40.

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 14:14
          +1

          Ah yes that’s the one, KPH30i, totally forgot about this gem. Thanks Jasswolf.

        • jonnys1n on 04/10/2021 - 15:09

          how god tier are we talking.. like better than m50x? X2HRs?

          • jasswolf on 04/10/2021 - 15:33

            @jonnys1n: It's a portable open-back on ear that rests like a cloud, the resolution is notably poorer than those, but the timbre, tonality, and soundstage width are outstanding. Imaging is also good for the form factor at that price.

            Sound will open up further as the foam pads settle in.

            X2HR has fake detail, slight v-shape and texture-less bass, while M50X is screechy in its tonality, with no soundstage. You can do a lot better these days.

            The KOSS are fantastic if you just want to lie somewhere quiet, but they also scale a little bit with better gear.

        • Khartoum on 05/10/2021 - 15:00

          How can the kph30i's be had for sub $40 Jass?
          I see the kph30ik's for 47 on Amazon in white, seems pretty decent

          • jasswolf on 05/10/2021 - 15:43

            @Khartoum: In terms of how I got that value, Drop regularly has them for $20 USD + delivery, and delivery used to be around $5-$8 USD for smaller packages. For Amazon, buying discounted gift cards during cashback promotions can shave off around $5-$8, and then there's cashbacks and sales for Black Friday as well.

            Apparently the new clear version has a modified sound, so have a look into whether that's an improvement or not.

  • afoveht on 04/10/2021 - 10:23
    +1

    “supposedly cleaner” power source. LOL.

    Nothing LOL about that.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:27
      +1

      Yeah sorry if I’m offending anyone. Some manufacturers are charging a lot of money for power conditioner cleaner and stuff, might work to some, but I personally can’t hear the difference.

      • afoveht on 04/10/2021 - 10:46
        +4

        No offence taken, just a technical reality that some power supplies are cleaner than others, where clean can mean various things.

        Most small 5v wallwarts or small bricks will have plenty of ripple, PC PSUs possibly other artefacts - not an issue when charging a phone but will very possibly have clearly measurable effect on audio applications. TBH if you can perceive colour and temperature in sound as you do (and I admit I have no idea what those mean in that context), I'm shocked you would dispel the real effects of power supply quality, particularly at such low supply voltages and from the much varied sources that a generic USB connector allows.

        That said, if the listener's own ears don't hear it, you are right, it's not an issue.

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:40

          I totally agree with you.

          In regards to subjectivist vs objectivist in audiophile hobby, I’m more of a cherry-picking person, l’ll take whatever works for me, if it doesn’t sound like that when I tried it, then it’s not for me.

          I’m describing things as warm not necessarily because I’m an expert and able to perceive sound as temperature like most reviewers and headfiers can, it’s just that it’s easier for me and maybe to some other people to understand. It requires some sort of point of reference though, e.g. having listened to different kind of sound signature amps or maaaybe DACs too..

          • afoveht on 04/10/2021 - 12:29

            @piupiupiu:

            to perceive sound as temperature like most reviewers and headfiers can,

            I wouldn't be too jealous of those reviewers or think they're more expert than you or me. They clearly do (at least claim to) perceive these things, but TBH I'm not sure they actually can.

            Maybe they're looking for another word for a particular type of distortion. Nothing wrong with distortion if that's what someone likes listening to. I don't care for "warm" sound (apart maybe from this masterpiece) but I do fkn love a loud distorted guitar. They're in many ways the same phenomenon, just one's more intense and easily identifiable than the other.

            • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 18:01
              +1

              @afoveht: That particular masterpiece warm sound is the best kind of warm sound <3

        • Gumster on 05/10/2021 - 01:04

          This dac, and pretty much every other powered device would have power filtration of a simple capacitor between 5v and GND rail.
          This is a requirement on 99% of ICs and is such a cheap option even the cheap Chinese knock off equipment will have it.

          The power from your wall wart is it noisey as they are normally a switched mode supply, marketing has convinced people you need more power filtering.

  • axlfan on 04/10/2021 - 10:25
    +1

    I did consider this and got a cheap Chinese amp from ebay as I wanted BT to be able to play music from different sources around my desktop to my Voll B44's.

    Big mistake! The BT has a terrible hum. Now seriously considering this. Nevermind BT. Wired connections are the best!

  • HelpWanted on 04/10/2021 - 10:28

    Purchased from last deal. Improved the quality of sound from my work Laptop. Lenovo X1 Yoga —> Fosi Q4 DAC —> Beyerdynamic DT250 80ohms version.

  • tryingtohelp on 04/10/2021 - 10:29

    This is a decent for this price DAC. You can enjoy the high res audio from Apple Music if you want to.
    However, you’ll need apple’s $60 attachment with a USB and a charging port, otherwise, USB connection with this DAC will thrown an error on your iOS device “accessory is drawing too much power …etc”
    And you also need active speakers or pre amp

  • trippy on 04/10/2021 - 10:30

    Great price for a DAC/Amp combo. But how can 5V USB power be enough for an amp?

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 10:33

      You don’t need much to drive your devices. Also, the amplification circuitry is the one doing the hard work. Even other smaller shared single usb power - data devices works really well too. It’s all electronic wizardy I guess ;)

    • hami101 on 04/10/2021 - 10:35

      It's just a pre/ headphone amp, you won't be driving big speakers with it.

  • hami101 on 04/10/2021 - 10:40

    I have these driving my HD 6xx and they're very good. Plenty of volume out of 300 omh headphones and great clarity. I haven't tried higher end equipment though so I can't compare.

  • JoeH on 04/10/2021 - 10:44
    +1

    160mw in 32 ohms isn't a very impressive output, if you have a headphone such as hd6xx/600/650.
    However, an amp won't improve a lot for a headphone like hd 598/599.

    • lordezekiel on 04/10/2021 - 10:58

      Ah, i was just asking about this below as i have a pair of HD 598 headphones…

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:41

      I agree on the paper not so plentiful of power. But I did try it on 6XX, works okay, can’t really hear any funky distortion, good enough for me.

  • ganathd54 on 04/10/2021 - 10:51

    Thanks for posting this. Been looking for a cheap DAC AMP deal for a while now.

  • fredblogs on 04/10/2021 - 10:55

    Is there something similar to this but for speakers?
    I've got 4 small speakers in the ceiling and want to use my chromecast audio as input.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:42

      Oof that’s a bit tough, might need AV receiver with optical in for that

  • lordezekiel on 04/10/2021 - 10:56

    Would this be useful for a pair of Sennheiser HD 598 Headphones?
    I have had them for years but they barely get used because despite the near universal acclaim, they don't sound much better than my much more comfortable apple earpods.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:43

      I haven’t tried this personally, but objectively speaking, this won’t help much. I would still get it just because it’s cheap enough to try, and I love physical volume knobs

  • FreeFrag on 04/10/2021 - 10:59

    Noob Question: In the specs, I can't see any mention of the mic. Does it support 3.5mm 4-conductor jack (the one for headsets with microphone)?

    I've got Audio Technica ATH-AG1X from this deal and this looks like a good option but I'm not sure if my microphone would work with it.

    • blackfalcon53 on 04/10/2021 - 11:06

      It does not.

      • FreeFrag on 04/10/2021 - 11:11
        +1

        Thank you very much. Glad I asked first!

  • MrBillions on 04/10/2021 - 11:05
    +2

    why do i need this?

    • lordezekiel on 04/10/2021 - 11:07
      +1

      If you don't already one sitting unopened in a drawer or cupboard somewhere, then you need it - just think, it can keep all your unopened eneloops, memory cards and external hard drives company!

  • superdoob on 04/10/2021 - 11:07
    +1

    had this but had to return as there were so much of channel imbalance.. right channel was so much louder than the left… but for the price guess not too bad if you can connect to an amp with balance control..

    • Void on 04/10/2021 - 11:10

      I have this amp and noticed it plays mostly through the right channel when the volume is set too low, whether through the source or its own volume control. I could imagine this being an issue on headphones that are really easy to drive, like 101dB+ sensitivity.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:44

      Mine is on the other side, left is louder on lower volume. I always set my DAC on 50% so that I can crank this up on 12 o clock position, it’s fine that way

      • Void on 04/10/2021 - 11:49

        Actually I tested the volumes again and found that at the lowest volume it plays mostly the left ear, then a bit up it goes to the right, then to the center.

  • Wally Simmonds on 04/10/2021 - 11:09
    +1

    While I'm waiting for componentry of my Schiit stack to come back into stock, reckon this will be ok for Sundaras?

    • Void on 04/10/2021 - 11:11

      On paper yes. In practice though… maybe maybe not.

    • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 11:51

      Do you have spare $50 and can’t wait for the delivery? Give it a go and let me know, I’m actually curious too haha! Been meaning to try planars, still can’t justify getting another pair of cans..

      Ps. Actually if you happen to be in Victoria, I don’t mind lending mine if you want to try it out..

      • Wally Simmonds on 04/10/2021 - 12:25

        What's 50-60 bucks?

        In saying that, I've been pleasantly surprised driving them off my computer. But it lacks a bit of ommph. Will just give it a nudge and will report back next week!

        Edit: FFS, oos.

        • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 12:27

          Bummer.. Hopefully your Schiit stack gets delivered soon!

          • Wally Simmonds on 04/10/2021 - 15:17

            @piupiupiu: A2A can't give any advise on when stuff will arrive.

            Any other advice on something similar to this? Very gutted I waited tbh..

            • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 15:22

              @Wally Simmonds: Nothing under $100 that I’ve tried before, sorry.
              I know we should be supporting locals by shopping local, but have you considered buying straight from Schiit? Their Fedex international shipping’s so quick, warranty’s great too. In the spirit of getting good bargain, it’ll cost you much less too.

              Edit: just checked, Schiit Modi is out of stock for Au version. Bummer..

            • piupiupiu on 04/10/2021 - 17:03

              @Wally Simmonds: Hey mate just checked they’ve got some in stock, may or may not take a while to get but give it a go anyway, might work for you. Just choose see buying options and it’ll let you add to cart. Just letting you know before I’msetting the back in stock flag on the post :)

              It now says in stock 16 Oct 2021

              • Wally Simmonds on 04/10/2021 - 18:50
                +2

                @piupiupiu: I actually already have the Schiit Modi/Magnius. Problem is, the power adapter broke, and have been waiting for one to come in for quite a while (and you can't just order anything from a electronics shop as they are different specs).

                So, just been patiently waiting. And dropping another 220 on a Magni Heresy seems a bit wasteful =/

                Thanks for taking an interest tho!

  • fivespice on 04/10/2021 - 11:15

    I have a pair of Audioengine A5+ that I run on my PC and I get this mild background stuttering/crackling sound when playing audio on my PC via 3.5mm cable. Would running this amp with my PC to my speakers via RCA cable fix this issue? If not, any other suggestions? I presume the stock motherboard audio card is crap nad gives off some kind of audio glitching.

    • Void on 04/10/2021 - 11:20

      If you're on Ryzen turn XMP or DOCP off first and make sure it's not just infinity fabric instability. If that's not the case then I'd buy a different amp anyway since this is for lower power devices like headphones.

      • fivespice on 04/10/2021 - 11:23

        Thank you. I have an Intel 10th gen ASRock motherboard.

  • grooovy on 04/10/2021 - 11:26

    is there ASIO drivers for this device?

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