My first impressions of the V3 mono blocks. When Fosi sent out the V3 mono amps for my review I was not that excited. I thought it would be a very similar sound signature to the ZA3, which I loved, but no great leaps in sound quality. I could have not been more wrong in my assumptions. These are great little amps. With a slightly different sound signature, and better instrument separation, in my opinion, than the ZA3. I have also noticed a little bit more punchiness in the bass and better handling of the treble than the ZA3. There is also a difference in sound signature with the balanced connection having a little bit more instrument separation than the RCA/Single ended connections in my opinion.
I have listened for about a total of fifteen hours so far with the V3 mono, and have been listening with the stock op amps. I have a new set of op amps coming in the mail today, so tomorrow I will listen to some upgraded op amps and see how the sound signature changes. That will be another post. If you’re wondering why Fosi would put out the V3 Mono amps so close to the debut of the ZA3. I would answer by stating that the two products are targeted at two different segments of the audio market. The ZA3 is a great sounding amp in either a desktop/nearfield or traditional two channel audio set up. You can use the ZA3 without a preamp if needed, but it really shines with a preamp. You can use XLR or RCA inputs. If you need more power, you can add another one and get more power. Very nice.
The V3 Mono is an amp only. It must have a pre-amp of some sort to work. It has no volume knob and needs a preamp to control the volume of the unit. I have used it with both a digital Wiim Pro and an analog Rotel RC-1550 preamp that I have had for several years with excellent results. See pictures. The V3 Mono I received from Fosi has a single 48V 10A power supply with a DC power filter. The power brick is bigger than the 48V 5A one that comes with the ZA3. The V3 Mono can be used on your desktop system but I believe the power brick will have to go on the floor for a cleaner presentation.
The real strength of the V3 Mono, I believe, is in a traditional 2 channel set up. You can use either a digital preamp with a built in DAC or an Analog preamp with some sort of DAC if you are streaming. It is a more classic design than the ZA3. It does not have all the flexibility of the ZA3, but zeros in on just producing great sound. At $279.99 it is more expensive than most of the Fosi amps already in production but it does break new ground in sound quality, in my opinion. In the coming week I will show pictures of the layout of the Fosi ZA3 vs V3 Mono PCB boards and upgraded op amp options. I also will be going into more detail and the characteristics of the V3 Mono. Stay tuned.
I have listened for about a total of fifteen hours so far with the V3 mono, and have been listening with the stock op amps. I have a new set of op amps coming in the mail today, so tomorrow I will listen to some upgraded op amps and see how the sound signature changes. That will be another post. If you’re wondering why Fosi would put out the V3 Mono amps so close to the debut of the ZA3. I would answer by stating that the two products are targeted at two different segments of the audio market. The ZA3 is a great sounding amp in either a desktop/nearfield or traditional two channel audio set up. You can use the ZA3 without a preamp if needed, but it really shines with a preamp. You can use XLR or RCA inputs. If you need more power, you can add another one and get more power. Very nice.
The V3 Mono is an amp only. It must have a pre-amp of some sort to work. It has no volume knob and needs a preamp to control the volume of the unit. I have used it with both a digital Wiim Pro and an analog Rotel RC-1550 preamp that I have had for several years with excellent results. See pictures. The V3 Mono I received from Fosi has a single 48V 10A power supply with a DC power filter. The power brick is bigger than the 48V 5A one that comes with the ZA3. The V3 Mono can be used on your desktop system but I believe the power brick will have to go on the floor for a cleaner presentation.
The real strength of the V3 Mono, I believe, is in a traditional 2 channel set up. You can use either a digital preamp with a built in DAC or an Analog preamp with some sort of DAC if you are streaming. It is a more classic design than the ZA3. It does not have all the flexibility of the ZA3, but zeros in on just producing great sound. At $279.99 it is more expensive than most of the Fosi amps already in production but it does break new ground in sound quality, in my opinion. In the coming week I will show pictures of the layout of the Fosi ZA3 vs V3 Mono PCB boards and upgraded op amp options. I also will be going into more detail and the characteristics of the V3 Mono. Stay tuned.