Ive been challenging KZbin audiophiles to do a blind listening test using this DAC against much more expensive DACs to see if they can tell the difference. So far ZERO have taken up the challenge. Yet they'll still argue that they can EASILY hear the difference. Talk is cheap If you can't SHOW it You don't KNOW it

For the money, this DAC punches way above its cost. A good power supply or capacitor bank is all you really need. I personally like the stock op amps.

Here's Johnnie.... well Carl 😊 Ron Resnick (What's Best Forum)

Cheap DAC'S sonic cheap EE audiophile prefers r2r over chip DAC. On the fence

The bottom switch you don't need to remove like everyone says because it just unplugs

Fosi already does make a pair of monoblocks like you described 😅. It's been out for around 6 months

I got mine for $143 black Friday sale direct from fosi, I updated the op amps,, used a linear power supply and ran the power supply through a power filter and it sounds great! Thanks for the video

Great DAC for those who are willing to upgrade op-amps and power supply to elevate the performance a notch or two.

Thanks for this very informative video. I also agree with your idea of a fosi mono amp without any volume control. Simply a power switch. Have liked and suscribed to your channel. Salutations from Canada.

And one more thing ( like Steve Jobs said) Grat Respekt for speaking fluently English on the Reviews , I am not able to speak my home language in this correctness, even to write it. Great Cinema Doc

Nicely done 😎👍 2025-01-14 U.S. Amazon ZD3 cost has lowered to near $150 ZA3 cost has lowered to near $140 Concerning the ZD3 switch at the bottom. Disassembly: I've recently learned that instead of removing the machine screws at the switch, the white plastic electrical connector that it uses near the back of the circuit board is easy to unplug for separation. 😎👍

I think Clark Kent is your great brother. That is clear you have the same T shirt. I have ordered the ZD3 from Fosi and I wait for the Gear. Next extraordinary review Thank you for the ducks, they were good on table and in the Bathroom, to play with them Greetings from Doc

You're doing a great job Gregorz. The ducks made me laugh. At first I didn't understand what you meant. 🤦🏻🤣 I know it's a lot harder if english is not your native language. You're doing pretty well! But that's not the most important, it's about the content. That's why I subscribed. I already suggested using the ZP3 designation for a matching phono amp. I don't like the Box 5 phono, hoping for full socketed opamps and no elco coupling caps. And adjustable gain and MC impedance. This dac however is pretty much spot on. With the SX52B's it is likely to be very competitive with much pricier🦆🦆. Ehm, I mean DACs.

I thought it was very good too. Good review and video. Thanks.

Excellent and thorough, thoughtful review! I would be very interested in your impressions of op-amp swapping on the ZD3. As well as the usual suspects from Burson, Sparkos and TI, I’ve seen much interest in an affordable op-amp from Ali Express, the SX52B. It looks similar in build to the SS3602 but I’m sure is a much different design and only costs about USD$15 shipped. Keep up the great work! I subscribed after your great V3 Mono vs ZA3 review. All the best from Canada! 🇨🇦

Thank you, Greg,, 👍‍‍🌟👍‍‍

Fosi ZA3 32/5A or Aiyima A07 MAX 48/5A ??? who is better ?

Awesome Video , awesome speakers , they are welcome

sorry, but with this boddy i will make every event

That would be great. Yes it is that shirt of my desire. I looked at your lovely Video about the radiaks. I tell you that are no Teddybears. I try to contact the manufactures, because i have ordered the Fosi V3 monos and the ZD3 and i need sufficient loudspeakers. I thank you for your advices and you coolness in the videos, it. is like in the Film Nobody ( Bob Odenkirk ). Doc

Do they last?

Here I am again, Could I get the T shirt to buy in XXL because there is a small bodymass problem of mine. Thank you for your answer, thats no joke Doc

Again Outstanding Worldclass The Winter Barfoot from Lange , is the civil Version of The footwork from the Winter Marines Greetings from Bavaria germany

Please. Is it enough to run 2 cables from the amplifier where the speaker cable is plugged in to the VU meter?Thank you

There is a new Sheriff in town, the 3e Audio A7, it makes these other amps look like Barney Fife.

All worth a watch if you are interested in better sound quality. Yes, "better" is subjective. When you hear detail or immersion that you missed on lesser systems. I would class that as a better musical experience, not different. Realism is the goal. These channels have helped me get BETTER sound. Big thumbs up to HIFI Zone, IIWI, Skunkie, Paul, British audiophile, sound news and Danny from GR. Thank you very much for your great content 👍

OK , it goes like this: True Fidelity Audio (Audio) is about reducing artefacts to the level of of inaudibility. HiFi Audio is about a rabbit hole with lots of bullshit together with badly designed equipment with lots of artefacts which supposedly makes your music “sound better”. It doesn’t make anything “sound better” only different. You are just listening to artefacts which shouldn’t be there. There’s also a lot of FOMO involved. In fact it’s much worse than that . These guys have to make stuff sound different in order to sell it. Nobody will buy a 50k amp if sounds the same as a 5k amp which sounds the same as a $500 amp - think about that. If they were true fidelity components they would all sound exactly the same. Guess what ? The industry doesn’t want to make true fidelity components.

The 1st 3 you should avoid at all costs, shilling audio based by monitization, check their websites. The others not so bad. Darko and cheap audio guy are the worst, trust their opinions at you own cost.

About Erin's audio corner, you need to know/ learn about the measurements in order to fully understand/ make use of the measurements. They're really useful to know about problems with speakers and their quirks.

Hi Greg! Best regards and thank you for your honest opinion and kind words. I know that knockoff cables are controversial subject: still, a lot of guys do look for any info on the internet. And you can learn a lot about building your own wiring looms by looking at the repeatable patterns in geometry and materials of these. I appreciate your opinion! :)

I'm building a custom 3 ipad recording studio console in cased in hard wood. I'm thinking this will be the perfect stereo switch matrix from all the outputs going into the DAW recording ipad. Super excited. It should look cool built into the console. Thank you so much for the review

According to 'Passion For Sound' he states: This Fosi Audio ZA3 amp has a SECRET weapon! And he says it's a "game changer" in that when you swap the op-amps for the Burson Vivid, it transforms the ZA3 into a "powerhouse" - it causes the ZA3 to surpass the V3 monoblocks. Yes, it also costs more, but the sound apparently greatly increases.

Nicely done 😎👍 I'm lucky to get "no hiss" at full ZA3 Monoblock volume. Feeding them with FOSI ZD3 XLR.

Thanks for the excellent video. I have both of these amplifiers. I have 3 x ZA3s - one additional with the Sparkos opamp. My first observation is to praise Fosi Audio - over the last two years, I ahve had conversations with them, and they have always been extremely friendly and helpful - they seem to be a company with its heart in the right place. I found it hard to differentiate between the two different types of amps. There are so many variables in hi-fi, with source information being critical. I used these with a tube preamp and was very happy with the product. I am thrilled that Fosi brought out their preamp/DAC - and I own that. However, I persist in using the tube preamp as I prefer it. The heat from the V3s was a bit disconcerting. However, Fosi introduced fans who can be placed on the V3s. I bought these, and they work well! I am no Fosi zealot (!); however, this seems to be a company that is truly 'on the move' and set to introduce some phenomenal products, I strongly suspect. The fabulous thing is that the price means we can buy this equipment and experiment. In the past, this was not something I could do, as products were such huge investments.

You did a good job comparing these two. Very similar to my evaluation.

The temperature problem can be easily avoided with the adjustable fans offered by Fosi Audio. I placed my V3 on one of each and no longer have any problems with heat development.

These amps get hot because of the linear voltage regulators. Those regulators regulate the opamps and the chipset 12v circuitry. Linear regulators "burn" the excess voltage, for example if you use a 32V PS, then the regulator needs to burn (32-12)V times the current flowing which also depends on the opamps. Those discrete opamps have a much higher consumption than IC opamps. 20v x0.1A consumes 2W. But 8f you use a 48V PS then (48-12)V x 0.1A =3.6W, this power is burned even when the amp is not playing anything. And you are not considering the power consumed by the actual TPA3255 chip. So, in summary, the higher the PS voltage, the more power the Linear regulators need to burn. And because the case acts as heatsink, the smaller the case the higher the temperature of the case. And the people who are experiencing more with this issue are the ones replacing the opamps with higher power consumption ones.

Great review, helped a lot, great performance of you, nice jokes, very sympathic. I think we survive 2025 also when we follow our passions, like Audio units and the love for the technic Greatings from Germany / Bavaria

None of them. Go for class ab mono. Topping is offering.

Fosi has quality control problems ur za3 unit is defective ask them to replace the internal board, i have 2 units they sound good at hi volume but my xlr button is defective

I own the Aiyima A07 Max and the Fosi V3 amplifiers. When I upgraded to a 48V power supply, I noticed a faint hiss at higher volumes, something that wasn’t present with their original 32V/36V power bricks. After consulting a specialist, I was advised to plug the power supply directly into a wall outlet and position it as far as possible from the amplifier and any nearby devices. Following this simple adjustment, the hiss disappeared entirely, and the system now performs flawlessly.

I use a pair of Aiyima A07 at maximum volume as a monoblock in a pair of 130W (6 ohm, 87db) speakers and I hear an inconvenient background noise. At 75% it is almost inaudible.

I am testing the ZA3s in monophonic mode. I have them at maximum volume, I use an Eversolo DMP-A8 as a pre-amplifier and I never heard any hiss or strange noises from having the ZA3s at maximum volume. I have 2 pairs of speakers, a Dynaudio Heritage Special and a Proac Response d2... background noise or hiss with the ZA3s at max volume, nothing at all, no distortion.

Thanks Greg,, 🌟 Cheers from Sweden,, 🍻😎👍‍‍

Dzieki. Skusze sie na niego. Zauważylem ze ess nadaje sie do trance electronik. AKM jest bardziej do sluchania rocka etc.