$59.99 Price may change
5 videosMario
I like the unit a lot. It sounds great with Xvive IEMs and wirh my Grado 225 (Amazing).
My complaint it the cable I received is a braided cheap cable; looks nothing like the cable pictured.. It cuts out with any slight movement to the cable. I replaced it with the standard Apple iPhone braided cable and no cutting out.
Dave Crane
I use this everyday at work, in my laptop and iPhone - I am sooo impressed by Fosi Audio; I now own 5 of their absolutely impressive products: BT20A PRo amp, P4 pre-amp, ZH3 DAC-Headphone-pre-amp and their S3 streamer. Blown away by the quality and price!! If you want to learn more, check out the Fosi videos from cheapaudioman on YouTube.
John Roncal
Just opened up to use it for my Sonos headphones and immediately came apart with circuit board exposed, from simply plugging the USB c plug into it the other side popped out. Very poor quality, my return window expired so now I’m stuck with garbage that doesn’t work!
Rolidnot
I've used this little Fosi DAC/Amp at the gym daily 5-6 days a week for 2 hours a day for weeks.
Below is a quick pro/con summary and the associated gear I used with the Fosi. I then delve into my impressions of this slick little device plus a comparison with the higher priced and highly adjustable Qudelix 5K DAC/Amp with an internal rechargeable battery.
What I like about the Fosi:
pocket friendly
well built
intuitive
simple and inexpensive
solid upgrade for properly fitted IEM use in noisy environments.
What I don't like (and why I knocked off one star):
the Fosi is a power hog on a new iPhone
cheesy USB C to USB C cable needs immediate replacement
The IEM gear I used with the Fosi (I keep my IEM's in Pelican cases for protection, they are NOT stock):
Ziigaat Odyssey IEM
Moondrop Dusk IEM (Crinacle)
7HZ Timeless IEM
iPhone 16 pro - new as of 4/25
Tidal streaming app for iPhone
Thunderbolt 5 Cable high Speed 80Gbps Data Transfer,16K/8K/4K type c to type c
The little Fosi adds depth, bass, timbre and soundstage to all 3 of the aforementioned IEM's which are all considered best in class for the price on the Hangout Audio website curated by the wizard of IEM's "Crin" or "Crinacle" aka Corin Kohn.
I used the Fosi and interchanged my various IEM's at the gym every day which may appear initially to some as a loud and semi-absurd place to review IEM's and small DAC/Amp.
In reality, it's ideal because noisy gym replicates the worst of the real world and puts IEM's, the ear bud tip choice and a DAC/Amp to a strong acid test. The Fosi passes for its low price point, dynamics and simple connections which are USB C to USB C in my case, and I bought a top-quality aftermarket USB C to USB C cable because the included cable is chintzy.
One key here about ear bud tips - cheap, ill-fitting ear bud tips can make even a top rate DAC/Amp sound bass free, with thin mid-range and a tinny high end so get good quality proper fitting tips before you blame the Fosi or other DAC/Amp for garbage sound.
Be aware of two simple facts about the Fosi. Fact one is that it uses source battery power (iPhone battery in my case) and it has volume buttons +/- that act independently of the iPhone volume buttons.
The Fosi power drain is significant. 2 hours of Fosi use with my nearly new iPhone 16 pro drains the battery from 100% to about 84%. When using just an IEM for 2 hours, I get a 4% power loss from running Tidal and negligible power loss when using a Qudelix 5K DAC/Amp that has a rechargeable onboard battery.
The Fosi onboard volume buttons sound like a silly thing to talk about but you can have your iPhone volume wide open and the Fosi volume set very low and get terrible Fosi performance. Adjust both the Fosi and source volume appropriately.
I show a couple of photos of the Fosi next the slightly larger Qudelix 5K DAC/Amp.
The Qudelix allows for wildly expansive audio tweaking but it's complex and the Fosi is simple. If you want plug and play, get the Fosi, if you want total mastery of your head related audio and are highly audio tech savvy, buy the Qudelix 5K.
I hope this data helps you make the best in this category for your own needs.
Greg Thomas
Sounds excellent with my Sony Xperia 1 V 256/512 and the Sony MDR-1AM2 wired headphones. My regular phone is a LG v60 which has built-in 32bit DAC only with wired headphones. I purchased the Sony phone has a Xmas toy for myself on sale. This DAC greatly improved the sound and volume of the Sony. In fact to my ears the sound with volume control is louder than the LG v60 and just as clean and clear. All at compact and neat package. Everything was included in the box get going. When I plugged the device into the phone Sony did a quick software update and I was off and listening. I'm a happy camper now. I wish Sony Xperia 1 V came with a built in DAC/headphone amp but this is low cost substitute. I'm very happy...
Hopeful, but Cynic
One would think that a DAC for phones would allow you to take calls, but in the case of this DAC, one would be wrong. I'm returning it. The DS2 cannot be used as a normal phone jack would be, despite it being labeled as a portable DAC for phones. It cannot take microphone input, it is only for rendering music. It says so in the user manual, but nowhere on the web page.
Eric Marshall
I had been eyeing USB-C DACs for a while, wanting to listen to DSD audio on my laptop, but knowing the native soundcard wouldn’t cut it. Most audio cards offer outputs between 44-96kHz, but this device boosted me to 384kHz. Now, I can enjoy DSD 128 audio as it was meant to be heard. While I still need to upgrade my speakers, the difference is already noticeable. It’s truly plug-and-play for Windows, though I did need to tweak my audio library software to get it working properly. Ensure you can adjust output rates for optimal performance. Overall, it’s a fantastic investment, and I’ll definitely consider this brand for future DAC purchases.
Bigggy
This has great functionality. Build quality is awesome! Sounds fantastic. Highly recommend anybody who's into audio. It just bugs into your phone or your laptop for any other device that you have that can take a USBC plus very low heat level. The light is very bright on the top to let you know the different colors that show the different frequencies that you're using battery life. It doesn't take much from the phone. Heat levels very low. Battery life is non-existent. It doesn't use much
Erin V
---Update---
Fosi has been communicating with me and been very helpful to solve this issue. They are so nice to deal with and glad to have your business and I'm glad to give them mine. They must have the smartest tech support too to be able get through to me the things they have been able to when I've asked them for help. And they have a lot of very great electronics that most of us can't get enough of! :)
---Original---
I bought a new item and label on box says new too but the round tape that was trying to seal it closed(see picture) was barely left with any adhesive left in it and full of lint as if it had already been opened and tried to be resealed and returned for resale or to be refurbished so I opened it and while opening it it made so much noise from everything loose inside. But I did not buy a used or refurbished item that this appears to be, nothing inside was in place. I figured as long as I had it I might as well give it a listen, so I did. I have many Sabre DAC chip equipped pieces whether in phones or dedicated DAC/amps and most recently a dongle from HiBy, an FC4 and I thought this would be a nice change getting away from ESS chips and give Cirrus chips a go, I couldn't be more surprised when A/B testing them(from memory((from side by side))) that are so very similar. I don't possess the words to describe how minimal the differences there are between the 2 chips are when used in these 2 applications, it is really amazing. I was expecting a lighter, relaxed, atmospheric, type of performance from the DS2 but it is every bit as analytical as the HiBy and Sabre chips. Still worth having both to me by the way, due to power gains had in the Fosi DS2. You wouldn't guess there were gains in power made in by the DS2 until it's about half way turned up then it's just thick and loud sound. Beautiful, thick and loud. I don't quite know how adjustability is done on the DS2, I think instructions suggest downloading the HiBy music player app which in all fairness has very many types of adjustments DACs it's just that the player itself seems to be causing a lit of problems for me, so I'd use it for adjustments and go back to your normal player for your music and and streamer once done with adjustments. That's just what I've found to be best for adjustability on HiBy and may not be true of Fosi. Oh also, the HiBy player tries to load twice when I plug in my USB dongle, so I uninstall the player until I want adjustments. Crazy but true. Lol
Anyway, I can't say enough good things about this Fosi DS2, I wish it shipped looking like it was actually new and left me not questioning, but it sure seems like a high performance, very high quality, very great value. Performing equal to many above it's weight class and caliber. I'm so surprised it sounds nearly identical to the Sabre DAC chips that I'm used to, I've read so much about Cirrus and thought I knew what I was getting into. I pleased with the sound and will keep the DS2 as part of my setup due it's power alone and clean power at that. And Fosi is now a part of my future equipment too! This really impressed me.
I hope I've been helpful,
Thank you.
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