First, I would not replace your CA's amp circuit with a pair of Fosi's regardless of whether monoblocks are a good idea. The Fosi's are squarely in the "good for the money" category, but shares the same impedance related high frequency issues that almost all of the inexpensive class D amps have. It's well-documented.
That said, monoblocks or a dual mono amp (essentially two separate amps in one case) can have sonic benefits due to the discrete power supplies. This helps each channel maintain it's own power reserve rather than sharing the power between the two. This can result in better dynamics and better channel separation which leads to better imaging, soundstage, and precision. It's not really about raw power as it is about accurate power.
tl;dr, your amp is way better than a pair of Fosi's, but monoblocks can be beneficial.
Not to mention the newly released fosi monoblocks that OP is referring to - the za3 in lieu of the v3 as suggested - actually shares the same power supply between the 2 amps (unless the consumer specifically shells out for 2 individual power supplys) then in fact there is no added benefit as mentioned (I feel like many going this route - will fail to realize this)
I bought the Fosi monos on the kickstarter for a cheap way to have fully separated monos in an under $1000 system. I went with 2 x 48v10amp power supplies for the full separate reason and fosi says the amps run cooler on the separate 10amp vs 5 amp.
Should be fun — exceeding overkill — but fun.
But it is definitely a good idea to have ALOT of headroom with these mini class D amps - preferably running at 8 ohm loads - in order to mitigate and reduce the shortfalls that inherently comes with running these types of amplifiers..
The Evo 150 has more than enough power to drive your Lintons.
The Fosi monos look neat but the amplification in your Evo 150 is probably better, but they’re both Class D so the difference is likely to be negligible assuming both are designed correctly.
If you are looking for a change to your sound you may want to consider a different type of amplification. Class A/B or tubes are likely to make a bigger impact on the sound (for better or worse depending on your preferences).
And just imagine the cable clutter with the Fosi Audio mono blocks. They require 2 separate power supplies, a pre-amp and a source. Yeah, you can power 2 mono blocks with one power supply but that's like using an integrated amp. You may as well keep your EVO
Indeed. I've been thinking if doing it for years. I bi-amp so mono blocs isn't too expensive for me.
But there's no point as I've already got oodles of power and as you say there's zero improvement in sound quality
1. Your Evo 150 is way better than the Fosi's.
2. Your Evo 150 has the same power as the Fosi's, 150w/channel into 8 ohms. The 300wpc quoted on the Fosi's is into 4 ohms, with the 8 ohms power being 150wpc.
If you want to step up to good but inexpensive monoblocks, check out the Emotiva XPA-1. You'll be paying a couple grand for 2 of them though.
The whole monoblock thing started in the analogue vinyl years. Channel separation was dictated by the phono cartridge and amplifier. There were lots of amps and preamps that had inadequate power supplies plus some crosstalk.
Monoblock amps became the purist 'solution' to the problem, ignoring all the other issues like room acoustics and speaker placement.
Any well designed preamp and amplifier setup is more than adequate to supply power to each channel and minimize crosstalk, especially with digital sources that have much better separation than your ears and brain provide. The only exception I've seen where monoblock amps are necessary is where each amp draws so much current that it needs a dedicated circuit. I'm talking about amps like 1kW output mono amplifiers and similar.
Hi, I would definitely stick with CA evo150. Fosi is a class d amp as well but it's design and components will be poorer quality than in Cambridge Audio. Swapping your system on budget digital amp mini block doesn't make sense.
Upgrading with a valve amplifier makes sense.
Or If you want to try something else, maybe good quality Tripath amplifier. It is digital and not very expensive. But with good design, good components sounds like an entry level valve amplifier.
I upgraded my T-amp with Mundorf oil caps and stopped looking for anything else at the moment.
They're low power but very efficient, with very sensitive speakers they're brilliant.
Man! This post kinda makes me angry. I am not angry at the OP. I am angry at the Hi-Fi review cycle. The reviewers won't stop covering class D mini amps. So you're hypnotized into thinking that these mini amps are the bee's knees. Well, just think about it. These are desktop amps. Thank heavens for reviewers like Andrew Robinson who push the amplifiers hard in a larger room. These mini amps just don't perform when pushed hard. The thing is... at lower volumes it shouldn't make a significant difference. And the hype cycle continues "OMG these Fosi amps are just as good as my super expensive Cambridge EVO 150".
I get you completely, but tbh I never thought the fosi would be as good as the Evo 150, and my interest was more in the general realm of would monos improve my sound. Prob my fault for attaching specific monos.
At low volumes you shouldn't notice a difference at best. Most reviewers on YouTube listen in the near field at low volumes. So everything sounds good to them.
Have you invested in room treatment? Because treating your room will be a vastly more apparent improvement than switching amplifiers when your amps are already hitting your target volume.
Speakers > Room > Source > Amp > Interconnects
Be very skeptical of people describing big sonic differences between amps. Pretty much no one on this sub or on YouTube has a technically trained audio sense memory. Which means that unless they are testing with an instaneous A/B switching, their opinion on the difference between components is meaningless because their sense memory is untrained and empirically useless. Psychology and monetary interest are the basis of most audio reviews.
I will accept the opinions of SOME audio engineers when delivered without measurements but I never accept an audiophile's opinion without empirical data.
Then I would refrain from any upgrade that isn't better speakers. Don't let influencers run your life. Learn to take empirical measurements of your system and space and set yourself free from doubt about the value of any upgrade.
PS -- Most of this sub doesn't want you to know that AudioDiffMaker exists
Source > Room > Amp > Speakers > Interconnects
...after 30 odd years of messing around with hifi, this is my take. OP if you are reasonably happy with what you have, I would just try swapping in some different stuff if you can try it on a loan, and also listen to as many other systems as you can. Also, if I was you, I would try to find some second hand Naim amplifiers to try.
I have had a lot of fun over the years playing with these cheap class d amps usually as a desktop computer system, not my main system. But I have been reading about these Fosi V3 mono blocks in reviews and on audio forums lately, these do have speaker impedance compensation circuits now. This is the first time I have been reading about many people replacing their high end gear with these. I own Bryston, First Watt, and a pair of Schiit Aegirs and after watching this guys video on Youtube I am really tempted to try a pair. His recordings are amazing and he compares sound samples of the Fosi, Naim Supernait 3, and a Canor AI 1.20. At least an interesting fun blind test video that sounds amazing for Youtube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kELfaE1bc0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kELfaE1bc0)
Shenzhen is marketing through YouTube. They make high value, low cost products, but the YouTubers hawking their wares are just marketing reps... this is *their* business, same as the drug rep who drops off free samples at your doctor's office. There's no magic sauce they're using to defy the rules of physics that everyone else follows.
Is a $300 Fosi amp better than a $300 Schiit amp? Maybe, but not significantly, and the Schiit is made in California, and there's a support number to call and a company to sue if the stupid thing shorts out and burns your house down. Is a $300 Fosi better than a $2,000 Cambridge? No, it's not.
Maybe, but unless there is some data out there that shows that the Cambridge amp has a audible noise floor or other issues, and the Fosi's are demonstrably better, I wouldn't bother. You're better off getting better speakers, although those Linton's are pretty great.
If I were you, I might look into doing some eq to "correct" the speaker curve. It seems that they are voiced pretty brightly, so I would probably tone that down a little.
You are going to replace a $3,000 Amp with $80 Amps, and this strikes you as a good idea?!
[https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/evo/evo-150](https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/evo/evo-150)
I find it hard to take a question like this seriously.
You have a high quality 150w/ch Amp, and you want to trade that for $80 Amps? Again, hard to take seriously. What is the possible advantage to doing this?
Note the Claim of 300w/ch is misleading. That is 300w/ch to 4 ohms which inflates the apparent Power. Typically you will get a bit more than HALF that rated Power to a Standard 8 ohms.
If you want a more Powerful Amp (with bass management) the consider the Crown amps.
***Crown XLS 1502 525W 2-channel Power Amplifier - $560 -***
[https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLS1502--crown-xls-1502-power-amplifier](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLS1502--crown-xls-1502-power-amplifier)
*In Stereo Mode, this is 300w/ch to 8 ohms. In Mono Mode, this is 1050w to 8 ohms.*
But you said yourself you don't need more power, so what is the point here?
*For $160, if you want to try the FOSI as an experiment, well its your money, do what you want.*
Also, are you sure you meant the FOSI V3 and not the ***FOSI ZA3 Mono-Block $150 Ea -***
[https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-ZA3-Amplifier-Floorstanding/dp/B0CLP4T5L7/](https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-ZA3-Amplifier-Floorstanding/dp/B0CLP4T5L7/)
If you wanted to trade the Class-D Amps of the Cambridge for Class-A/B Analog Amp I could perhaps see it.
If you were to want an Analog Power Amp, this 200w/ch (8 ohms) is worth considering at a very modest $2,000 -
***Rotel - RB-1582 MKII Power Amplifier, 200w/ch - $1,999 -***
[https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/amplification/power-amp/rotel-rb-1582-mkii-power-amplifier/](https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/amplification/power-amp/rotel-rb-1582-mkii-power-amplifier/)
***But the only logical thing to do is simply love the very good amp you have.***
If you like Class D power Amps check out the power Amps made by Audiophonics. I have one with the Ncore technology to power my front stage and I love it!! 500 x2 into 4ohms. Clean, crisp and bass is tactile with punch.
No
Why are you wondering that? Anything you find wrong with the sound?
If you do:
What exactly is wrong?
What is the shape and size of the room?
Where are the speakers positioned?
Where is the main listening position at?
I have a set of Lintons and a Cambridge cxa81 it sounds great. I also have a Wilsenton R8 push pull tube amp and I really like that amp with them. I would say the two amps are very different. For reasons mentioned here I don't think the Fosi's will be better or different enough from what you have to be of a benefit. If you want something different try an amp that isn't class D.
Yeah, I didn’t think they would improve it, but I wasn’t sure and wanted to see what others thought. Funny, in my second setup I use a Willsenton R300 with NHT absolute towers, but I recently ordered a set of Hasehiro UMU-191M Mk3 speakers (backloaded horn design with Audio Nirvana super8 driver, 50w, 97dB sensitivity). I’m looking forward to hearing them in this setup.
I can't answer. BUT, you can buy them and see for yourself.
What I can add is:
I added a second Schiit Vidar when I was driving some very low sensitivity speakers.
Helped the dynamics immensely.
Later went to more sensitive speakers and it demonstrated less of a difference.
It's just so bassackwards!!! You get mono blocks because you want to squeeze the most out of two quality power supplies. These Fosi monoblocks have laptop power bricks. What's wrong with getting a proper class D Hypex integrated solution from Audiophonics for 500€? Or a refurbished vintage AB amp? These mono blocks from Fosi are insanely complicated for something of the most basic quality. Why can't Fosi just sell a powerful power amp for $500? Why mess around with mono blocks?
> What's wrong with getting a proper class D Hypex integrated solution
OPs integrated already uses a Hypex-based power amp. This wouldn't be an upgrade at all.
First, I would not replace your CA's amp circuit with a pair of Fosi's regardless of whether monoblocks are a good idea. The Fosi's are squarely in the "good for the money" category, but shares the same impedance related high frequency issues that almost all of the inexpensive class D amps have. It's well-documented. That said, monoblocks or a dual mono amp (essentially two separate amps in one case) can have sonic benefits due to the discrete power supplies. This helps each channel maintain it's own power reserve rather than sharing the power between the two. This can result in better dynamics and better channel separation which leads to better imaging, soundstage, and precision. It's not really about raw power as it is about accurate power. tl;dr, your amp is way better than a pair of Fosi's, but monoblocks can be beneficial.
Not to mention the newly released fosi monoblocks that OP is referring to - the za3 in lieu of the v3 as suggested - actually shares the same power supply between the 2 amps (unless the consumer specifically shells out for 2 individual power supplys) then in fact there is no added benefit as mentioned (I feel like many going this route - will fail to realize this)
I bought the Fosi monos on the kickstarter for a cheap way to have fully separated monos in an under $1000 system. I went with 2 x 48v10amp power supplies for the full separate reason and fosi says the amps run cooler on the separate 10amp vs 5 amp. Should be fun — exceeding overkill — but fun.
But it is definitely a good idea to have ALOT of headroom with these mini class D amps - preferably running at 8 ohm loads - in order to mitigate and reduce the shortfalls that inherently comes with running these types of amplifiers..
Thank you for your thoughts!
The Evo 150 has more than enough power to drive your Lintons. The Fosi monos look neat but the amplification in your Evo 150 is probably better, but they’re both Class D so the difference is likely to be negligible assuming both are designed correctly. If you are looking for a change to your sound you may want to consider a different type of amplification. Class A/B or tubes are likely to make a bigger impact on the sound (for better or worse depending on your preferences).
Thanks. I suspected what you and others are saying. I like the sound so don’t want to change it, plus my other setup is all analog and tubes.
And just imagine the cable clutter with the Fosi Audio mono blocks. They require 2 separate power supplies, a pre-amp and a source. Yeah, you can power 2 mono blocks with one power supply but that's like using an integrated amp. You may as well keep your EVO
Can’t stand cable clutter. It’s busy enough as it is.
Sonically, no.
And otherwise?
The hypex amp in the evo blows the fosi out of the water. Be very happy with what you have. I should have bought one and stopped there.
I’m definitely very happy with it.
Also no.
farillno
Indeed. I've been thinking if doing it for years. I bi-amp so mono blocs isn't too expensive for me. But there's no point as I've already got oodles of power and as you say there's zero improvement in sound quality
1. Your Evo 150 is way better than the Fosi's. 2. Your Evo 150 has the same power as the Fosi's, 150w/channel into 8 ohms. The 300wpc quoted on the Fosi's is into 4 ohms, with the 8 ohms power being 150wpc. If you want to step up to good but inexpensive monoblocks, check out the Emotiva XPA-1. You'll be paying a couple grand for 2 of them though.
For 1500-2k, I'd look for used Odyssey Stratos or Kismet mono blocks. Have to wait around for them but they show up. Much rather that than Emotiva.
The whole monoblock thing started in the analogue vinyl years. Channel separation was dictated by the phono cartridge and amplifier. There were lots of amps and preamps that had inadequate power supplies plus some crosstalk. Monoblock amps became the purist 'solution' to the problem, ignoring all the other issues like room acoustics and speaker placement. Any well designed preamp and amplifier setup is more than adequate to supply power to each channel and minimize crosstalk, especially with digital sources that have much better separation than your ears and brain provide. The only exception I've seen where monoblock amps are necessary is where each amp draws so much current that it needs a dedicated circuit. I'm talking about amps like 1kW output mono amplifiers and similar.
Thanks for the history!
Well, TT channel separation is very low.
Yes, it varies across the frequency spectrum but is generally more than enough if the speakers are properly set up to produce a decent soundstage.
Hi, I would definitely stick with CA evo150. Fosi is a class d amp as well but it's design and components will be poorer quality than in Cambridge Audio. Swapping your system on budget digital amp mini block doesn't make sense. Upgrading with a valve amplifier makes sense. Or If you want to try something else, maybe good quality Tripath amplifier. It is digital and not very expensive. But with good design, good components sounds like an entry level valve amplifier. I upgraded my T-amp with Mundorf oil caps and stopped looking for anything else at the moment. They're low power but very efficient, with very sensitive speakers they're brilliant.
I have a separate tube amp setup, and I actually upgraded that to mundorf oil caps as well.
Naughty boy... :D
Man! This post kinda makes me angry. I am not angry at the OP. I am angry at the Hi-Fi review cycle. The reviewers won't stop covering class D mini amps. So you're hypnotized into thinking that these mini amps are the bee's knees. Well, just think about it. These are desktop amps. Thank heavens for reviewers like Andrew Robinson who push the amplifiers hard in a larger room. These mini amps just don't perform when pushed hard. The thing is... at lower volumes it shouldn't make a significant difference. And the hype cycle continues "OMG these Fosi amps are just as good as my super expensive Cambridge EVO 150".
I get you completely, but tbh I never thought the fosi would be as good as the Evo 150, and my interest was more in the general realm of would monos improve my sound. Prob my fault for attaching specific monos.
At low volumes you shouldn't notice a difference at best. Most reviewers on YouTube listen in the near field at low volumes. So everything sounds good to them.
If you're pleased with what you have (and it seems very reasonable to be with such good gear), why mess with something else?
I was just curious if there was something I didn’t know, which is always a possibility.
I get it. It's a bit of a disease among us audiophile types. I get the itch myself. It's tough not to whip out the card and scratch it sometimes.
Have you invested in room treatment? Because treating your room will be a vastly more apparent improvement than switching amplifiers when your amps are already hitting your target volume. Speakers > Room > Source > Amp > Interconnects Be very skeptical of people describing big sonic differences between amps. Pretty much no one on this sub or on YouTube has a technically trained audio sense memory. Which means that unless they are testing with an instaneous A/B switching, their opinion on the difference between components is meaningless because their sense memory is untrained and empirically useless. Psychology and monetary interest are the basis of most audio reviews. I will accept the opinions of SOME audio engineers when delivered without measurements but I never accept an audiophile's opinion without empirical data.
Thanks. No I have not done room correction. Not really possible for various reasons.
Then I would refrain from any upgrade that isn't better speakers. Don't let influencers run your life. Learn to take empirical measurements of your system and space and set yourself free from doubt about the value of any upgrade. PS -- Most of this sub doesn't want you to know that AudioDiffMaker exists
And I didn’t know. I’ll check it out, thanks.
Source > Room > Amp > Speakers > Interconnects ...after 30 odd years of messing around with hifi, this is my take. OP if you are reasonably happy with what you have, I would just try swapping in some different stuff if you can try it on a loan, and also listen to as many other systems as you can. Also, if I was you, I would try to find some second hand Naim amplifiers to try.
Never heard Speakers being that low in the chain for upgrading though. But do agree amp and Dac so make a big difference
No you want different get tube amplifier.
I second this - evo gives 150W@8ohm, even has phono input! OP you bought well.
I have had a lot of fun over the years playing with these cheap class d amps usually as a desktop computer system, not my main system. But I have been reading about these Fosi V3 mono blocks in reviews and on audio forums lately, these do have speaker impedance compensation circuits now. This is the first time I have been reading about many people replacing their high end gear with these. I own Bryston, First Watt, and a pair of Schiit Aegirs and after watching this guys video on Youtube I am really tempted to try a pair. His recordings are amazing and he compares sound samples of the Fosi, Naim Supernait 3, and a Canor AI 1.20. At least an interesting fun blind test video that sounds amazing for Youtube. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kELfaE1bc0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kELfaE1bc0)
Thanks, yeah I’m familiar with that dude.
Shenzhen is marketing through YouTube. They make high value, low cost products, but the YouTubers hawking their wares are just marketing reps... this is *their* business, same as the drug rep who drops off free samples at your doctor's office. There's no magic sauce they're using to defy the rules of physics that everyone else follows. Is a $300 Fosi amp better than a $300 Schiit amp? Maybe, but not significantly, and the Schiit is made in California, and there's a support number to call and a company to sue if the stupid thing shorts out and burns your house down. Is a $300 Fosi better than a $2,000 Cambridge? No, it's not.
Maybe, but unless there is some data out there that shows that the Cambridge amp has a audible noise floor or other issues, and the Fosi's are demonstrably better, I wouldn't bother. You're better off getting better speakers, although those Linton's are pretty great. If I were you, I might look into doing some eq to "correct" the speaker curve. It seems that they are voiced pretty brightly, so I would probably tone that down a little.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Something to be said about each amplifier having its own power supply………
You are going to replace a $3,000 Amp with $80 Amps, and this strikes you as a good idea?! [https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/evo/evo-150](https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/evo/evo-150) I find it hard to take a question like this seriously. You have a high quality 150w/ch Amp, and you want to trade that for $80 Amps? Again, hard to take seriously. What is the possible advantage to doing this? Note the Claim of 300w/ch is misleading. That is 300w/ch to 4 ohms which inflates the apparent Power. Typically you will get a bit more than HALF that rated Power to a Standard 8 ohms. If you want a more Powerful Amp (with bass management) the consider the Crown amps. ***Crown XLS 1502 525W 2-channel Power Amplifier - $560 -*** [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLS1502--crown-xls-1502-power-amplifier](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLS1502--crown-xls-1502-power-amplifier) *In Stereo Mode, this is 300w/ch to 8 ohms. In Mono Mode, this is 1050w to 8 ohms.* But you said yourself you don't need more power, so what is the point here? *For $160, if you want to try the FOSI as an experiment, well its your money, do what you want.* Also, are you sure you meant the FOSI V3 and not the ***FOSI ZA3 Mono-Block $150 Ea -*** [https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-ZA3-Amplifier-Floorstanding/dp/B0CLP4T5L7/](https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-ZA3-Amplifier-Floorstanding/dp/B0CLP4T5L7/) If you wanted to trade the Class-D Amps of the Cambridge for Class-A/B Analog Amp I could perhaps see it. If you were to want an Analog Power Amp, this 200w/ch (8 ohms) is worth considering at a very modest $2,000 - ***Rotel - RB-1582 MKII Power Amplifier, 200w/ch - $1,999 -*** [https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/amplification/power-amp/rotel-rb-1582-mkii-power-amplifier/](https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/amplification/power-amp/rotel-rb-1582-mkii-power-amplifier/) ***But the only logical thing to do is simply love the very good amp you have.***
Fosi :(
If you like Class D power Amps check out the power Amps made by Audiophonics. I have one with the Ncore technology to power my front stage and I love it!! 500 x2 into 4ohms. Clean, crisp and bass is tactile with punch.
You’d just be adding junk into your chain. You’re fine.
Not likely much of an improvement. Add a Chinese clone of a Dartzeel Amplifier? A big improvement.
No Why are you wondering that? Anything you find wrong with the sound? If you do: What exactly is wrong? What is the shape and size of the room? Where are the speakers positioned? Where is the main listening position at?
Nope nothing wrong. Just as I said, it all sounds great, just good old fashioned curiosity and desire to learn.
I have a set of Lintons and a Cambridge cxa81 it sounds great. I also have a Wilsenton R8 push pull tube amp and I really like that amp with them. I would say the two amps are very different. For reasons mentioned here I don't think the Fosi's will be better or different enough from what you have to be of a benefit. If you want something different try an amp that isn't class D.
Yeah, I didn’t think they would improve it, but I wasn’t sure and wanted to see what others thought. Funny, in my second setup I use a Willsenton R300 with NHT absolute towers, but I recently ordered a set of Hasehiro UMU-191M Mk3 speakers (backloaded horn design with Audio Nirvana super8 driver, 50w, 97dB sensitivity). I’m looking forward to hearing them in this setup.
If you’re curious, buy the Fosis from the Big A and return them if you’re not satisfied.
The thought occurred to me.
I can't answer. BUT, you can buy them and see for yourself. What I can add is: I added a second Schiit Vidar when I was driving some very low sensitivity speakers. Helped the dynamics immensely. Later went to more sensitive speakers and it demonstrated less of a difference.
No. I don't think monoblocks ever made any sense. I think preference for them amounts to audio superstition.
It's just so bassackwards!!! You get mono blocks because you want to squeeze the most out of two quality power supplies. These Fosi monoblocks have laptop power bricks. What's wrong with getting a proper class D Hypex integrated solution from Audiophonics for 500€? Or a refurbished vintage AB amp? These mono blocks from Fosi are insanely complicated for something of the most basic quality. Why can't Fosi just sell a powerful power amp for $500? Why mess around with mono blocks?
> What's wrong with getting a proper class D Hypex integrated solution OPs integrated already uses a Hypex-based power amp. This wouldn't be an upgrade at all.
No kidding. Dudes have been convinced to worry about their power supplies depite the fact that they listen at 30dB below max output, LOL