Fosi Audio in recent years has managed to stand out among the countless Chinese companies that produce low-cost mini hi-fi equipment: thanks to excellent products sold at fair prices, it has quickly become one of the best-selling brands in the sector on Amazon.
In recent months we had the opportunity to try two very successful Fosi Audio products: the V3 mono power amplifiers and the ZD3 DAC. Now we have tested a brand new DAC in the ultra-budget range under 100 euros, the Fosi Audio Q6.
It is a digital-to-analog converter based on the AKM AK4493S DAC chip, one of the best in this price range, paired with the XMOS XU316 audio processor and an OPA1612 operational amplifier. Digital signal decoding goes up to 32bit/768kHz PCM resolution, with additional support for DSD512. Like many recent Fosi Audio products, the Q6 is built according to a minimalist philosophy, taking into account feedback and suggestions from Hi-Fi enthusiasts across various online channels.
The Q6 is a minimalist DAC, without a preamplifier and lacking features such as Bluetooth and MQA decoding. There is also no LCD or OLED display, which is increasingly common in Chinese-made DACs. The philosophy is to keep costs down by removing secondary features, without sacrificing anything in terms of audio quality, and it is therefore aimed at those who are not looking for extras but for a digital-to-analog converter that focuses on the best playback performance within the given budget. The Q6 is currently sold on Amazon at a price of around 100 euros.
Be careful not to confuse the new Q6 with the older Fosi Audio DAC-Q6, a previous product with very different features.
The new Fosi Q6, thanks to a careful selection of components, achieves technical parameters of absolute level for a budget product: SNR: 121dB, THD lower than 0.00011%.
Technical specifications in brief:
- Chip: XMOS XU316 + AK4493 + OPA1612 + NE5532DR
- Input: USB Type-C, Optical, Coaxial
- Output: RCA, Sub Out
- PC-USB supports input sampling rate up to 32Bit/768kHz, DSD512
- Optical/Coaxial supports input sampling rate up to 32Bit/192kHz
- THD: <0.00012%
- SNR: ≥121dB
- PC-USB supported operating systems: XP/W7/W8/W10/MAC/Linux
The Q6 is small and simple but also solid and sturdy. On the front there is a switch to turn the device on/off and a knob that allows switching between USB/optical/coaxial inputs. On the back we find three inputs (USB-C, optical and coaxial) and two outputs (stereo RCA and subwoofer). Note that there is no dedicated power input: when connected via USB-C the Q6 necessarily draws power from the PC, while to use a source via optical or coaxial input (for example a CD player, TV or console) a 5V power supply (not included) must be connected to the USB-C port.
This solution, needless to say, is inconvenient and makes it difficult to quickly switch between USB and optical/coaxial inputs. The presence of a subwoofer output (without level control) on a DAC of this type is unusual: a rare feature that could appeal to those who want to build a 2.1 system.
We tested the Q6 for several days, comparing it with other DACs of similar or higher level (the ZD3 from Fosi Audio, iFi Zen DAC, an old Beresford Caiman SEG, and also the more expensive HiFiMan EF400/EF500) and paired it with a Yamaha AS-201 integrated amplifier and a series of class D mini integrated amplifiers based on Tripath TA2024 and TK2050 chips and Texas Instruments TPA3116 and TPA3225. These are budget-class devices that are realistically likely to be used together with a 100-euro DAC.
From an audio performance standpoint, we really liked the Q6: the sound it delivers is detailed but not fatiguing, with a stereo image that is not particularly wide but stable and believable. Some criticize Chinese DACs based on ESS or AKM chips for sounding sterile and not very musical; however, in the case of the Fosi Audio Q6 we did not notice these traits: on the contrary, the sound is particularly enjoyable and engaging thanks to excellent vocal reproduction and surprising dynamics.
The comparison with the ZD3 from Fosi Audio, which costs almost twice as much (around 180 euros at the moment), is very interesting. The two devices seem to have a fairly similar sound signature, with only small differences in audio quality in favor of the ZD3. However, considering that the latter includes numerous extra features (preamplifier, display, remote control, balanced outputs and more), the price difference is in our opinion fully justified.
In conclusion the new Q6 from Fosi Audio is a DAC that sounds really good relative to its price and demonstrates the great progress made in recent years in the production of low-cost, high-performance digital-to-analog converters. However, we still have some reservations about certain design choices (first and foremost the decision to rely exclusively on a USB-C input for power) and the lack of some very useful features commonly found in other modern devices at a similar price.
Just to give an example, the Topping E30 II Lite is based on the same chip, is sold at a practically identical price, and additionally offers a preamplifier, dedicated power input, LCD display and remote control. However, if you prefer a no-frills device built to deliver maximum performance at a very low cost, then the Fosi Audio Q6 will certainly give you great satisfaction.
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