Presentation of the Fosi Audio Q6 Dac, and personal experiences
I had the honor of receiving Fosi Audio's latest product before its released. It's the Q6 DAC. For a full review and presentation.
This device strengthens the "V" series. I have already thoroughly familiarized myself with the excellent ZD3 DAC from the "Z" series and introduced it in a previous article. You can find it among my previous articles if you haven't read it yet. Now let's see what new thing the Fosi Audio has to offer us now.
First of all, what do we get in the box?
As we see are hidden in the packaging a Q6 DAC, usb-c cable with a usb-a converter and an user manual.
The converter is a really good idea because this way we can use the Q6 DAC with a single cable from a laptop and even a phone. Or from any media player device that has either usb-c or usb-a output
Let's see the dac.
Front panel:
It is immediately clear that this device fits into the “V” series. The overall design, the design of the edges of the front panel and the large central button remind me of the V3 stereo amplifier at first glance. (For me, the V3 stereo amplifier was the very first Fosi Audio product I used, i loved it.)
The housing is exactly the same size as the v3 amplifiers.
V3 stereo:
V3 monos:
Perfect fitting:
The back:
You can see the Q6's inputs: usb-c (this is also the power input ) Optical and coaxial inputs. The outputs are rca left/right and an rca sub output that is not adjustable. I would have much rather seen a direct power input instead of the sub output because on the one hand I don't use a sub, and on the other hand those who use a sub like it when the sub output is adjustable. However, if there is a power input, then with a better power supply or even power bank power supply we can achieve higher sound quality than through the usb socket.
Let's look at the available data.
Chipset:
AK4493 + XMOS XU316 + OPA1612
Maximum available resolution: USB: PCM 32bit/768kHz DSD512
Optical and Coax inputs: PCM 24bit/192kHz
Ultra low total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N):0.00012%
Other data in the picture:
These are very good data.
One it has a rolling ne5532 op amp. the opa1612 is not rolling.
The Q6 dac plug & play. No driver required. Just plug it in and use it..
It is important to note here that the Q6 is a dac. It does not have a built-in volume control. So if your amplifier does not have its own volume control, you will have to use a preamplifier or other volume control device. Without these, your system will sound at full volume, which is not good for nothing!
Let's look at the sound quality, because that's the most important thing..
Despite the lack of a separate power supply and power input, the sound quality is very good! I tested all inputs and I didn't experience any digital conversion errors. It performed excellently on the USB input. The zd3 dac was also connected to the system and when I was listening to high-quality music, it was sometimes difficult to determine in a blind test which dac was working. Whether it was playing lossless music or dsd files, this little dac was no easy feat against the zd3. The sound of the Q6 is light, airy, dynamic. The instrument sounds are realistic, it has a very good and precise space representation. The stereo representation is excellent. The music space is detailed and accurate. It handles the of acoustic instruments and vocals sounds well. It was a pleasant musical journey in all genres. Be it classical music, jazz, pop, or electronic music. The instruments and vocals are clean, detailed, and well-placeds in space. The chipset already predicted that we would get good sound, but I was surprised that it was this good. The sound quality is good on both optical and coaxial inputs. I didn't experience any errors when using the Q6 with my older CD player either. Fosi has put together a really good little device. The release date is 2025.04.08 and the price is approx $100 This is a very good price for this sound.. Fosi Audio previously published a plan for devices to be released in the near future.
The Q6 dac fits into this chain and will be a great companion to the streamer that will be released later.
The new Fosi Audio Q6 dac is an absolute recommended category for me. My only feeling of lack was because of the power supply input. The sub output is a dac - not sure it's important. However, the power input would have fit in the place of the sub output, which is important.
I know that Fosi Audio listens to users, so I hope they take this into account in the future. Anyway, this new dac turned out very well. The sound quality is excellent! Warm and clear analog sound!
UPDATE!
After listening back and forth for several hours this afternoon, the q6 won over the Q6 vs zd3 on the usb socket. The sound is clearer, more detailed, and more spatial and warmer. Analog sounded. Both dacs ran with the factory op amps. Interestingly, for some reason, I liked the zd3 better on the optical input than the Q6. But the Q6 won on the usb input, even though I tested it with the simple factory cable. The zd3 was powered by a better quality usb cable. Okay, I can replace the op amp in the zd3. But the q6 is better on usb in factory condition. Of course these are only my personal feelings.
Pros: Compact size
Perfect fit for the V series
Great build quality.
Solid vibration-free housing.
Very, very good sound. Warm analog sound..
Easy to use.
Plug & Play
Con: No separate power supply or at least power input
