Two new audio toys today, well one new and one old; bought the Fosi Audio K7 and Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R headphones.
The Fosi K7 really ticks the box of that hope I raised late last-year. I feel that if someone just wants a single DAC/AMP for music & gaming then this could be the new de-facto answer, particularly in the UK. Hell even if you don't need a mic input this thing is still compelling. Obviously if you need the software, or virtual surround then the Creative Sound Blaster G8 is a great choice. Anyway this afternoon I did a lot of A-B testing alongside my Fiio K5 Pro and iFi Zen CAN & DAC Signature stack and whilst the latter is better for music the improvement is very marginal. I doubt there is anything around the £200 mark which this thing can't compete with. And then it has mic input with some very wonderfully implemented EQ & mic gain controls. I did notice that the main volume wheel is quirky, as it goes from 0-64, but I have to run it at levels that are higher than I expected (sometimes up-to half-way). I don't listen to audio that loud so wonder if the scale used isn't linear. The design and build quality is very impressive. All metal construction that is easily on par with anything I own from Fiio, or iFi. On the PS5 Pro this thing is flawless, not that I necessarily expected otherwise. I've been playing a lot of The Division 2 recently and very occasionally would get some funny sound behaviour on my Sound Blaster GC7 (sound drop-outs etc.). I thought that might just be the game, however the K7 didn't skip a beat today so I'm wondering if that was the case. Certainly with this particular combo details and soundstage are fantastic.
I did own the TYGR's before, but sold them when I did a headphones clear-out a few years ago. Some of the new releases I was keenly awaiting; Sennheiser HD 505/550, Audio-Technica R70Xa & R50X either had somethings not quite right, or I wasn't quite there on price, so when I've saw the TYGR's back in stock decided to jump at them. My favourite Beyer and whilst I don't like them for music they do have some magic where games are concerned. Much more importantly they are lightweight, use those wonderful DT-line of spare parts and very comfy. Virtually no clamp. The non-removable cable is an unfortunate downside, but one that doesn't really bother me. It's been great fun today putting both through their paces and great hearing the TYGR's again. As a complete aside the DT 880 is the one classic Beyer I've not experienced and part of me wonders if I would love the neutrality of it. Although even the TYGR's have some of that famous Beyer treble, but really tamed and smoothed, so maybe the DT 880 would be a bit too bright for me (something that put me off the recent R50X and DT 770 Pro X releases).
Anyway the Fosi K7 is an stunning DAC/AMP. Deserves the outstanding reviews.
The Fosi K7 really ticks the box of that hope I raised late last-year. I feel that if someone just wants a single DAC/AMP for music & gaming then this could be the new de-facto answer, particularly in the UK. Hell even if you don't need a mic input this thing is still compelling. Obviously if you need the software, or virtual surround then the Creative Sound Blaster G8 is a great choice. Anyway this afternoon I did a lot of A-B testing alongside my Fiio K5 Pro and iFi Zen CAN & DAC Signature stack and whilst the latter is better for music the improvement is very marginal. I doubt there is anything around the £200 mark which this thing can't compete with. And then it has mic input with some very wonderfully implemented EQ & mic gain controls. I did notice that the main volume wheel is quirky, as it goes from 0-64, but I have to run it at levels that are higher than I expected (sometimes up-to half-way). I don't listen to audio that loud so wonder if the scale used isn't linear. The design and build quality is very impressive. All metal construction that is easily on par with anything I own from Fiio, or iFi. On the PS5 Pro this thing is flawless, not that I necessarily expected otherwise. I've been playing a lot of The Division 2 recently and very occasionally would get some funny sound behaviour on my Sound Blaster GC7 (sound drop-outs etc.). I thought that might just be the game, however the K7 didn't skip a beat today so I'm wondering if that was the case. Certainly with this particular combo details and soundstage are fantastic.
I did own the TYGR's before, but sold them when I did a headphones clear-out a few years ago. Some of the new releases I was keenly awaiting; Sennheiser HD 505/550, Audio-Technica R70Xa & R50X either had somethings not quite right, or I wasn't quite there on price, so when I've saw the TYGR's back in stock decided to jump at them. My favourite Beyer and whilst I don't like them for music they do have some magic where games are concerned. Much more importantly they are lightweight, use those wonderful DT-line of spare parts and very comfy. Virtually no clamp. The non-removable cable is an unfortunate downside, but one that doesn't really bother me. It's been great fun today putting both through their paces and great hearing the TYGR's again. As a complete aside the DT 880 is the one classic Beyer I've not experienced and part of me wonders if I would love the neutrality of it. Although even the TYGR's have some of that famous Beyer treble, but really tamed and smoothed, so maybe the DT 880 would be a bit too bright for me (something that put me off the recent R50X and DT 770 Pro X releases).
Anyway the Fosi K7 is an stunning DAC/AMP. Deserves the outstanding reviews.
