Fosi Audio P3 - a tube preamp we can all afford

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00:00 Intro
00:19 Fosi P3 features
04:25 How it's tested
05:33 Sound
08:37 Pairing
14:41 Final thoughts

Room test system:
Eversolo DMP-A8, Allo DigiOne Signature

Head-Fi:

#hifi #audiophile #preamp #tube

[DavidYoungSpace]

Great tip on unscrewing those copper collars. For those who don't RTFM.😊

[mrsinghsstereos]

Good tip about unscrewing the caps - I really struggled to fit the tubes as I didn’t read the manual. I bought this for fun and connected my dCS Rossini Apex dac into it and the p3 was downstream connected to my ch precision a1.5 power amp . So a complete mismatch but I actually enjoyed the sound .

[erwinvangrinsven]

I am truck driver in the Netherlands, i always read the manual of the truck, you always find new things 👍

[fletchermunson]

These should be good tubes at least mechanically. JAN means Joint Army Navy military specifications. Not bad starting place.

[cheeky]

"I'm not ready to commit" 😂😂😂
Long may that continue! 😂👍🤣

[vladimirjovanovic]

Great review Srbo, thank you!
It seems that "mini" components are on the rise. One could make a decent "separates" system of pieces like this. For example, a WiiM Mini into SMSL SU-1 into the P3 into the V3, driving QA 3020i's. That would be a system for under 700 eur here in Serbia in total, and I bet it wouldn't be ashamed by a lot of more expensive systems.
Of course, one would need to keep one's expectations in check (this is not Naim/McIntosh/etc...), but for fun and everyday listening, I bet you wouldn't need anything more expensive.

[MultiRalvarado]

Excellent Video. Right now im testing that setup. Sounds pretty good. I changed the opamps to V6 vivid ( yes without case) and when i added the P3, wow, really shine in sound, more body and warm a little to forget its a class D. Im not a fan of class D, but i gave an opportunity to try it as a secondary sound equipment. Other test i did was using this P3 with my high end power amp, Yes!, sound powerful clean, heavy bass. I like it!🤔. the soundstage is narrow. of course its $80 pre vs $1k+ pre the difference its obvious. Other test, I used a P2 with the V3. You can raise the volume on the P3 all the way and use the V3 as main volume. Or the other way as you mentioned. i prefer giving full voltage from the pre (source) to the amp, to have all the music details with a little of volume on the V3. That combination P3&V3 Sounds pretty good with factory Opamps. Yes, On P1 & P2 have removable opamps on sockets, sounds more vivid and dynamic when you change them. Something not possible on the P3, its only have surface mount NE5532. The P3 have logaritmic volume and 4 Elna capacitors. On P1 and P2 have better capacitors (Rubycon)(almost every) than P3. But the P3 is superior on features and sound with factory tubes. Ill try with others tubes . My opinion, if you have a V3 the P3 will be the perfect match, or if you have a power amp without a Pre and want to use it as a secondary equipment, try P2 or P3. I found people on internet forums using the P3 and P2 with Mcintosh power amps (no regrets) and other high end equipments, and So What!. Try the Fosi Pre amps with everything…

[dougg]

Great review. I’m all about soundstage width and palpability . In my old age ( 55) and after years of audio madness, I got my first tube amp with efficient speakers . “To think I hesitated “

[ajky]

Newbie question, If you used this with active speakers and a Dac, and all three have volume and tone controls, where is it best to make the volume and tone adjustments?

[CraciunAlexandruGh]

Preamp with no remote ? But....why ? What would you use it for ? Who uses power amps for headphones or preamps for active speakers ?

Regarding your point, $80 preamp with $100$ DAC would not make as much sense as $200 DAC.

[bigambientdeath]

Douk P2 is a good alternative as well, 3 way tone controls & a remote control, i use it with Aiyima a07, fleshes the thin, sterile sound out nicely 👍

[geevee]

Great to hear your interesting comparison. But I believe the P3 is a solid state preamp going through a tube buffer to add some tubey sound. By eliminating the Fosi V3 volume control, I believe you're still going through the V3 NE5532 preamp chip. So your audio signal is passing through 2 preamps. Theoretically, this is an unnecessary preamp stage, but in the end, all that matters is how it sounds.

[anthony]

Thanks very much for this review, i have this with the ZA3 and Q Acoustics 3010i, in my office, i also have a Rel Quake Subwoofer under my desk, my colleagues love the sound of the setup.

[dirkm]

Got one brand new. One tube stopped working after a couple of hours. 😢

[DN]

I have different type (2 actually). Older with not as good components but different tubes (voskhod, philips) and swappable opamps (which have an at least as large an effect as the tubes). I think your right about the effect on soundstage, but it does wonders for mellowing the digital harshness. I find you can dial it in with the volume control to taste. Somewhere between 12:00 and 15:00 works best for me. I also swap the default power supply for a better one as a matter of course.

[jayem]

That's very interesting what you said about turning the volume all the way up so that the pre could be connected and run.

[aeon]

Your explanations are the best on youtube, it gives a good baseline to decide what to do next, Thanks alot!!

[NeilBlanchard]

The supplied GE tubes are pretty good, actually. On a headphone amp I have, these were what I upgraded to. There are other tubes that sound different/better, but the GE tubes should be fine for many systems.
Does the Fosi P3 also use an op-amp(s) as the output stage?

[kerjianlai]

is this good to go with active speaker with a active sub woofer? Example edifier s2000mk3 and edifier t5 sub.

[oliverosrecki]

Can someone give me some advice, which speakers would suit me best, since I bought the FOSI V3 and P3 amplifier and preamplifier?