You regularly hear tales of audiophile life being exorbitantly expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. For $60, you can get a well-manufactured, well-equipped DAC/Amp in the Fosi Audio DS2 2024 and have plenty of money to spend on a quality headphone or IEM purchase.
Fosi Audio DS2: Price and availability
You can buy the Fosi Audio DS2 2024 directly from Fosiaudio.com or Amazon for $59.99. At that price point, you won’t find many portable DACs/Amps with both a 3.5mm and 4.4mm port. The nearest competition is around $80.
Fosi Audio DS2: Build and fit
Coming in at 3.2 ounces, the DS2 2024 feels effortlessly light. But don’t let that fool ya, oh no! It’s CNC machined from solid metal, and Fosi claims it’s shock-resistant. I’m guessing they’re pretty confident because unlike most of the DACs I’ve tested recently, this one comes with a two-year warranty, as opposed to one year.
Externally, you’ll get a sample rate LED indicator on one side. The 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports are on the bottom, and opposite those on the top is the USB-C port. Left side, you get independent 60-step volume controls, which give a satisfyingly clicky feedback when pressed.
Internally dual Cirrus Log CS43131 DAC chips are powering those 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs.
Fosi Audio DS2: Features
The DS2 2024 isn’t a powerhouse of features, but most of what it does, it does well. It supports up to DSD256 and PCM 32-BIT/385kHz decoding, pushing 510mw at 32ohms out of the 4.4mm, and a somewhat anemic 130mw at 32ohms out of the 3.5mm connection.
The top face of the DS2 2024 has an LED next to the Fosi Audio branding that tells you what you’re decoding. For PCM, anything less than 48kHz = Red, 48-96kHz = Green, 96-384kHz = Yellow. For DSD, all sample rates get the blue light.
My only quibble is that the 3.5mm port is a bit underpowered. My Campfire Audio Mammoths had to be cranked up higher than with any other DAC I’ve used to date. Usually, I have to keep my volume slider around 10% of max to avoid damaging my hearing with the Mammoths, which are quite sensitive. With the DS2 2024, I really pushed the volume, and that doesn’t bode well for power-hungry IEMs.
Fosi Audio DS2: Sound quality
This $60 DAC/Amp has impressive sound for its price point! I’d characterize the DS2 2024 as a warm DAC/Amp that doesn’t sacrifice clarity or detail for that bump in the lows and mids.
I listened to several different playlists through Sennheiser’s HD660S2s and their sublime IE900 IEMs. I also connected Campfire Audio’s Mammoth IEMs and HiFiMan HE-4XX planar magnetic headphones. Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” is an intricately detailed and mixed big band jazz romp that shines a light on the DS2’s detail and musicality. It reproduces that track with almost analytic precision, allowing you to bask in the separation of the instruments and how they’re layered in the stereo image.
The bass and mids aren’t earth-shattering, but they are entertaining. On that same Mingus track, the upright bass is present and assertive without stepping on the horns or hi-hat. Skrillex’s “Mumbai Power” and Big K.R.I.T.’s “My Sub” growl and rumble with aplomb.
In listening to Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes” and the Get Out OST track “Shikilinga Kwa XXXX,” you’ll discover the closed-back headphone-like soundstage. To be clear, the vocals are bright. On good headphones and with DACs that don’t smooth out the mids and highs, Paul Simon’s vocals are just a hair shy of sibilant, as was the case with the DS2. The shrill horns I regularly reference in Art Blakey’s “Moanin’” are expectedly shrill with the DS2.
Overall, this is a great listening experience for $60, and it will grow with you thanks to its inclusion of the 4.4mm balanced connection that should have sufficient power to drive all but the most extremely demanding headphones and IEMs.
Fosi Audio DS2: Competition
The competition at $60 is almost non-existent. There is competition in hardware from the HiBy FC4, Fiio KA13, and Fiio Ka3. All three share similar features and have both single-ended and balanced outputs, but you’re going to pay $20 more for them with no significant difference in sound quality.
Then there’s the iFi GO link, which will run you the same $60 but won’t get you the same features. You’ll get the 3.5mm single-ended port but no 4.4mm, or 2.5mm balanced output and no on-device volume controls.
Fosi Audio DS2: Should you buy it?
You should buy the Fosi Audio DS2 if…
- You’re on a budget
- You have good headphones/IEMs with 4.4mm cables
- You’re just getting into Apple Lossless
You shouldn’t buy the Fosi Audio DS2 if…
- You have power hungry 3.5mm cabled IEMs
At this price point, you won’t find many options with a 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced audio jack. For $59.99, the clarity and detail of the Fosi Audio DS2 2024 make this an excellent choice for those just diving into audiophile territory. It even provides enough bass and sub-bass to satisfy the bass heads among us.
With a solid build quality and a 24-month warranty, the DS2 is a solid investment in enjoying hi-resolution audio.
Low cost entry to audiophile-land!
For those just getting into Apple Lossless and Hi-Res Audio, the Fosi Audio DS2 is a great investment with no worry of having “buyer’s remorse.”
