Fosi Audio Q4 Gaming DAC & AMP Review: Affordable Audio?
Fosi Audio Q4 - Gaming DAC Headphone AMP
Is the Fosi Audio Q4 Gaming DAC AMP really an affordable option for budget gamers and audio enthusiasts? Should you buy it? Is it better than the FX-Audio X6?
If you remember the early PC gaming days where sound cards were a thing, you might still ask yourself, “do I need a sound card nowadays?”.
Well, we aren’t really here to answer that question, however, one alternative to an internal sound card is a DAC AMP setup.
In simple terms, using a DAC allows you to externalize your sound card and give your headphones new life. Now, we aren’t getting into crazy audiophile reviewing. This is a basic overview for average consumers and gamers.
What is a DAC AMP (or DAC AMP Combo)?
Well, a DAC is a digital-to-analog converter. This allows your audio information to be converted from 0s and 1s to an analog signal. The reason for doing this would be to send this signal to a headphone amplifier, and then into your headphones.
However, in most cases you cannot directly connect an amplifier to headphones, so you need an intermediate (DAC)
If you’re interested, HEADPHONES.com has a much more in-depth explanation.
Fosi Audio Q4 Review
Fosi Audio has been around since 2017 (brand story). They mainly focus on audio equipment and have really impressed us with their offerings (specifically pricing).
As far as quality, we have never had any issues. The DAC AMP is built well using high-quality feeling materials, but we’ll get into that later.
Features
Starting off with the features, the Fosi Audio Q4 DAC AMP is designed to give you an amplified audio experience.
There are 3 different inputs that you can use;
- USB
- Optical
- Coaxial
So, you have several options for hooking each of your audio sources up. Once a source is attached you just need to flip the switch to whichever one you’re using. It is a fairly simple setup.
In addition, the front panel has not only a volume dial, but a separate treble and bass adjustment as well. This is greatly appreciated and many other DAC AMP’s do not have this feature. It is especially helpful if you’re not running audio from a source with an equalizer (EQ) adjustment.
Next, is the power. Fosi uses USB power for this DAC AMP. There are a few pros and a few cons to this.
Firstly, the main con is that this is not an overly powerful amp.
However, the pro to this is that it is extremely versatile. You can easily use it with a mobile device such as a laptop.
Fosi Audio Q4 Specifications:
- 160mW RMS
- (32 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 KHz, 0.01% THD)
- 24bit/192KHz HD stream
- 5V USB Power
- 16ohm to 200ohm headphone capability
Other than that, as far as features go, it is pretty simple plug and play. There isn’t much setup with the Fosi Q4, just plug in your headphones (output) and go!
How Does the Fosi Audio Q4 Sound?
Compared to our Sound Blaster Z PCI-e Gaming Sound Card, the Fosi Audio DAC Q4 stacks up pretty well. It was fairly easy to setup and sounds really good.
We used it with our V-Moda headphones and the Fosi DAC AMP really elevated the sound. The additional control of bass, treble and volume was appreciated.
The settings we used were volume at around 60%, bass and treble both at 50%. It elevated the sounds that regularly wouldn’t be heard just from standard drivers.
In addition, we heard a more full powerful sound signature.
Final Verdict
Full disclosure – if you couldn’t tell, we are not audiophiles. We appreciate good audio, but definitely don’t have as tuned ears as some others.
However, with that said, for average gamers (and consumers), the Fosi Audio Q4 DAC AMP will definitely elevate your headphone listening experience.
We highly recommend the Fosi Q4 for not only it’s performance, but it’s price as well. You will get a lot of value with this product sitting on your desk. It is built very well, seems to be durable and feels high-quality.
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