Fosi Audio DS2 (ESS Version)

Headphones and Coffee

Previously known as Wretched Stare
Good little performer
Pros: Great details and technicalities with dedicated volume and high low gain control.
Cons: No MQA, no protective cover.
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Specification
DAC Chipset: Dual ESS ES9018K2M QUAD DAC Chips
Output Power: SE: 120mw(32Ω) BAL: 250mw(32Ω)
S/N 108dB
Frequency Response: 20HZ-20KHZ +/-0.5dB
PCM: Up to 32bit/768kHz
DSD: DSD64/128/256/512
Dynamic Range: 108dB
Recommended Headphone Impedance: 16~300Ω(SE); 16~300Ω(BAL)
Dual Headphone Outputs: 3.5mm single-ended,4.4mm balanced output
Supported Devices: Mac\Windows\iOS\Android
Product Weight: 15g

The Fosi DS2
The DS2 dongle comes with a cable and adapter and manual.

The DS2 is very similar in sound to the DS1, it is lighter inn build but still made of metal and has dual outputs.
It performed very well in both full-sized headphone and sensitive IEM.
The sound is a slight warm but very transparent quality with an open and airy signature.
Impressions: The DS2 sounds clean, with good details, transparency and natural tonality with a hint or warmth and musicality making it very pleasant. In A to B testing, it provided a louder and better sounding presentation than the stock DAC chip included. It has a fair amount of air and openness, and soundstage is accurate and above average in width and depth. headphones tested with the DS2 were the HiFiman HE x-4, the Fostex T20rp, Dekoni Blues, 1More Triple and Philips X2HR to name a few, IEM use were the Moondrop Kato, Sonic Memory SM2, NF NM2 plus, the Kinera Hodur and Moondrop Aria SE.

The DS2 is an exceptional value in my opinion, it offers a noticeable improvement at a good price to performance ratio.
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dirtdawg
dirtdawg
I have a BTR5 which I mainly use in wireless mode when I'm out and about, but I sometimes use it wired to my phone at my desk at home. How much of an upgrade (sonically) would it be if I got a wired dongle for that purpose? I'm eyeing either the iBasso DC04 Pro or the Fosi DS2 since both are within my budget.
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