Introducing the Fosi Audio K7 Gaming DAC Headphone Amp-HiFi Sound.Gaming Precision.

[nioh]

I'm only seeing this listed on IFI Zen DAC 3 spec page, no other model has it mentioned and older models like micro iDSD Black Label don't have it for sure.

Any idea which other models have it?

It’s not listed everywhere but all Zen DACs from 1 to 3, Gryphon, Go Blu all support it. These are the ones I’ve owned/tested. I’m sure other models, especially the newer ones support too.

 

[Moon5123]

Unboxing on YouTube:

 

[Fosi Audio]

That is a lovely looking device with a great spec. I know it's targeting gamers... could we see a higher tier model for music fans with the QCC5229 or QCC7226+QCP7321? That would make it a killer/endgame product.


The QCC5229 supports lossless at 16/44.1/48, 24/44.1/48 and lossy 24-bit 192kHz. (I don't know if this chip can act as a transmitter or if they have another tuned for that)

The QCC7226+QCP7321 supports all the above and up to 24-bit 96kHz lossless over Wi-Fi. ( No receivers for this yet but hopefully soon )

Hi friend, actually, the target audience for the K7 isn’t limited to gamers. Its core user base is still headphone HiFi enthusiasts, or more specifically, users who enjoy both HiFi headphones and gaming.

Additionally, thank you for suggesting the QCC5229 or QCC7226+QCP7321 solution. I’ll pass this on to our R&D team, and they will evaluate whether to incorporate this solution in future DAC/amp models.

 

[phiemon]

Here is a review of K7 from Musicphotolife

https://musicphotolife.com/2025/01/fosi-audio-k7-review-dac-headphones-amplifier/

Great, that's promising for my HD800S, it confirms the idea that it's strong enough and the timbre is ideal

Just use optical out/hdmi extracters with HDR10 pass through

No, I had already tried that once as an option. At that time, cables were limited to 4K/60Hz, now I don't remember, but I don't like fiddling with things like that: I don't want any adapters or similar in the chain with the risk that audio / video / delay could suffer in terms of quality. Of course it's all theoretical and maybe I wouldn't notice any difference in practice, but there is a “potential” possibility. I have also read that they sometimes cause problems, so they could not work flawlessly. So I want something direct: UAC 1.0 or nothing.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Fantastic looking piece of kit. Been saying we need higher quality dac amp/dacs with mic input.

Features seem well thought out and easy to use. Price is also what I'd consider ideal for such a fleshed out, "all you need" device.

About the only thing I wish this and the Schiit Gunnr had would be an analog sidetone/mic monitoring capability (for no delay) piped through a noise reduction path.

 

[IceIceberg]

Fantastic looking piece of kit. Been saying we need higher quality dac amp/dacs with mic input.

Features seem well thought out and easy to use. Price is also what I'd consider ideal for such a fleshed out, "all you need" device.

About the only thing I wish this and the Schiit Gunnr had would be an analog sidetone/mic monitoring capability (for no delay) piped through a noise reduction path.

I agree with you. It seems that this kit is an improved version of the K5, with better design and enhanced convenience.
I think it will be a versatile DAC suitable for both gamers and regular listeners.

 

[OhmsClaw]

Great, that's promising for my HD800S, it confirms the idea that it's strong enough and the timbre is ideal


No, I had already tried that once as an option. At that time, cables were limited to 4K/60Hz, now I don't remember, but I don't like fiddling with things like that: I don't want any adapters or similar in the chain with the risk that audio / video / delay could suffer in terms of quality. Of course it's all theoretical and maybe I wouldn't notice any difference in practice, but there is a “potential” possibility. I have also read that they sometimes cause problems, so they could not work flawlessly. So I want something direct: UAC 1.0 or nothing.

I only use this for video game consoles. For home theater it's a compromise, as eArc is what you want for pass through.

 

[GREQ]

My review of the K7.
I will publish the readable version here later today for those who don't like watching videos.


EDIT - Written review is also out now - https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fo...-dac-headphone-amp.27827/reviews#review-36782

Notes - four points have come to my attention regarding my review
1 - The Bluetooth lag I experienced could be due to my old outdated Bluetooth dongle
2 - The tiny humming I heard was with ONE hyper-sensitive IEM and should not appear on over 99% of all headphones/IEMs
3 - Clicking the Volume knob toggles between High and Low Gain
4 - Clicking the Tone/Mic knob toggles Micrphone-Mute

 

[Fosi Audio]

About the only thing I wish this and the Schiit Gunnr had would be an analog sidetone/mic monitoring capability (for no delay) piped through a noise reduction path.

Thank you for your great idea! I’ve already noted down your suggestion and will submit it to our R&D team for evaluation.

 

[Fosi Audio]

The K7 crowdfunding campaign has launched! Don’t miss the chance to enjoy the launch day special discount for the K7!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fosiaudio/fosi-audio-k7-gaming-headphone-amp-dac

 

[Jawileth]

Fantastic looking piece of kit. Been saying we need higher quality dac amp/dacs with mic input.

Features seem well thought out and easy to use. Price is also what I'd consider ideal for such a fleshed out, "all you need" device.

About the only thing I wish this and the Schiit Gunnr had would be an analog sidetone/mic monitoring capability (for no delay) piped through a noise reduction path.

This would have been the easiest buy in the world for me if it had sidetone/ mic monitoring. It should be a standard feature of gaming audio equipment.

 

[vsg28]

My review is published now for those interested: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/fosi-audio-k7-gaming-desktop-dac-headphone-amplifier/

 

[Fosi Audio]

K7 is at the CanJam Hong Kong show.

 

[Ianbanz]

Ive been using the K7 for few weeks now and I’m really impressed with how well the AKM DAC chip is implemented in the K7—it’s easily my favorite desktop DAC from Fosi. I primarily use the K7 for music rather than gaming, and I’ve paired it with the MC331. The synergy between these two is simply incredible! The K7 brings technical precision, while the MC331 adds warmth and natural tonality.

 

[kesobie]

FOSI K7 EQ MEASUREMENTS​

One thing that baffled me with the K7 was the EQ feature built in the device. This got me thinking “what exactly does the EQ do to the IEM/headphone when measured?”

That led me to this. I measured the Softears Volume S through the Fosi K7 and cranked the EQ values all the way up (+12 bass, +6 treble) and all the way down (-12 bass, -6 treble).

It seems like Fosi used a high shelf and low shelf filter with a rather low Q factor, particularly on the low shelf and a further cut at the 150 - 300 hz region. This makes the K7 a fantastic way to cut mud or add midbass on your IEMs. The treble is a bit more subtle and really only works if you want to cut energy from the upper mids to treble.

I did further testing and mixed up the values and I will upload this on my database at obodio.squig.link for convenient comparisons. But I thought it was interesting to share my findings on an aspect of the K7 that fascinated me the moment I got it.

Anyways, review and impressions for both of these coming soon!