Review on Enhanced Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo Audio Amplifier: Fosi Audio BT10A (2021 Upgraded) by Andrea Larson

Bought this little guy to replace a dying 25 year old Denon receiver in my garage audio system. I've seen some good audio houses use Class D amps, and I have a Fosi DAC/headphone amp in my office that delivers rich, clear sound through ATH-M40x headphones, so this seems like a decent choice. Unfortunately I am very disappointed so far. Setup was easy and the amp is more than capable of driving the 6 inch bookshelf speakers in my garage to a super reasonable volume. The problem is the sound quality. While my DAC-Q5 delivers near audiophile quality over phones, this integrated amplifier is at the other end of the scale. The bass and mids are passable - not outstanding, but not annoying. As soon as the frequencies are boosted, the amp falls apart. High frequencies are tinny. - anything resembling the spoken or sung letter "S” is piercingly sharp. This applies to all instruments and voices in the upper register. Fiddles, high guitars and sopranos take on the character of nails on a board gnashing its teeth. Even the initial transients and some percussive passages are drowned out by the noise. Forget cymbals and bells. It really hurts me to write this. I love my little DAC/amp and had high hopes for it. Garage hoping that after a while it will shrink and soften, but after 24 hours everything is no better than when it started. I give it 96 hours and then box it up and send it back.