Review on Fosi Audio K1 Bluetooth 5.0 DAC Headphone Amplifier Mini Stereo DAC Amp & Preamplifier 🔊 - 24-Bit/192 KHz USB/Optical/Coaxial to RCA AUX Digital-to-Analog Audio Converter Adapter for Enhanced Home Audio System by Steve Brethorst

For the past few weeks I've been wanting to get an external DAC. When I saw the Fosi K1 at half the price of the Schiit Modi 3 I had to take the plunge and give it a try. Ultimately, I want a DAC to connect Chromecast audio (optical) to my stereo receiver, speakers, and subwoofer. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for a mini fiber optic cable for Chromecast audio. So for this test I compared the Fosi K1 DAC with the built-in sound card in my MacBook Air 2014 and MacBook Pro 2019. What do you get with K1? The package includes: • K1 DAC • Bluetooth antenna • Micro USB cable for power supply • USB AB cable for connection to a computer • Optical cable • Eight self-adhesive shock absorber feet. The K1 DAC is well built and feels solid. What is clearly missing is a USB power adapter. First, I determined the power consumption of K1. I connected it to RAVPower and a universal USB adapter, both rated at 5V and rated at 2.4A and 1.2A maximum respectively. To turn the device on, I simply pressed the volume knob for 2 seconds until the LED lit up on the back of the device. With each adapter, the K1 drew a stable current of 0.388A. I'm sure this DAC will work with any standard USB phone adapter. For comparison, I was listening to Spotify streaming music through a pair of Klipsch reference headphones. Both Mac laptops run Mac OS 11.4 (Big Sur). The K1 DAC was automatically recognized by both Mac laptops without the need to install any software (plug and play). The K1's DAC is significantly more powerful than a laptop's headphone jack. At about 30% power of the K1 DAC, the music sounded very detailed. To get the same level of detail without the DAC, I had to crank the volume up to 60% on the laptop at 70% power. In addition, the music on the DAC has a significantly improved soundstage and visualization. I've heard two albums: Eagles Hotel California and Dire Straits Brothers in Arms. With the DAC you notice that the sounds were layered on top of each other and there was a clear spatial separation between the various instruments and the vocals. This improvement was noticeable compared to the Macbook Air's built-in sound card. While the Macbook Pro's sound card is very good on its own, the K1's DAC was able to add even more detail to the music. Overall I'm impressed with the performance and build of the K1 DAC, especially at such a low price point. Oh, I also tried the Bluetooth function. I used the volume button to change input (quick press to switch between USB, optical, coaxial and Bluetooth inputs). When I got to Bluetooth, the LED turned blue and started blinking. At this point my computer recognized "Fosi Audio K1" as an available Bluetooth device and it connected with no problems. In short, the Bluetooth connection works and is easy to set up, but unsurprisingly it doesn't sound as good as the wired inputs.