I would like to thank Jerry at Fosi Audio for sending the K7 to review!
Full disclosure: This is a paid review but I made it clear to them that I do not guarantee positive reviews or recommendations – I make in-depth, honest evaluations based on my impressions and the ultimate value that the product may or may not provide.
Greetings mate and Welcome aboard!
Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Last time we reviewed Fosi Audio’s K5 Pro, and spoiler alert: I didn’t recommend it due to some technical issues and overall unreliability. That said, I thought the company had a lot of potential and looked forward to future releases.
That brings us to today. Is their K7 a dramatic improvement over the K5 Pro? Is it worth purchasing?
Let’s review it and find out. We’ll discuss build, aesthetics, functionality, sound, power output, overall versatility, value/price to performance, and more.
By the time you’re finished reading this, you’ll know if it’s right for you, and if it isn’t, I’ll point you in the direction of something that is.
Deal?
Cool.
Let’s dive in.
All specs, pricing, and box contents towards the end!
What is it?
For the uninitiated, Fosi Audio’s K7 is a Gaming Headphone Amplifier + DAC (digital to analog converter) + Preamplifier combo rolled into one. Needing no drivers, it connects to your PC or gaming console via USB and the preamp section simply means you can hook it up to active speakers. More on that in a bit.
Headphone Amp/DAC combos are convenient because you don’t need to purchase the components separately. This allows for a seamless experience that can be easily integrated into almost any setup.
Now that we know what it is pimpin’, let’s dive into the review proper.
Build
Kicking things off, the K7’s build is much better than the K5 Pro and also looks a lot more professional. Weighing in at a middleweight-ish 18.3 Oz. (536g) it’s robust, feels durable, and is just heavy enough to put your mind at ease. It’s not quite Evander Holyfield in his prime, but getting there like Flying Lotus.
Instead of the controls on the front panel, they’re on top. You’ll really enjoy this because it makes the DAC feel like a workstation and it’s also much easier to see everything. In this way, it reminds me of making beats which is just about the one thing I love most in the world.
The left-hand side contains a volume control knob that also doubles as a gain switch. Short press it to cycle between low and high gain, and rotate to adjust the volume.
Next to that is the LCD display, and to the right of that is your bass/treble/microphone volume control.
Rotate to adjust the gain, and short press to turn on/off the microphone (valid when using UAC1.0 mode only).
Below are 5 buttons: the Power On/Off, input mode selector, output mode selector, bypass toggle, and the Tone/Mic button.
Power Button
Short press to turn on and long press for 1.5 seconds to turn off. When the device is on, short press to switch between UAC1.0 and 2.0 (valid when using USB input only).
Bypass Toggle
Short press to toggle between bypass (direct signal) and EQ.
If you didn’t know, Direct mode simply bypasses all of the effects and preserves the original audio signal.
TONE/MIC Button
Short press to switch between bass, treble, and microphone volume control, then fine-tune via the CTRL knob.
Front Panel
Here we have a 3.5mm microphone input, a 3.5mm single-ended headphone input (cannot be used for calls with only 4-pole headphones), and a 4.4mm balanced headphone input which I thought was an excellent decision. 4.4 is becoming the standard, go-to way to listen balanced and I’m impressed Fosi included it here.
Back Panel
The back contains RCA outputs, a Bluetooth Antenna Connector, coaxial input, optical input, USB-C input, and the DC 12V power input.
Wow.
Fosi really… upped their game (pun kind of intended here), as the K7 is incredibly useful and works for a lot of different listening scenarios:
I can connect it to my PS4 via optical, I can use it wirelessly with my phone via Bluetooth (speakers or headphones), I can be a weirdo audiophile and listen balanced via 4.4 or listen up to DSD256, I can game with it and whine about Call of Duty latency issues to all my friends with its microphone jack, I can output the sound to separate active speakers like the FiiO SP3 (wired or BT), and I can tweak the sound to my liking with the bass/treble features.
Fosi also added a splitter in the package which is conspicuously absent in Creative’s G8; a fine DAC in its own right and a clear competitor to the K7.
This means you can easily use the K7 with something like a V-Moda Boom Pro or any other mic with a single 3.5mm wire.
Obviously, you can also use the K7 with an Ant Lion Mod Mic (2 separate wires, one for your headphones and one for the mic), so don’t fret.
Everything is super intuitive and user-friendly, and, in addition to it working seamlessly (unlike their K5 Pro) the K7 is incredibly fun to play with as well.
Moreover, the buttons feel great to the touch and are very responsive. The only thing I would have liked to see here is a backlit LED (for the buttons) since, without my phone’s flashlight, I had a bit of trouble deciphering the prompts in the pitch black of night.
Still, the 1.5″ center display is easy to read, looks really cool, and enables you to quickly and easily land on the right setting for whatever you’re doing.
In addition to that, it shows the format and sample rate you’re in which is a nice added touch. In fact, every mode scenario displays the appropriate icon and becomes incredibly intuitive to use:
Headphone output = headphone icon (shown in the upper right)
Line Output Mode = small wire icon (upper right)
Treble adjustment = displayed as “Tre” (left side)
Bass adjustment = displayed as “Bass” (left side)
Bypass mode on = displayed as “BYPASS” (left side)
UAC 1.0/2.0 = displayed as “1.0” and 2.0″ (right side)
Microphone Volume adjustment = displayed as “MIC”
Mute/Unmute = displayed as a mic with or without a slash through
Source(s): PS4, Bluetooth (iPhone/AAC), Spotify, FLAC
In addition to easily driving any of the 20+ headphones I have here (advertised 16-300Ω, 2.1W+2.1W), the K7 provides a fairly neutral sound output and boasts an excellent 121dB Signal-to-noise ratio. This easily surpasses the 90dB SINAD (Signal to noise and distortion) standard and ensures a clean signal for anything you may be doing: Gaming, listening to music, mixing, watching film, recording a podcast, etc.
Moreover, the treble feature is pretty nifty and adds some sparkle to the high end (IF NEEDED).
I’m pretty snobby about bass, so I’m typically not using this feature, but one thing I’d like to see in a future release is a mid-range adjustment since the mids are arguably the most important in a track. That said, this is an incredibly useful DAC and I’m having a ton of fun with it.
If you’re familiar with my website and how I review products (DACs specifically), I’m always looking for tremendous value and versatility in any prospective recommendations.
The K7? This is a super easy purchase and I wouldn’t think twice about it.
Final Verdict
I’m incredibly happy to report that the K7 is a massive, massive upgrade over the K5 Pro in every conceivable way.
Fosi Audio really improved tremendously with this release, and I wholeheartedly applaud the effort and evolution.
In fact, this is one of the best updates I can recall in the 10+ years this site’s been in existence, as it’s clear they took a lot of feedback very seriously (whether it was mine or otherwise).
If you’re a gamer, music enthusiast, producer, live streamer, film/TV enjoyer, audioFILE, or straight-up nerd, you’ll love this thing.
Rated Power Output: L+R≥600mW+600mW (32Ω/THD+N<1%)
SNR: 122dB (A-Weighted)
THD+N: 0.0005% (A-Weighted)
Dynamic Range: 121dB
Noise Floor: ≤2.5µV (A-Weighted)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz (±0.1dB)
RCA Output Specs
Output Level: ≥2Vrms
SNR: 121dB (A-Weighted)
THD+N: 0.0005% (A-Weighted)
Dynamic Range: 121dB
Noise Floor: ≤3µV (A-Weighted)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz (±0.1dB)
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Fosi Audio K7 Review and came away with some valuable insight.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please leave them down below or Contact me!!
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Is the K7 a worthy gaming DAC? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
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Stu is determined to help you make sound decisions, and strives to deliver the best and most in depth content on the internet! In his spare time, he likes to fish, paint, play guitar, pray, rap, make beats, take photos, record videos, graphic design, and more. His sense of humour, coupled with a knack for excellence and strict attention to detail are what allow him to stand out in an crowded industry.
2 comments
What’s the scoop with the kickstarter? Did Fosi give you any further info on availability or release date?
Hey thank you for stopping by! Yeah should be around the 15th. Really excited about this one.