Fosi Audio MD3 Review: A Different Kind Of DAC
Greetings mate and Welcome aboard!
Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Today’s review will cover Fosi Audio’s MD3, a small portable Amplifier + DAC combo meant for listening to music with a pair of headphones.
We’ll cover build quality, features, performance, and more.
Why Listen To Me?
I’ve spent nearly 20 years mixing, EQing, and critically listening to music, with hands-on experience across over 200 pieces of audio gear. My focus is simple: break down how something actually sounds/performs, determine price to performance, and help you decide if it’s right for your setup.
- Required Reading: My Ethos
With that, let’s dive in!
Build & Aesthetic
To start, the Anodized Aluminum Alloy Chassis MD3 is a solidly built, super intuitive piece of gear with a neat form factor and a rugged feel.
Weighing in at only 50g and 0.47 inches thicc, it still feels substantial enough to put your mind at ease and proves to be super portable.
The front contains a circular 1.28″ LCD display featuring a nifty-looking 100-Step Volume meter reminiscent of a car speedometer.
This makes it really simple to see exactly what volume you’re at, and it’s actually *gasp* fun to use.
Right beside the volume number you’re at, the unit displays the source file, and if you press the orange “Vista” button, you can enter photo album mode, switch images, or return to the previous menu.
That’s right, you can actually upload photos to the device and have yourself an afternoon delight. You can also play games with it: rolling dice, spin the bottle, and rock, paper, scissors.
The top of the unit reveals the USB-C port for audio decoding support, image transfer, and charging.
The right side contains your volume +/Menu Up, Volume -/Menu Down, and Main Function Button/Confirm.
On the bottom, you’ll find another USB-C to support audio decoding, image transfer, and firmware upgrades, providing a bit of flexibility to your setup.
The back of the device houses a magnetic backplate containing 16 N52 high-strength magnets, allowing you to securely attach it to your phone, and the orange, hand-stitched leather aesthetic is very pleasing to the eye.
Button functionality is fairly straightforward as well.
The orange Vista button enters photo playback mode, and a double press rotates the screen clockwise 90 degrees each time.
A single press of the main function button enters the function menu, a long press locks the vista button, and another long press unlocks.
Menu Page
The main function button selects the highlighted menu item, and the volume +/- scrolls through options. Contrary to what Mobile Audiophile said in his MD3 review, you don’t have to scroll down and press the back button every time you want to go to the previous menu. Just press the orange “Vista” button.
Settings
Press the function button on the side to scroll through settings. USB mode, Output Gain, UAC Mode, Source Volume, Digital Filters (Min Phase, Apodizing, Fast Linear, Fast Linear LR, Slow Linear, Fast min, Slow Min, Low Dispersion), Brightness (20, 40, 60, 80, 100%), Screen Saver, Saver Mode, Slideshow, Rotate Screen, Language, Software Version, Factory Reset).
Performance
- Playlist(s): Here, Here, Here, & Here
- My Music: Here
- Source(s): FLAC, Lossless
- Headphones Used: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro X
Containing an ES9039Q2M DAC chip, the MD3 provides a neutral, clean backdrop for your tunes and performs very well.
Also equipped is a 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone output; the MD3 supports PCM 32-Bit/384kHz and native DSD256, with a THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise) of only 0.00075% for immaculate, lossless listening.
And, with an SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of 116dB, you can rest assured that whatever you’re listening to remains clean and faithfully reproduced.
Additionally, you can charge it while listening, and it features volume memory, meaning you set the volume once, and it automatically remembers it each time it’s powered on.
Furthermore, power output is very good, but do be advised that you’ll probably be using it on high gain. I haven’t really had to push the volume much past 50, and it has more than enough juice to drive any IEMs you may have, in addition to most headphones as well.
Caveats
No Lightning Adapter
This is a pretty big deal for me since I have an iPhone, but fortunately, I have the Go Link adapter.
Final Verdict
Fosi Audio’s MD3 is a well-built DAC with loads of features, fantastic specs, a clean backdrop for your music, and enough power to satisfy most of the audiophile weirdos out there. It’s intuitive (for the most part), very portable, and attaches to your phone via magnet for Pete’s sake. What more could you want? This one will definitely be going on my best portable headphone amps & dacs list.
Fosi Audio MD3: Pricing
In The Box
Fosi Audio MD3
L-shaped USB-C to USB-C Cable (Charging Supported)
USB-C to USB-A Adapter
USB-C to USB-C Cable
Specifications
Chipset
- DAC: ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M
- Amplifier Chips: ESS ES9603Q ×4
Input
- USB-C (Top): Audio Decoding/Image
- Transfer/Charging
- USB-C(Bottom): Audio Decoding/Image
- Transfer/Firmware Upgrade
Output
- 3.5mm Single-Ended, 4.4mm Balanced
USB Audio Class
- UAC 2.0, UAC 1.0
Max Sampling Rate
- UAC 2.0: PCM 32bit/384kHz, DSD256(Native)
- UAC 1.0: PCM 16bit/48kHz
Max Output Power
(1kHz, THD+N＜1%)
- 3.5mm: ≥80mWx2 @32Ω
- 4.4mm: ≥180mWx2 @32Ω
Frequency Response
- 20Hz-48kHz(±0.2dB)
SNR
- 3.5mm: ≥115dB
- 4.4mm: ≥116dB
Dynamic Range
- 3.5mm: ≥115dB
- 4.4mm: ≥116dB
THD+N
- 3.5mm: ≤0.00075%
- 4.4mm: ≤0.00084%
Noise Floor
- 3.5mm:＜1.7μV
- 4.4mm:＜2.7μV
Headphone Impedance
- 16-300Ω
Weight(without cable)
- 50g(±2g)
Dimensions
- 70x45x12mm
- (2.76×1.77×0.47in)
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Fosi Audio MD3 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 MD3 a great value like Walmart Greek Yogurt? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ] > Now AudioFiles Anonymous
