Fosi LC30 review

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Fosi LC30 review - Fosi Audio

I just received a package with this year's anticipated new product from the profiling audio equipment manufacturer Fosi, and it is a practical switcher between two amplifiers and two pairs of speakers, perfected by the addition of two backlit retro VUs, one for each stereo channel. 

Specifications
Dimensions: 236.6 x 143.5 x 77.4 mm
Mass: 1,560 g
Material and colour: matte black aluminium
Max power: 250 W per channel
Power supply: DC 5V (USB-C)
VU brightness: 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, off,
Package contents: user manual, remote control, USB-C to USB-A power cable

Unboxing

The product arrived in the usual dark gray-blue Fosi packaging, generously secured with foam and in a sturdy cardboard box. The switcher itself is wrapped in antistatic bag. Furthermore, there is a basic user manual, remote control and USB power cable.

You don't really need the manual to understand how the device works, but it's still worth a look. The remote control is definitely useful, you can lie down comfortably in your chair without needing to get up. Usually, I prefer to play with those knobs and buttons up close, but it sure is handy. However, I was surprised by the power cable with a USB-C termination. The switcher naturally requires minimal electricity to operate, and the USB-C type is a practical and versatile solution, which can be powered by just a computer or one of the many generic USB chargers I have in my drawer. In the audio world, this is definitely an upcoming trend, and it will be interesting to see where it leads in the future. And if you want, you can even connect the switcher to a power bank. I don’t know why you would do that, but still, you can... 😃

And now the switcher itself. In the hot summer, its cool all-metal body was extra pleasant to touch, and thanks to four soft pads, it does not slide on the table. VU meters are placed behind glass or plexiglass panels, it's hard to tell and I definitely won't be scratching it. I was surprised they didn't have a protective film on them. The surface is elegantly matte, but you can see every fingerprint on it. (I understand the remote now.) It has some weight to it and it gives you a solid feeling of a quality product. The trio of buttons on the front is pleasantly clicky, which is further enhanced by the click of the switched relay inside, and thanks to the LEDs you can immediately tell which amplifier (A or B) and pair of speakers (1 or 2) you are currently on. The knob above them is completely silent, not infinite but missing a marker, so you have to experiment with it a bit, but 95% of the time I had it all the way to the right anyway. More on that later.

At the back, it has eight pairs of connectors for two amplifiers and two pairs of speakers. The connectors themselves are a bit larger than I'm used to from compact amps, but if you don't trust the banana jacks, this makes it all the easier to switch cables and devices around as you please. (And there's plenty of room for my fat fingers, too.)

The remote control is certainly fine at this price point and it gives the Fosi switcher an edge over the competition. Except for the barely noticeable black inscription Fosi Audio, it is not marked in any way, but how many devices with options 1, 2, A and B do you have around, right? Besides switching, it also allows you to control the brightness and turn the device on or off remotely. It is powered by two AAA batteries, which are not included.

First impressions

When I started it, the beige VU alarms (also available in black) immediately lit up with a pleasant yellowish light. The same button also controls the brightness in five steps (the last setting remains when turning off) and long press turns it off completely. The left button switches between the first and second pair of speakers, while the right button switches between amplifier A and B. In both cases, a subtle orange glowing diode informs about the selection.
The controller is very handy, and only after using it I appreciated that it is possible not only to select a specific amplifier A/B and speakers 1/2, but also to switch with the AMP and SPK button, which allows for truly blind switching. (Funny thing… The AMP button also mutes my Genius computer surround speakers.)
As is often the case, when you see a button, you can’t resist. You have to press it. 😊 I noticed an interesting thing, namely that switching causes a slight change in the VU meter light intensity (the least light with 1A, the most with 2B). I’m not very technically skilled, but below is a table with measured current in individual states for interest. I won’t keep you in suspense; the relays have different electrical properties, and their switching changes the load.
The knob controls the sensitivity of the VU meters, so you can enjoy a somewhat brisk movement of the needles even during the quieter (but not too much) recordings. The scale from -60 to +6 dB then becomes somewhat irrelevant from an accurate measurement perspective, but it also makes it accessible to “ordinary people.” And adjusting with the knob is really a hundred times better than some tiny screw at the bottom like in other similar products.
For the first test, I prepared my proven pair of Dali Spektor 2 speakers (sensitivity slightly lower 84.5dB), Fosi V3 amplifier and also a tube amp Aiyima T9 Pro (with integrated VU meter) and began the usual circus of connecting a coil of angry hissing snakes. As a logical placement of the amplifiers, it is suggested to put them on top of the LC30 switcher and use the shortest possible cable connectors, and here a pleasant surprise awaited. Not only did the two amps fit side by side, but the Fosi V3 amp has the same length as the LC30 switcher and the same finish, and except for the white vs gray labels, they look like they were made for each other.



My experiences
So, I've fitted a pair of Dali Spektor 2 speakers (position 1) and the Fosi V3 (A) and Aiyima T9 Pro (B) amps off for the time being. For interest, I connected a generic USB meter to the power supply and compared the supply current in the following table:

Brightness

Dali Spektor 2 (1)

Unconnected speakers (2)

A

B

A

B

100%

0,51 A

0,26 A

0,35 A

0,09 A

75%

0,49 A

0,24 A

0,33 A

0,07 A

50%

0,47 A

0,21 A

0,31 A

0,04 A

25%

0,44 A

0,19 A

0,28 A

0,02 A

0%

0,42 A

0,16 A

0,26 A

0,00 A


Table 1- Measured current on the USB cable, the music and the movement of the VU had no noticeable effect, the USB meter
was not calibrated (the measured values ​​not completely accurate!), the maximum power of the device is around 2.1 W, voltage 4,95 V
Then there was nothing left but to connect it to the player (I used the Bluetooth connection of the Aiyima) and sit back in the chair. Ah... Those who don’t know VU meters won’t believe it, but I could watch them all day. The VU meter needles are brisk, and with a bit of feeling, they can be set so that the decibel range more or less (more probable) corresponds to reality.
The LC30 is a really well-done piece that shouldn’t be missing from any speaker setup, and it gives one the opportunity to enjoy music with their eyes as well. If its connection has any negative impact on the sound, I didn’t notice it, and by using quality cables (as long as you measure them in meters and not kilometres), I think any risk is completely eliminated. I also didn’t notice any crackling or anything like that when switching between speakers and amplifiers; only the switch itself is always accompanied by a loud click of the relay inside.
At first, I was slightly disappointed that the switcher only conducts sound under power. It wasn’t until later that I realized the clicking must be caused by electrical relays, so I experimented and indeed, the B2 configuration conducts sound even without being powered on. If a different configuration is set at startup, the relays will fall into B2 when turned off and will return to the original configuration when powered on again. (This is actually well noticeable in the previous table, only I approached it the other way around.)
There’s no magic here either, and the user has to manually balance the volume of both amplifiers as best as possible so that their immediate comparison by switching makes sense. A less sensitive ear (like mine) may also help to unify the sound characteristics as much as possible.
As I already mentioned, using the Aiyima T9 Pro amplifier (upgraded with Mullard 6AS6 tubes), I got the opportunity to compare the LC30 with its built-in VU meter, which, however, is shared by both channels, and its contribution is therefore quite debatable, apart from simply being an eye candy. But its compact little body just doesn't have the space for a separate VU, so it can't compete in that regard, and the LC30 is in a different league altogether. In any case, both devices responded at the same time, so neither device probably uses a generator of random movements 😊 But it is also true that the VU meters in neither device are sensitive enough to be used for normal listening to music at normal levels (for example when trying to work), unless you really have demanding speakers. But by the way, the LC30 switcher was still a hair more sensitive than the Aiyima.
At this point I could ramble on and compare the amps here, but this review is not about that. So…

 

Conclusion and evaluation

I definitely wholeheartedly recommend the LC30 switcher to everyone at least to try it out. Sure, with a price tag of around $160/€180, it's not the cheapest device, but it certainly has the potential to liven up any audio setup, even if you don’t need the ability to switch two sets of amps and speakers and only have it plugged in between a single amp/speaker all the time. Here, perhaps, there is an opportunity for Fosi to release a lightweight, cheaper version just for these customers, but who knows... Or, if it is technically possible with an even weaker signal, then do a similar piece with RCA connectors. (And they don't necessarily have to be analogue needle VU meters either.)
The, who’s the target customer? Audiophiles will appreciate the fast and practical switching, but will they also appreciate the VU meters themselves, when their scale is not quite realistic? Hard to say. I would definitely recommend adding a small peak LED in the future and also the possibility of automatic switching on (perhaps using a sensitivity knob, similar to the V3 amp would be appreciated by almost everyone.

 

 

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