Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp

Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp, one of the latest Tube DAC with friendly price by Fosi Audio.

The Fosi Audio GR40 is part of the retro-hybrid DAC, headphones amp and pre-amp devices from the brand with the use of vacuum-tubes.

Recently we have reviewed other tube devices from Fosi Audio (Fosi Audio MC331, Fosi Audio P3), which offered excellent value for money, we will see if the GR40 is another great bang for buck from the company.

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Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp Review

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Accessories & Packaging

The Fosi Audio GR40 is packed inside the typical box seen on other products from the brand but not as stylish as the one of the Fosi Audio ZA3 and Fosi Audio ZD3.

With the DAC you also get:

• 2x tubes
• Bluetooth antenna
• PSU

^3.5_/5

Design

Similar with other affordable audio devices from the company, the Fosi Audio GR40 has a compact size and a way tighter footprint than other competitors with built-in power supplies – the GR40 has an external PSU.

Designwise, the Fosi Audio GR40 has a combined style of a modern rectangular DAC/amp and a retro devices with the top-protruding vacuum tubes.

Following the style of most Fosi Audio devices, the GR40 has combination of black and orange colors with the main parts, case and build using black color and seeing orange accents with details such as the volume knob and ring-base of the vacuum tubes.

The front panel of the case is equipped with 3 knobs, the headphone jack, a small status lights that informs the connection mode and a 2nd light that turns on if DSD is in use – these 2 lights are tiny and might not be too visible if you have the DAC in a shelf to high or too low.

The rear panel, instead, holds all the rest of the connectors and the Bluetooth antenna.

As with many modern audio devices with tubes, the Fosi Audio GR40 has 2 small lights that provide a subtle lighting effect over the standard glow of the tubes nature. Despite this, do not expect a very bright light from the backlight; we could even say that if your room is strongly lit or use the GR40 during daytime you might not even notice these backlight – at night or darker rooms, the light is visible.

^4_/5

Operation & Control

The style of the control system of the GR40 is straightforward without any guess work as it is centered on a triple knob design, leaving behind overcomplicated menus and unintuitive display screens like we have seen on the SMSL PA40 and FiiO K11.

The 3 knobs of the Fosi Audio GR40 have independent functions; a bass knob, treble knob and being the 3rd orange knob responsible of volume control, power and mode switching.

All these knobs have a stepless, notch-free rotational movement and a distinctively different resistance; being the volume knob well-balanced while the treble & bass knobs required significant more force to rotate them (maybe a bit too much for our taste)

Worth mentioning that, unlike the Fosi Audio MC331, the Fosi Audio GR40 model does not include a wireless control system through any infrared remote.

^4_/5

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Construction & Build

The Fosi Audio GR40 is part of the entry-level, affordable DAC from the brand but, still, offers a fully aluminum alloy construction with no cheap plastic parts and no wobbly nor rattling sections.

Inside, the guts of the GR40 include a quality Sabre ESS9028Q2M DAC chip and Qualcomm QCC3031 Bluetooth module.

^4.75_/5

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Connectivity

For the low asking price, the Fosi Audio GR40 is well equipped with sufficient input and output options to be widely compatible with many devices and either headphones or passive speakers.

The specific I/O connections are:

Inputs
• USB in (32Bit/384kHz and DSD256 / PC DAC operation)
• Optical in
• Coaxial in
• Bluetooth 5.1 (lossless codecs: aptX, aptX-HD, aptX-LL, SBC, AAC)
• Power in

Outputs
• 3.5mm stereo headphone
• 2xRCA for active speakers

^4_/5

Sound

The internal audio components and 5654W tubes (same tubes as the Fosi Audio MC331) of the Fosi Audio GR40, resulted in smooth sound with a hint of added warmth, typical of vacuum tubes.

Moreover, the GR40 accepts hot-swapping of compatible tubes to change the character and nuances of its sound; such as the EF95, 6Ak5, 6AK5W, 403A/403B, 6J1, 6J1P, 6J2, 6J3, 6J4, 6J5.

Throughout our tests, the affordable Fosi Audio GR40 demonstrated to be a respectable choice for audiophiles on a budget by offering a pleasant sound signature and well-contained hiss and base noise while providing scratchless volume control.

At the same time, the independent treble and bass knobs were not only a welcomed feature to adapt the sound output but also exhibited a clear and decisive amount of boosting of either and separately.

Recently, we reviewed the Fosi Audio ZD3, which was a perfect match to the Fosi Audio ZA3; the Fosi Audio GR40 could be considered a seamless combination with the Fosi Audio V3, as they share similar size, design and offer complementary features and compatible connectivity.

^4_/5

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Summary

Pros

✅ Good performance

✅ Treble & bass control

✅ Swappable tubes

✅ Low power consumption

Cons

❌ No IR remote

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8.1/10

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Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp

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Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp – Review

Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp

Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp Review

Tests & Scores

Accessories & Packaging

Design

Operation & Control

Construction & Build

Connectivity

Sound

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Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp Scores

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Fosi Audio GR40 Tube DAC Preamp

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