BostonAHTX
New Member
I recently acquired a Fosi LC30 amplifier/speaker switch. I have been on the hunt for a good product to accurately A/B compare speakers and amplifiers for a while now without breaking the bank.
The Fosi LC30 is a nice all metal constructed A/B speaker/amp switch with VU meters and a remote for easy switching. It’s powered by a single USB type C connection at the back. You get a total of 2 inputs and 2 outputs, and you can get it with yellow or black dials.
My setup consists of using a Denon X3700h receiver going into a 5 channel Marantz amplifier putting out 170w@8 ohms 2 channels driven. I used an RCA Y splitter cable from the L&R pre-outs of my Denon to provide sound to 4 channels of the amplifier. This essentially acts the same as using two separate 2 channel amplifiers. I do this so I can properly line level match the speakers I am trying to compare while using the same equipment. Since speakers have different impedances and sensitivities, level matching is the only way for a fair comparison. The Marantz amplifier has gain knobs on each channel, I used a SPL meter playing white noise and my ears to level match my speakers. The speakers used for this review were a set of Boston VR-M50s and Boston E70s.
When it comes to what I’m looking for in a speaker switch, the LC30 does everything I expect of it plus a little more. The remote works great and switching is fast and easy. I have not heard any degradation in audio quality while playing my music through the switch. The only downside I have noticed is that it seems to lower the level by a few dB when playing through it- this may be due to using RCA splitters to the amp and I just have to turn the volume up a little more when listening through the switch. For the most part the switch is quiet when switching, only during certain songs and higher listening levels do I hear a slight noise or pop. The noise is nowhere near a gamebreaker- I’m probably pushing a little more juice than the switch is rated for in the first place. I have owned a Douk VU3 switch in the past, the Douk made horrible loud noises while switching and emitted a burning smell after only a little use which is why I ended up returning that product. The remote is also way nicer on the Fosi and works just as intended. When it comes to the VU meters on the LC30, they seem to work as intended. I do not use the switch for the VU meters like it seems a good amount of other people do. The sensitivity knob seems to work well, they bounce up and down like they should, and the backlight is nice and bright with 5 different brightness settings. Just understand that the meters aren’t intended to be accurate, they are intended to look cool, to which they do. After all who doesn’t like VU meters?
Overall, I really enjoy the LC30, it does what I need it to do and looks good while doing it. I own a handful of other Fosi products and have always been a fan, they are one of the few companies that listen to their customers for feedback/product improvement and make great stuff.
The Fosi LC30 is a nice all metal constructed A/B speaker/amp switch with VU meters and a remote for easy switching. It’s powered by a single USB type C connection at the back. You get a total of 2 inputs and 2 outputs, and you can get it with yellow or black dials.
My setup consists of using a Denon X3700h receiver going into a 5 channel Marantz amplifier putting out 170w@8 ohms 2 channels driven. I used an RCA Y splitter cable from the L&R pre-outs of my Denon to provide sound to 4 channels of the amplifier. This essentially acts the same as using two separate 2 channel amplifiers. I do this so I can properly line level match the speakers I am trying to compare while using the same equipment. Since speakers have different impedances and sensitivities, level matching is the only way for a fair comparison. The Marantz amplifier has gain knobs on each channel, I used a SPL meter playing white noise and my ears to level match my speakers. The speakers used for this review were a set of Boston VR-M50s and Boston E70s.
When it comes to what I’m looking for in a speaker switch, the LC30 does everything I expect of it plus a little more. The remote works great and switching is fast and easy. I have not heard any degradation in audio quality while playing my music through the switch. The only downside I have noticed is that it seems to lower the level by a few dB when playing through it- this may be due to using RCA splitters to the amp and I just have to turn the volume up a little more when listening through the switch. For the most part the switch is quiet when switching, only during certain songs and higher listening levels do I hear a slight noise or pop. The noise is nowhere near a gamebreaker- I’m probably pushing a little more juice than the switch is rated for in the first place. I have owned a Douk VU3 switch in the past, the Douk made horrible loud noises while switching and emitted a burning smell after only a little use which is why I ended up returning that product. The remote is also way nicer on the Fosi and works just as intended. When it comes to the VU meters on the LC30, they seem to work as intended. I do not use the switch for the VU meters like it seems a good amount of other people do. The sensitivity knob seems to work well, they bounce up and down like they should, and the backlight is nice and bright with 5 different brightness settings. Just understand that the meters aren’t intended to be accurate, they are intended to look cool, to which they do. After all who doesn’t like VU meters?
Overall, I really enjoy the LC30, it does what I need it to do and looks good while doing it. I own a handful of other Fosi products and have always been a fan, they are one of the few companies that listen to their customers for feedback/product improvement and make great stuff.