Fosi Audio MC101 VU Meter Stereo Amplifier

I really like the **Fosi Audio MC101**. The display gives it a very nice modern touch, and the sound is warm, smooth, and very enjoyable.

I have it in a small library at home, where its compact size fits perfectly. It is connected to a **Bose Acoustimass system**, and when I want to listen to music without disturbing anyone else, that is where I go.

I also have it connected to a **WiiM streamer**, and the results have been incredible. It is a simple, compact setup, but the sound quality and overall experience are much better than I expected.

For a small room or secondary listening area, the MC101 is a great little amplifier with a lot of charm.

Bought to pair with my Polk T15 speakers and my Bluetooth turntable. Paired easily, sounds great, and looks great on my fireplace mantle.

Fosi Audio MC101 VU Meter Stereo Amplifier

I was looking for a way to bring my elder stereo system into the current millennium. The heart of the old system is an ancient Harman-Kardon 330A receiver probably made in the 50s, still sounds great but no way to connect easily via bluetooth. I looked at just a bluetooth receiver but finally decided on this excellent little fosi MC101 combo amp and BT receiver. It's perfect and a great value in many ways. A couple of comments after living with it for a week or so:

Just out of the box, the unit is tiny but feels very substantial, metal case, nice rubber feet, and has some heft to it. The connectors are all very solid-feeling as well. The knobs also feel very authoritative when you turn them, tight and right. It feels like great quality when you handle it.

Installation is super easy BUT I had never encountered the dual-type output connectors and was a bit afraid of breaking them. They will accept a banana plug or a bare wire, but to attach the bare wire you have to unscrew the clear plastic cap. These caps are on really tight, as they should be for shipping, so after I was sure that was the right thing to do, I turned them hard and they finally came off so I could get to the little hole in the base of the connector, push the bare wire in, and re-tighten the cap. It is easiest to take them completely off to attach the wires. You might need like a jar opener plastic thing to wrap around them to turn them they are on so tight.

I'm running the Fosi straight into a pair of Yamaha NS-6490 bookshelf speakers, some real dinosaurs from Radio Shack! But they sound awesome.

I also ordered some banana plugs and may or may not use them, but at any rate click this link for the ones I bought: Parts Express has some high-quality ones for reasonable cost. If you order them make sure to get 4! I sorta not-too-brightly ordered just 2, then realized, duh, I need 4...

This is a super versatile setup now. I use a very basic Panasonic MP3 player with BT, which was easy to connect. But, as you would expect with Bluetooth, you probably get better sound with a wire, so...

To plug in the MP3 I have a cable with mini-jack on one end and 2 RCAs on the other. Just plug the mini into the MP3 and the RCAs into the back of the Fosi, and it sounds great. You DO need to play with the volume on both units to get a good balance. I found that setting the MP3 at about 47 (the volume goes up to 60 on this unit) gave me a great range on the Fosi--99% of the time I have it set very very low for background music while I work, but if I turn it up to about 80% it will get pretty loud--watch the meter--just want the needle to bounce up into the red on the really loud parts.

Next thing will be to try will be running the Fosi into the Harman-Kardon. This will require a cable that is mini-jack on one end and two bare wires on the other--cuz the old HK just has screw-type connectors on the back--so I'll plug the mini into the pre-out on the back of the Fosi and attach the two bare wires to the AUX inputs on the back of the HK. This will effectively make the Fosi a pre-amp with BT for the HK. So I'll get the BT capability and signal boost from the Fosi, a line-level signal out to the HK, and that will give me the HK circuitry's vintage transistor (not tube) sound as well as a lot more EQ control and volume/power. I'll set the Fosi EQ to the center and let the HK do all the tone shaping. I suspect it will also be an order of magnitude louder without distortion, but we'll see. Also will need to feel out the best gain-staging balance between the Fosi and the HK volume controls.

Anyway super happy with the Fosi. I owe one of my kids for introducing me to the Fosi brand. Those youngsters know things.

I'm a voice actor, and when I don't work with headphones, I need the sound in my space to fully represent what's playing through them. I have to hear the quiet things, the loud things, and every frequency in between. The MC101 does that and then some.

I have a great set of Klipsch speakers that I've been wanting to use with my PC, and this amplifier fits the bill perfectly. Bass and Tone adjustment, super clean sound, and all the range to make these great speakers shine.

I was going to buy a pair of monitor speakers, but I didn't like the notion of having to fiddle with the back of the speaker to adjust things. Plus, the flexibility of being able to use any speakers I want, and that gorgeous VU meter on the front... this is the ticket.

The Bluetooth input is a nice extra touch. The price and features and build quality were exactly what I needed. Thanks!

I initially tried the BT20 Pro amp and had to return it after realizing how not user friendly is the switch between Bluetooth and RCS inputs is. The MC101 is a general step forward in this regard! Is has simple 3 positions switch that just works as expected. I didn't buy specifically for the UV meter, but it would be nice if it had the sensitivity tuning. I tried the MC101 with both pairs of my speakers (vintage Summit HB901 and newer Canton LE107) and the VU meter doesn't move at all.

I fondly remember warm tubes glowing. Anolog meters dancing left and right. Another set racing up and down. The lights flickering and relays clicking. This takes me back. Made me buy the GR70. Tubes is what I was taught in the Navy. Digital was gaining and the future. But try to get megawatts out of anything at that time not utilizing tubes, even traveling wave tubes (TWT), YOU OLD TECHS LEAVE THAT ALONE. IT'S AN EASTER EGG. SMILE AND REMINISCE.

I'm new to the audio world. Never really heard warmth in a song. Now I get it.

its not a high power amplifier as they advertised.

Worked as intended.

One of the finest, most budget friendly

Fosi Audio MC101 Bluetooth Stereo Amplifier with VU Meter 2CH HiFi Receiver

very surprise lilttle amp good bass in dynamic sound

Bought this for my desk at work, used to power a set of Totem 2.1 speakers with active sub. Sounds great!!! RCA in from my PC, BT in from my phone. Life is good!

The MC101 happily drives my 8 ohm main speakers, giving more than enough volume in a domestic setting. Bluetooth connectivity is really good. Fantastic bit of kit at a great price.

Sound is nice, but this device has a VU meter, which in my case was badly calibrated. While support aknowledged the issue, didn't do anything to fix it and told me to just accept it.
I would recommend not ordering a VU meter device, go for the cheaper options instead

Worked seamlessly straight out of the box; pairing an iPhone and driving a pair of old 6-ohm Mission LE 700 speakers to an acceptable level. Love the VU meter!

I'm running MC101 with my usual loudspeakers. The sound now of the 101 is much more detailed, its easy to hear sound reflections in the eeecording room, sound is very dynamic and bass gives nothing more to ask for!! I'm very satisfied with Fosi MC101!!!

I am using this in my home office paired with a set of 4-ohm vintage JVC bookshelf speakers and 12-gauge OFC cable (perhaps a bit of overkill, but worth it). I primarily stream from my computer(s) but also play CDs on a connected, decent quality (but clearly non-audiophile), portable DVD/CD unit with OFC audio cables - more overkill. The sound reproduction is very clear and balanced, even at low volume on the CD player and when streaming. There is no noise when connected to either source. I mainly listen to jazz and classical guitar, so the sound quality is important. The VU meter is a nifty feature, not terribly responsive at low volumes but fun, nonetheless. The unit's diminutive size, retro-tech vibe, and stylish finish look quite cool in my bookcase applicatin. The smallish JVC speakers I paired it with are great performers, with nice range and balanced, tone. They are visually and acoustically a great match for this amp. Bluetooth pairing the MC-101 is reliable on my Windows 11and Windows 10 computers; when I turn on the amp, it finds the connection right away. Perfect - everything I could have wished for without spending big dough!

I’m using it in my office to power bookshelf Cambridge Audio speakers. It’s a little short on overall output but more than enough to meet my needs. Great value and the AV meter is a nice touch.
Strong recommend.

Thx for extraordinary customer support.

A compact design for the output. Great for small room or office. Good looking front end with the Vu meter although you have to look real hard to see its movement. The volume at low levels seems out of balance (l-r) have to increase to at least half to achieve balance. Overall a good value for the price.

Doet precies wat ik verwachtte: oude speakers zonder versterking weer activeren. Mijn twee speakers van 150 watt met een bass gedeelte worden perfect aangestuurd. Wellicht een keer een sub proberen aan te sluiten om echt laag te ervaren maar is in feite niet nodig. Apparaatje is lekker compact en oogt leuk (boven op de speaker).

I am using the Fosi MC101 together with an old pair of Energy XL15B bookshelf loudspeakers to stream audio from my iPhone over Bluetooth.

My overall impression of the MC101 is very positive. It sounds excellent, and has plenty of power for near field listening. Bass is very well controlled, and the noise floor is very low (much lower than I am used to - there is basically no audible hiss.) Bluetooth appears to work flawlessly with the iPhone 14.

The MC101 is also quite nicely built - the compact enclosure is made from some sort of metal. It is heavy enough to stay put, which is an important consideration for something so small! I love the VU meter, but usually I listen at too low a level to make the needle dance much.

Overall, this product exceeded my expectations and I would very much recommend. Great value!

Having been so impressed with the V3, I thought I'd try the MC101 as the core of a second system. I am not disappointed. Like the V3, I find the noise floor is imperceptible, the dynamics are good and the detail excellent. Again, I also find it is quite neutral in sound, though the tone controls allow fine tuning the sound in quite a nuanced way to the speakers and the room.

In respect to the design, I like the look and feel of this amplifier. Controls are clean simple and have a nice tactile quality. The VU meter is a fun touch, but is also the only negative for me as it is insensitive to high output modern sources; vintage sources tended to be lower in output, so you had greater volume control. I primarily stream to the amp via AirPlay (a typical 2.0 VRMS) and unless the volume is turned up to silly levels, the needle does not move at all. Different sources make no difference for me. It’s a shame. Perhaps some form of sensitivity switch would be useful, or recalibration at the source.

Bluetooth, I find, is the last resort for most listeners. It’s okay with the AAC codec, as background perhaps, but is noticeably less detailed, dynamic and quieter as a source. I’d prefer to see it replaced with, say a 3.5mm stereo jack input option, as space for another set of RCA inputs may not be possible.

Odlicno pojacalo retro izgleda sa sjajnim zvukom i izgledom kao i svi Fosi uredjaji.