Fosi Audio’s $79.99 DAP Neo gives a local music library a dedicated player with a physical control wheel, a headphone jack, and a microSD slot.
For anyone who’s kept a collection of albums as files, that’s a straightforward way to put those albums on a device you can pick up just to listen.
Price: $79.99 with a 16GB microSD card; $119.99 with a 64GB microSD card
Where to buy: Fosi Audio
The $40 upgrade buys a larger included card
The $79.99 starting price covers the Galaxy or Obsidian finish with the 16GB card. Moving to a 64GB card brings the price to $119.99. Both versions accept microSD cards up to 256GB, so choosing the cheaper one doesn’t lock the player to 16GB for its lifetime.
That makes the entry model the sensible starting point if you already have a suitable microSD card or plan to choose your own. Paying another $40 gets the larger included card; it doesn’t raise the listed expansion limit. Before choosing, think about the files you’ll actually carry. A collection of lossless albums asks more of a card than a similar number of compressed MP3s.
Fosi lists support for MP3, FLAC, WAV, APE, M4A, and DSD. The appeal is strongest when you already have music files ready to load and want a compact place to keep them. The included USB cable handles charging and data.
A wheel, side buttons, and a familiar headphone socket
The Neo pairs its tactile control wheel with side buttons and a 2.4-inch, 320 × 240 display. Fosi puts the weight at 75 grams or less and the dimensions at 97 × 47 × 10.6mm. Its metal housing is finished with an anti-glare glass back.
The useful part is having a separate set of music controls within reach. You can leave the phone where it is and handle playback on the player.
Inside is a Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC, with a 3.5mm single-ended headphone output. Bluetooth is available too, though Fosi specifies SBC as the codec. Keep that distinction in mind when reading the lossless-playback claim: support for a FLAC file doesn’t promise lossless delivery over Bluetooth. Using the 3.5mm output avoids the extra lossy compression introduced by SBC.
Fosi rates battery life at up to 12 hours.
Two useful additions for your music library
If you need headphones for the Neo’s 3.5mm jack, consider the Koss KSC75 wired ear-clip headphones. Their lightweight, open-air design leaves surrounding sound audible, making them a better fit for a quiet room than a noisy commute.
Start with the included card, then add capacity if your albums need it. The SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC card gives you more room for local files while staying below the Neo’s 256GB limit. Choose the 128GB SDSQUAB-128G-GN6MA version linked here; larger cards in the same range can exceed that limit.
Price: $79.99 with a 16GB microSD card; $119.99 with a 64GB microSD card
Where to buy: Fosi Audio
The official October 10 launch puts the Neo on sale now, with both finishes listed as available through Fosi’s US storefront. Choose the included card around the files you want to carry. For headphones, the 3.5mm socket avoids SBC compression, while Bluetooth lets you leave the cable behind.
