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Review and Measurements of WesionTEK Khadas Tone Board DAC

Megatronic

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@Megatronic,

Can't see your location via profile, but should you be in EU region its easy order at Audiophonics France so customs and VAT is taken care of and they have units in stock for now : )
Im from Russia. Now I also think it is better to order from audiophonics. But i dont now how to cancel paid order. Can i do it from paypal if i paid on paypal? I feel from khadas I will not wait for an answer. What a terrible attitude to customers.
 

BYRTT

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@Megatronic,

Know in a longterm conflict shop verse customer or vice versa that paypal is good solution but don't know if its easy to cansel order, suggest login to paypal and spend some minuttes looking there for possibility to cansel order.
 

BYRTT

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Took me together today and kind of repaired the 10x8mm offset for onboard LED light that was a error in first batch of metal box from audiophonics, used a free junk piece of acryl or something, cutting its size with a Dremel tool and polishing the side most close to LED to get most light beam as possible shine thruu, then some scotch alu tape wrap around to improve light reflection a bit.

Can live with final result well its a little dim but okay and guess if one used a real mirror one couldn't tell LED is offset, mod didn't improve anything on sound performance :p but feel a bit happier having that live visual power status indicator :)

1000.png
 

unklez

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Feb 22, 2019
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I think my cheapo toslink to spdif converter is adding some noise to overall system and i feel like spdif has less bass and sounds maybe colder but it definitely sounds cleaner than only USB to cpmputer. Tomorrow I test with IFI nano usb 3.0 and make measurements i think noise will be less than SPDIF.
 

ngs428

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Took me together today and kind of repaired the 10x8mm offset for onboard LED light that was a error in first batch of metal box from audiophonics, used a free junk piece of acryl or something, cutting its size with a Dremel tool and polishing the side most close to LED to get most light beam as possible shine thruu, then some scotch alu tape wrap around to improve light reflection a bit.

Can live with final result well its a little dim but okay and guess if one used a real mirror one couldn't tell LED is offset, mod didn't improve anything on sound performance :p but feel a bit happier having that live visual power status indicator :)

View attachment 23205

Nice work!

I have been considering adding a light tube to extend the LED, but it seems like it will be on anytime the PC is on, so I am not really sure I need a notification light.. although who knows...
 

maxxevv

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Took me together today and kind of repaired the 10x8mm offset for onboard LED light that was a error in first batch of metal box from audiophonics, used a free junk piece of acryl or something, cutting its size with a Dremel tool and polishing the side most close to LED to get most light beam as possible shine thruu, then some scotch alu tape wrap around to improve light reflection a bit.

Can live with final result well its a little dim but okay and guess if one used a real mirror one couldn't tell LED is offset, mod didn't improve anything on sound performance :p but feel a bit happier having that live visual power status indicator :)

View attachment 23205

If you want to improve the effectiveness of the "light tube", use some aluminium foil, the shinier side facing inwards and wrap the outside of the acrylic piece you have used there. .

It something people use when they DIY flash extenders for external camera flashes.
 

jaco61

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There is just an optical out of my Sony TV, so I would need a converter from optical to spdif. I suppose this could add some distortion too. Is there a reliable and allready proofed converter that could be recommended?
Or should I look better for a DAC with an optical input to avoid a possible source of error?
 

UffeSW

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Does anyone have the original firmware for the Khadas tone board. I have recently asked technical support over at Khadas why my board distorts when upsampling to 768 khz. They replied that the board only supports 384 khz, I then reminded them that they specify 768 khz on the website themselves. I also found a user over at the volumio forum that has no problem with 768 khz. I suspect that maybe it's a firmware problem, since my board came with the latest edition v6.F2 with hardware volumecontrol.
 

Veri

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Heh measured the khadas with ifi nano iusb 3.0. This thing doesn't do anything for me at €225. Snakeoil >8]

Not unexpected :) none of these things did anything for Amir so far. The intona was the 'least' bad of the bunch but still seems absolutely pointless. If it cannot "better" or add to the signal, it can only do worse or at best keep the original almost in tact.... :

index.php


but hey if you have graphs to show of the iusb 3.0, always nice to have some additional proof on the snake oil side of things :) ..
 

bequietjk

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In regards to supplying external power via USB input...

My DDC will come in soon and I will try:

Teradak DC-30W linear power supply powering khadas via USB input with and without 5VDC 500ma LT3045 using BJC SPDIF coax cable for audio. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS. Since I sold my Topping D10 and have no DDC at the moment, that flavor has been gone and hoping when my Singxer F-1 comes it brings back even more of a mind-blowing experience.

Also have one of these coming in (Meiyan set to 5VDC) and will use the 5VDC LT3045 w/ and w/o. Will give some feedback here on the results! Stoked!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/100VA-Ultr...485038?hash=item1eb3ea236e:g:VewAAOSwX5ZbJTZN

Link to the Teradak I bought. I believe these caps are Pannies? It's less expensive than the other DC30Ws and I think it's becase the newer ones use the Chemi-con caps.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/hot-sale-T...686881?hash=item3d54cc66e1:g:fpwAAOSwG7lZwnTP

Enjoi!
 

BYRTT

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... SPDIF way to go for me.

Seems not be happy about using USB, while can agree in past it was not always a dance on roses but ever since long ago say Sandy bridge generation think Intel ports had been a really good go and looks you have a high ranked z390 chipset on a gamer motherboard which should have fine specs, also XMOS chipset used for Khadas TB is a second generation version that should help for USB performance. Suggest try different USB ports and see if that helps, to not shoot in the dark its probably best documentation take measurements looking for small grass for each and every port even its a time killer. A tweak thing for audio stream can be try in active power profiles advanced settings set USB selective suspention to deactivated, on my own setups one is desktop and one is laptop that deactivation is not measureable at all but its a audioable difference toggle between actived/deactivated setting while sound stream over Khadas TB listening into head phones or at high SPL using speakers. Probably also computer PSU quality can mean something, in past myself used Corsair AX series whenever a computer was dedicated for audio playback but lately changed to SeaSonic Prime series because of bit better performance numbers over at AnandTech site, should you be interested i have one AX750 laying aroaund you can borrow for a trial run if you okay shipping costs for whatever distance is between our home adresee. Myself prefere set higher output buffer settings into player when sound device is USB, 250mS verse default setting is 100mS for WASAPI and default for ASIO is 50mS, probably a personal thing but few hints in track material can satisfy one ears in that regard even setting is not measureable.
 

unklez

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Ok I added the measurements as PDF file for IFI nano iusb3.0 vs SPDIF
 

Attachments

  • Khadas + IFI nano iusb 3.0.pdf
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  • Khadas SPDIF.pdf
    208.9 KB · Views: 246

unklez

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Seems not be happy about using USB, while can agree in past it was not always a dance on roses but ever since long ago say Sandy bridge generation think Intel ports had been a really good go and looks you have a high ranked z390 chipset on a gamer motherboard which should have fine specs, also XMOS chipset used for Khadas TB is a second generation version that should help for USB performance. Suggest try different USB ports and see if that helps, to not shoot in the dark its probably best documentation take measurements looking for small grass for each and every port even its a time killer. A tweak thing for audio stream can be try in active power profiles advanced settings set USB selective suspention to deactivated, on my own setups one is desktop and one is laptop that deactivation is not measureable at all but its a audioable difference toggle between actived/deactivated setting while sound stream over Khadas TB listening into head phones or at high SPL using speakers. Probably also computer PSU quality can mean something, in past myself used Corsair AX series whenever a computer was dedicated for audio playback but lately changed to SeaSonic Prime series because of bit better performance numbers over at AnandTech site, should you be interested i have one AX750 laying aroaund you can borrow for a trial run if you okay shipping costs for whatever distance is between our home adresee. Myself prefere set higher output buffer settings into player when sound device is USB, 250mS verse default setting is 100mS for WASAPI and default for ASIO is 50mS, probably a personal thing but few hints in track material can satisfy one ears in that reagard even setting is not measureable.

Yeah I tried all USB ports. Think I got a grounding problem.
 

Veri

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Seems not be happy about using USB, while can agree in past it was not always a dance on roses but ever since long ago say Sandy bridge generation think Intel ports had been a really good go and looks you have a high ranked z390 chipset on a gamer motherboard which should have fine specs, also XMOS chipset used for Khadas TB is a second generation version that should help for USB performance. Suggest try different USB ports and see if that helps, to not shoot in the dark its probably best documentation take measurements looking for small grass for each and every port even its a time killer. A tweak thing for audio stream can be try in active power profiles advanced settings set USB selective suspention to deactivated, on my own setups one is desktop and one is laptop that deactivation is not measureable at all but its a audioable difference toggle between actived/deactivated setting while sound stream over Khadas TB listening into head phones or at high SPL using speakers. Probably also computer PSU quality can mean something, in past myself used Corsair AX series whenever a computer was dedicated for audio playback but lately changed to SeaSonic Prime series because of bit better performance numbers over at AnandTech site, should you be interested i have one AX750 laying aroaund you can borrow for a trial run if you okay shipping costs for whatever distance is between our home adresee. Myself prefere set higher output buffer settings into player when sound device is USB, 250mS verse default setting is 100mS for WASAPI and default for ASIO is 50mS, probably a personal thing but few hints in track material can satisfy one ears in that regard even setting is not measureable.
Damn man. Paragraphs :D

In regards to supplying external power via USB input...

My DDC will come in soon and I will try:

Teradak DC-30W linear power supply powering khadas via USB input with and without 5VDC 500ma LT3045 using BJC SPDIF coax cable for audio. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS. Since I sold my Topping D10 and have no DDC at the moment, that flavor has been gone and hoping when my Singxer F-1 comes it brings back even more of a mind-blowing experience.

Also have one of these coming in (Meiyan set to 5VDC) and will use the 5VDC LT3045 w/ and w/o. Will give some feedback here on the results! Stoked!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/100VA-Ultr...485038?hash=item1eb3ea236e:g:VewAAOSwX5ZbJTZN

Link to the Teradak I bought. I believe these caps are Pannies? It's less expensive than the other DC30Ws and I think it's becase the newer ones use the Chemi-con caps.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/hot-sale-T...686881?hash=item3d54cc66e1:g:fpwAAOSwG7lZwnTP
Pretty nuts spending so many hundreds on 5V power for a $99 device, no ;)
 

BYRTT

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...Think I got a grounding problem.

Could be a loop interference because Khadas TB output return to same computers onboard input and not really there when output is feeding other floating amps or active speakers, could be REW analyzed for interference grass if you have another floating computer be it desktop or laptop that is listening with REW RTA FFT while the first computer have REW Generator fire 1kHz stimulus.
 

bequietjk

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Damn man. Paragraphs :D


Pretty nuts spending so many hundreds on 5V power for a $99 device, no ;)

In the ad it mentioned 5V-32V and I thought it was adjustable range. Then when I foolishly ;D emailed the seller AFTER I bought the PSU about adjustability he said the tunable range was only 5V-12V.

I'm going to be using the Meiyan to power multiple devices now and in the future I will most likely use it for any other devices, perhaps a DAC that might require 5V-12V. The benefits of these LPS' have been nothing short of amazing so the cost is low in comparison to the satisfaction it provides to my listening experience.

When I say multiple devices I mean :

*PPA V2 which Paul claims to want 3A but I'm currently running the V2 using an alarm clock SMPS which I fashioned a 2.1mm plug to, with a LT3045 5V 500ma in post. I would guarantee a significant gain in SQ once I use either the Teradak or Meiyan.
*Khadas Tone Board via USB.
*Startech/ICRON LAN extender in time when I can afford one :)
*Behringer UMC404HD. It takes 5V 1A and still want to see if changing the SMPS to an LPS will give my microphone better SQ on the input. Maybe with an LPS it will provide cleaner sound? I don't know, we'll see!
*Any future devices needing some good clean power :)

My journey began when I threw out the SMPS on my Geshelli Labs ENOG PRO2 and powered it with a Circuit Specialists LPS with unbelievable results. Then... I found the Ultra USB Chain lead by Rob and the wonderful community involved.

Trust your ears
Take care!
 
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