Khadas Tone 2

[TrueAudio]

I wish they used the computing power in the XMOS 216 to provide PEQ instead of the abomination that is MQA and I gather xmos even provides code for tht? I would love to get hardware eq on a platform with better SINAD than my Qudelix and lower price than an ADI 2

Any chance to get an alterntive firmware for that, @Gouwa?

Very happy with this “abomination”.

 

[Labjr]

When will ASR get a review sample?

 

[somebodyelse]

I wish they used the computing power in the XMOS 216 to provide PEQ instead of the abomination that is MQA and I gather xmos even provides code for tht? I would love to get hardware eq on a platform with better SINAD than my Qudelix and lower price than an ADI 2

Any chance to get an alterntive firmware for that, @Gouwa?

PEQ would certainly be more use to me than MQA, although the interface could be awkward. DSP libs and application notes with code samples available on the XMOS web site, and the code is on github. There was at least one custom firmware written for the Tone1 so it may be possible for the Tone2 as well. I'm hoping https://dl.khadas.com/Hardware/Tone2/Schematic/ is going to get filled as it was very useful for the Tone1.

 

[Matias]

First reviews are starting to show up. Where is ASR measurements? I am curious to see the improvements.

 

[olivier salad]

When will it appear on Aliexpress?

 

[trl]

I do liked this review: https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/khadas-tone-2-pro-review-khadas-1-hi-end-dac-market-0/, I can compare its size and I can see its guts too.

Seems that with FiiO FA9 there is no background noise at all, same as with A90 and HPA4, which is great. Looking forward for Amir's review.

L.E.: 4 x OPA1612 followed by 3 x RT6863D.

 

[trl]

When will it appear on Aliexpress?

It's on Hifigo on sale now, but also on pre-orders on Audiophonics.

 

[olivier salad]

It's on Hifigo on sale now, but also on pre-orders on Audiophonics.

The price on Hifigo is $200

 

[brandall10]

What a cool looking device, interesting UX. I must hand it to them to trying to do something different.

Unfortunately my daily drivers that I would use this with are IER-Z1Rs which are very power hungry IEMs... and I'm a little concerned about the amount of power it produces. It's *probably* enough on balanced, but my Mojo puts out 2x through an SE connection and is battery powered. But this is undoubtedly a much better DAC. Hmm.

 

[smoq123]

I am wondering if it's worth to consider upgrading from Khadas Tone to Tone2 Pro, if there will be any sound quality improvement?

 

[restorer-john]

Mine arrived during the weekend. I was so eager to listen to it that I just went plug and play. It worked flawlessly. Later I played with the knob. Definitely not very intuitive, however in my setup, I might not need to use it. I tried with my Shure 846 iems, Fostex 900 and my Rosson Rad-0. I was really pleased with the sound. Great soundstage, open, dynamic, detailed, but not clinical.
The knob light blinks for a couple of seconds when the signals change, however at the angle I have it, it’s really hard to figure out which color and light position you’re getting. Ultimately, the most important part for me, was the sound, so I’m a happy camper.
View attachment 108719

It's very attaractive in red.

It reminds me of the 1960s Standard Radio Corporation (Japan) Micronic Ruby- then, the world's smallest (and cutest) miniature radio.

 

[Labjr]

I am wondering if it's worth to consider upgrading from Khadas Tone to Tone2 Pro, if there will be any sound quality improvement?

Probably won't know until it's tested here.

 

[TimW]

I am wondering if it's worth to consider upgrading from Khadas Tone to Tone2 Pro, if there will be any sound quality improvement?

Are you just using it as a DAC?

 

[smoq123]

Are you just using it as a DAC?

Exactly

 

[dsnyder0cnn]

I am wondering if it's worth to consider upgrading from Khadas Tone to Tone2 Pro, if there will be any sound quality improvement?

I have both and will do some measurements this weekend (nothing as fancy as Amir). So far, I'm super happy with the purchase. I've ordered the balanced RCA to XLR cables (both lengths) so that I can experiment with it in a couple of different systems. I've shared some of my thoughts in the Roon community here.

 

[flAked]

I got my Tone 2 pro yesterday and agree with the iiWi review that the base is lacking punch and volume.
At least on my AKG K501 with 120 Ohms single ended out, even on high gain. I wonder if I should mod them with a balanced cable, iWii was saying that the balanced out on the Tone 2 has more punch.
My pair of K501 are on their last leg though (even some distortions on certain low frequencies), so I ordered a K612 and K712, with 120 and 62 Ohms respectively. Gonna test it with both. The sound is way fuller if I pipe the RCA out into my desktop amplifier with headphone jack.

I enjoy the sound very much, it is crystal clear, very detailed and great positioning. I feel like the Tone 2
accentuates the overly sharp highs of the K501 even more, though. So far I've only used my old Sony MiniDisc JE-640 as a DAC and a U222 just for the optical out.

What I am wondering now is if I should keep the Tone2, if I won't use the integrated amp. The Topping e30/l30 stack is 270eur on audiophonics, Tone2 was 220eur. Judging from the reviews, e30 can be more harsh on the highs and a bit more flat. So maybe I should keep the Tone2 and get l30 or a different headhphone amp.
What I don't like about l30 is the lack of RCA bypass, how do the RCA outputs react on non-preamp mode, do they still get affected by the volume knob?

The Tone2/l30 combo would be 360eur... I could use the headphone out from my old Yamaha RX-E400 for now, but I wonder how much clarity I leave on the table.

 

[Veri]

I got my Tone 2 pro yesterday and agree with the iiWi review that the base is lacking punch and volume.
At least on my AKG K501 with 120 Ohms single ended out, even on high gain. I wonder if I should mod them with a balanced cable, iWii was saying that the balanced out on the Tone 2 has more punch.
My pair of K501 are on their last leg though (even some distortions on certain low frequencies), so I ordered a K612 and K712, with 120 and 62 Ohms respectively. Gonna test it with both. The sound is way fuller if I pipe the RCA out into my desktop amplifier with headphone jack.

I enjoy the sound very much, it is crystal clear, very detailed and great positioning. I feel like the Tone 2
accentuates the overly sharp highs of the K501 even more, though. So far I've only used my old Sony MiniDisc JE-640 as a DAC and a U222 just for the optical out.

What I am wondering now is if I should keep the Tone2, if I won't use the integrated amp. The Topping e30/l30 stack is 270eur on audiophonics, Tone2 was 220eur. Judging from the reviews, e30 can be more harsh on the highs and a bit more flat. So maybe I should keep the Tone2 and get l30 or a different headhphone amp.
What I don't like about l30 is the lack of RCA bypass, how do the RCA outputs react on non-preamp mode, do they still get affected by the volume knob?

The Tone2/l30 combo would be 360eur... I could use the headphone out from my old Yamaha RX-E400 for now, but I wonder how much clarity I leave on the table.

l30 RCAs are not active when not in pre mode. In middle gain (0dB) maxed out it acts like a passthrough; no gain applied.
Also I wouldn't believe those reviews speaking about harsh highs etc. Pretty silly nonsense.

 

[PNCZ]

I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask this, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 560s cans and recently purchased a second-hand Atom amp. To finish the stack, I have already ordered the Tone Board 1 DAC straight from the Khadas website. However, I just realized that the Tone Board 2 might be a better solution since I primarily use Tidal and full MQA would be nice. However, I’m worried about the capabilities of the integrated amp, which would be fine for my headphones, but it wouldn’t be as future-proofing as having the Atom + KTB1 stack instead. (I will definitely upgrade in the future, so that’s what I am worried about.)
The KTB2 on its own would be also cheaper a bit.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[frogmeat69]

I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask this, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD 560s cans and recently purchased a second-hand Atom amp. To finish the stack, I have already ordered the Tone Board 1 DAC straight from the Khadas website. However, I just realized that the Tone Board 2 might be a better solution since I primarily use Tidal and full MQA would be nice. However, I’m worried about the capabilities of the integrated amp, which would be fine for my headphones, but it wouldn’t be as future-proofing as having the Atom + KTB1 stack instead. (I will definitely upgrade in the future, so that’s what I am worried about.)
The KTB2 on its own would be also cheaper a bit.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

The Tone Board and Atom combo is great, but if you really want the MQA for Tidal, the Tone2 Pro is gonna be your cheapest pick, so you have to decide if that extra $100 or so is worth having MQA decoding for Tidal.
I am still waiting on my Tone2 Pro, so can't say how it performs as far as reliability, amp performance and such. Sound wise, it should be the same as any well designed DAC.

 

[PNCZ]

The Tone Board and Atom combo is great, but if you really want the MQA for Tidal, the Tone2 Pro is gonna be your cheapest pick, so you have to decide if that extra $100 or so is worth having MQA decoding for Tidal.
I am still waiting on my Tone2 Pro, so can't say how it performs as far as reliability, amp performance and such. Sound wise, it should be the same as any well designed DAC.

After finding out the 560s cans can be easily run balanced, I cancelled the order for the KTB1 and ordered the Tone2 Pro instead. The cost of the Atom + KTB1 stack is actually more expensive for me than the KTB2 on its own. So once it's delivered, I'll sell the Atom on.

I'd like to run the KTB2 on external PSU. I realized I have this spare Huawei phone charger, the question is, can that be used as PSU for it?