Review and Measurements of WesionTEK Khadas Tone Board DAC

[bequietjk]

oof no not connected to VIM. Does it have to be?

Connected to a VIM?

 

[Jimmy]

The tone board doesn't seem to work as a usb to spdif converter, the spdif can be set as output when used together with a vim board, not as a standalone unit.

I'm searching for a cheap usb to spdif converter and I've narrowed it down to the Topping D10, Fiio K3 and there are also cheap chinese CM6631 boards, I'm leaning towards the Fiio for its feature set.

 

[bequietjk]

Damn. Wanted to go Tone board > ENOG2 T.T. Now I have to decide which one to keep.

 

[gvl]

oof no not connected to VIM. Does it have to be?

Iirc, yes for Spdif out to work.

 

[bequietjk]

If i were to get the VIM1 in the link below it would then be able to convert USB to SPDIF coax? Why is this option not available without a VIMS? Nani!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07B...ims+khadas&dpPl=1&dpID=51XBjCtQPFL&ref=plSrch

 

[bequietjk]

The tone board doesn't seem to work as a usb to spdif converter, the spdif can be set as output when used together with a vim board, not as a standalone unit.

I'm searching for a cheap usb to spdif converter and I've narrowed it down to the Topping D10, Fiio K3 and there are also cheap chinese CM6631 boards, I'm leaning towards the Fiio for its feature set.

It looks like the nuforce udac3/5 can also covert to spdif? Udac5 is on MD for $99 right now.

My goal for the tone board is to offload the data onto the tone board from pc and hopefully transfer those benefits over to another dac (my enog2). Currently doing some listening between both dacs and I feel like the tone board is more balanced throughout the spectrum of sound. This makes me wonder what effect it would have feeding into another dac.

 

[alashikata]

They're already posted on their web site. As the image below, RCA is the only output. The SPDIF Out/In RCA Jack is loop back to the DAC, then output to RCA out. If anyone has TV with Coaxial out, you may want to try this way TV coaxial out --> Tone SPDIF in ---> Tone RCA Out

 

[BYRTT]

...My goal for the tone board is to offload the data onto the tone board from pc and hopefully transfer those benefits over to another dac (my enog2). Currently doing some listening between both dacs and I feel like the tone board is more balanced throughout the spectrum of sound. This makes me wonder what effect it would have feeding into another dac.

If you ready to diy about it then do some research or ask over at Khadas blog, what i think about is if you look up block diagram in post 627 there is a I2S bus (8 Channels Ext) where a I2S to SPDIF bridge could be conneted, physical on Tone Board thát route is a 30pin FPC connector. Here is a link for example of a a diy I2S to SPDIF/TOSLINK or vice versa bridge https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/diy-...xial-toslink-to-i2s-wm8804-board-p-10098.html.

Also your player should be able set routing scheme up so that L/R channels is routed paralell to both ES9038 and that new SPDIF out, for example JRiver can do stuff as that and probably also Foobar.

 

[BYRTT]

@Ben1987,

Those 7 different PCM filters seen in your technical 9038 datasheet could they be set/controlled via firmware, what i mean is if it happen to be so and Khadas is happy about it then you could release for example firmware v1226 in 7 editions with each their different name extension hinting what filter type is set inside firmware and then user could pick about them according to what filter to load.

By the way myself had Tone Board Generic Edition for a week now and is very happy, it arrived from EU dealer Audiophonics with latest firmware and works perfect used on Win7 platform and JRiver player using WASAPI or ASIO, playing mostly my extracted CD collection but also have few 96 and 192kHz albums from HDtracks site.

Would be very happy if filter could be set that way because also because it looks a bit like when TB is benchmarked with REW that output loop is not a pure minimum phase domain at least not at low samplerates where one get excess phase so will be curious to try the LP fast roll off or Brickwall filter.

 

[bequietjk]

Can the spdif input be used without a VIMS? Using the USB as power and spdif for audio input.

 

[Silou]

Can the spdif input be used without a VIMS? Using the USB as power and spdif for audio input.

Yes.

 

[bequietjk]

I had my mind officially blown when I setup my hardware chain last night.

PC > Topping D10 > SPDIF Coax to Khadas TB > RCA to Project Horizon III > HD600

All this time of switching gear and plugging things in and out of the hardware chain has finally come to a result of which I am completely blown away. The sound that you can achieve with proper equipment is such a grand experience and something everyone needs to hear. Originally I had mixed and matched pre amps here, and a dac there, but with this setup I am completely and overly satisfied.

Now, for an enclosure piece for the TB...

 

[Zek]

PC > Topping D10 > SPDIF Coax to Khadas TB > RCA to Project Horizon III > HD600

Why not : PC > USB Khadas TB > RCA to Project Horizon III > HD600

 

[bequietjk]

Why not : PC > USB Khadas TB > RCA to Project Horizon III > HD600

I liked the outcome of that chain but the sound felt compressed. Its almost as if the music is being choked up and being forced through a screen door. You get all of the music, right. But it feels noisy.

Amir talked about having an Audiophilleo in his chain of listening as a device that would properly/effectively transport digital media to the DAC, from the computer, and that the 'best digital tweak is a proper usb to spdif converter'.

Originally my plan was to utilize the spdif coax for my ENOG2 as opposed to the optical toslink ive been uaing for everything. The Topping D10 allows this USB conversion to spdif to happen so i bought one.

The sound change was tremendous with the d10 feeding into the enog2 and im smiling ear to ear. I pushed my tone board aside, right? Because just using it as a dac without the D10 wasn't complete for me. Then i found out you can use the spdif as input on the TB, hooked the D10 to the TB and out to my amplifier and achieved an even more polished and clear sound. Mind = blown.

This sound that I have finally come to can be achieved using different equipment of course, but the synergy of the D10 sending digital signal to the tone board dac seems to be creating this amazing path of audio that allows the amp to give your headphones the clarity you have set out for.

 

[GoMrPickles]

Amir talked about having an Audiophilleo in his chain of listening as a device that would properly/effectively transport digital media to the DAC, from the computer, and that the 'best digital tweak is a proper usb to spdif converter'.

Curious; has this effect been measured? Any relation to the Khadas drawing power from USB? Amir's measurements on page 1 were done with USB, not S/PDIF, correct?

 

[tlr]

I liked the outcome of that chain but the sound felt compressed. Its almost as if the music is being choked up and being forced through a screen door. You get all of the music, right. But it feels noisy.

Amir talked about having an Audiophilleo in his chain of listening as a device that would properly/effectively transport digital media to the DAC, from the computer, and that the 'best digital tweak is a proper usb to spdif converter'.

Originally my plan was to utilize the spdif coax for my ENOG2 as opposed to the optical toslink ive been uaing for everything. The Topping D10 allows this USB conversion to spdif to happen so i bought one.

The sound change was tremendous with the d10 feeding into the enog2 and im smiling ear to ear. I pushed my tone board aside, right? Because just using it as a dac without the D10 wasn't complete for me. Then i found out you can use the spdif as input on the TB, hooked the D10 to the TB and out to my amplifier and achieved an even more polished and clear sound. Mind = blown.

This sound that I have finally come to can be achieved using different equipment of course, but the synergy of the D10 sending digital signal to the tone board dac seems to be creating this amazing path of audio that allows the amp to give your headphones the clarity you have set out for.

I'd love to know if anyone can reproduce this result in a blind AB test. The measurements at the beginning of this thread were done using USB and it performed very well.

 

[bequietjk]

Please also consider that USB from my PC is subject to many different variables of noise. One purpose was to offload the data onto the D10 so that it could do its thing, then output spdif.

 

[kprog]

I can not find it for sale anywhere.
How about this compared to the D10 topping. Better the khandas? or the difference will not be noticeable?

 

[ngs428]

The Khadas Tone Board was selling at $99 right? Is it still available at that price?

 

[graz_lag]

The Khadas Tone Board was selling at $99 right? Is it still available at that price?

Sure, you can buy it in pre-orders on the khadas.com's shop section ... https://www.khadas.com/product-page/tone-board