Q: Why does Windows require the Khadas USB driver?
A:The Khadas USB driver provides ASIO support and removes the latency and sample rate conversion issue experienced with the default Windows USB driver for DACs.
Q: What is balanced-RCA?
A: A new balanced audio connector standard, designed by Khadas for small form-factor desktop DACs. It is backwards compatible with standard RCA plugs and cables.
Q: How do I use my existing XLR-3 equipment with Balanced-RCA?
A: Purchase the Khadas Balanced-RCA to XLR-3 adapter, it is a male Balanced-RCA plug connected to a male XLR-3 plug.
Q:What does MQA stand for?
A: MQA(Master Quality Authenticated) is an award-winning audio codec technology. The master MQA file is fully authenticated for high sample rate audio and is small enough to stream and download.
| Maximum Supply Voltage |
5V |
| Minimum Supply Voltage |
3V |
Tone2 Pro is our second generation Tone Board from Khadas that incorporates a variety of user feedback from our first-gen product, the Tone1. ESS ES9038Q2M DAC has been paired with four powerful OPA1612 operational amplifiers, and three buffer amplifiers. This 3-stage amplification pathway enables Tone2 Pro to drive a wide-range of demanding audiophile-grade headphones with impedances of up to 150 ohms.
Other additions to the Tone2 Pro include a 4.4 mm balanced headphone jack in addition to the standard 3.5 mm single-end jack. The Tone2 Pro's aluminum enclosure incorporates a hybrid digital/analog volume control knob, allowing you to rely entirely on analog signal attenuation for accurate sound reproduction. With not one, but two USB-C ports, you can connect a 5V linear power supply to the second USB-C port whilst having USB-C data on the first for excellent power-noise isolation. Finally we've added an industry-first balanced RCA line-out. These novel RCA ports have three signal-pins instead of two, yet retain the same size and form factor as regular RCA ports.
The latest addition to file format support is MQA decoding. The onboard XMOS XU216 processor enables bit-perfect, hardware-native, USB class II, asynchronous "unfolding" of MQA data for both web streaming and local high fidelity audio playback, enabling future-proof "original master quality" audio reproduction just as the artist intended, but at reasonable file sizes and streaming bandwidth requirements.
What's in the Box:
x1 Tone2 Pro
x1 USB-C Cable (Type-C to C)
x1 Instruction Manual
x1 Warranty Card