The Khadas tone board is an amazing external USB hi-fidelity sound card that offers excellent performance and compatibility which will take customers' listening experiences to a whole new level.
This powerful DAC was made by integrating the advanced XMOS multi-core RISC microcontroller and ESS flagship 32-bit stereo mobile audio DAC ES9038Q2M into a tiny PCB. Next, three independent high-performance OPAs and four ultra-low phase jitter oscillators were added for the best noise reduction. Just as one would expect, each power supply path is powered by an independent, ultra-low noise power supply and the OPA is powered up to ±5.5 V.
Features
- XMOS XU208-128-QF48:
- Eight cores up to 500 MIPS, with USB specifications
- ESS SABRE ES9038Q2M DAC:
- 32-bit mobile DAC with unprecedented dynamic range and ultra-low distortion
- Very quiet power supply:
- Ultra-low noise, high PSRR LDO
- RCA connectors:
- High-quality RCA output to deliver audio with tiny, clear, powerful, and rich sound details
- Flexible I/O for supporting DIY Maker development:
- Two RCAs for analog output at 2.0 VRMS
- Eleven RCAs for S/PDIF in or out
- One 30-pin FPC connector for 8-channel analog output extension
- Two 10-pin FPC connectors for OLED display and I²S extension
- One 40-pin female header for connecting Khadas' VIM SBCs
- One 20-pin SMT header for debugging XMOS and Khadas' VIM SBCs
- Makers can build their dream "SBC + DAC consumer product"
- Accurate low-noise clock:
- Ultra-low phase noise crystal oscillators with superior phase noise characteristics
- Performance parameters:
- THD+N ≤0.000337%: barely hear the distortion over the THD+N signal ratio
- SNR ≥120 dB: hi-res audio systems require an SNR ≥110 dB
- DNR ≥120 dB: high DNR lets consumers hear a wide range of subtle sounds; the sense of space and layering is like a live concert
- Crosstalk (channel separation) ≥127 dB: high crosstalk separation creates stunning stereo effects
- Frequency response ±0.08 dB: tone board has a very even frequency response across the entire audio spectrum
- Ultra-low phase noise clock jitter: the SiTime SiT820&8209 oscillator is used as a reference clock in the DAC, keeping data clock jitter <30 ps
- OS and audio format compatibility
- OS compatibility:
- Linux, Windows, Mac OS, Android, LibreELEC, and Volumio
- Lossless audio formats:
- APE, FLAC, OGG, WAV, ACC, ALAC, MP3, WMA, and DSD
