KTONE Tone Board

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 V_RMS
• 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