What's Inside?!
You’re probably curious by now about what goes on beneath the Tone2 Pro’s shiny and sublime exterior, and we’re proud to show you! So let’s delve right into 3 notable points of the Tone2 Pro’s mechanical design.
Volume Knob:
The most obvious and notable addition to Tone2 Pro, is the volume knob. This is a hybrid digital-to-analog knob that is more precisely known as a rotary-push encoder. Rotation is used for adjusting the volume level up-and-down, whilst a pushing motion is used for changing the mode selection; general, volume control, next track, headphone gain, and input source.
Although the rotary-push encoder has more functions, it does not feel as smooth as a conventional potentiometer used in most other audio equipment. To overcome this problem, we had to add components 8 and 10 to the design.
The “8. Silicone O-Ring” prevents chafing between the volume knob and outer shell, which are both made of aircraft-grade aluminium. Whilst the “10. Viscous Damping Gel” produces a smooth and elegant rotation that you’re familiar with on a regular potentiometer. This gives the volume knob a smooth, assured, and premium feel. So you can feel in control of your music, wherever you go.
Thermal Pad:
The light-blue component labelled “13. Thermal Pad”, sits directly on top of the XMOS XU216 CPU. This pad transfers heat from the XMOS chip directly to the exterior aluminium shell, allowing the entire exterior of Tone2 Pro to act as a heat sink.
In the original Tone Board (now known as Tone1), we discovered that if the XMOS XU208 chip reached high temperatures (when placed near a heat source), any bumps, pressure or knocks to the device would introduce hisses or blips into the audio stream - in Tone2 Pro, this issue has been resolved as the casing acts as an adequate thermal regulator.
Device Thickness:
With all the wonderful technology that’s been packed into the Tone2 Pro, you’ll be delighted to observe that it is actually thinner than the RCA jacks found on your Tone1. Our custom-designed balanced RCA jacks are really compact, and are ideal for integration into mobile-centric solutions.