Introduction
Few months ago, I saw a photo somewhere on the Internet which really caught my attention. It was a photo of some kind of a portable sized device with a super cool looking design. And here we are, the device turned out to be a portable DAC AMP designed by TRI Audio and KAEI. This is also the first collaboration between those two brands to experiment with a mid-fi level full balanced portable DAC AMP. It’s refreshing to see a company such as TRI who mainly produce IEM is trying to make a make mark in the audiophile market with different audio product. Without further ado, let’s get right into it and see how the TK-2 perform.
Packaging & Accessories
First and foremost, the packaging of the TK-2 is very simple and cost-effective. Nothing too fancy and stand out which is understandable at this price point. Inside, you’ll be greeted with the lovely device itself and then the accessories such as user quick guide, charging and data cables, Apple Lightning to USB C adapter, microfiber cloth, and two rubber bands for stacking purposes. Just a reminder, inside the user guide there is a QR code provided for drivers download.
Design & Features
Moving on to the design, TK-2 is available in two color, namely silver and black. This review unit provided by HILL AUDIO is the silver version. As far as a portable DAC AMP concern, size and weight is important. In this case, the TK-2 is definitely on the chunky and heavy side. Holding the device is like holding a mini brick due to its thickness, but it will probably not be as heavy as say the classic Sony WM1Z. In my point of view, TK-2 is more suitable for transportable rather than portable purpose. A bag or a container is a must for you to bring it somewhere since holding it with your hands or putting it in your pocket can be too cumbersome. Putting that aside, the looks and designs are absolutely stunning to my eyes. It’s got this heavy industrial yet shiningly exquisite looks to it, not only because of the black, silver, and gold colors combination but the metal body is made up of solid high-end aviation aluminum alloy integrated CNC shell. It is also said that the surface of the shell had undergone electroplated anti-scratch process. Just like at one side of its packaging box, KAEI brand is printed at one side of the body. From my observation, the TK-2 looks similar to KAEI HP-100 which is already discontinued at this time and on that account, the TK-2 is probably the successor of the HP-100.
Going into the audio specifications, the TK-2 possesses dual ES9038Q2M DAC chips from ESS Technology which is responsible for better left and right separation and dynamics. In terms of amplification circuitry, the TK-2 has a full balanced amplification design in which dual OPA2132 and dual TPA6120A2 chips from Texas Instruments are used for a Class AB output performance. In terms of the output, TK-2 support 3 types of PO outputs which are the 3.5mm single ended output, 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs with maximum power of 1250mW @ 32Ω. My usage with IEMs and earbuds only requires the volume pot to be around and maximum of 10 to 11 o’clock before the volume become extremely loud and note that the lowest volume is located at 9 o’clock. This just shows how powerful this amp can be. Unfortunately, I did not test it with any headphone, so I strongly advice you to read other reviews on how the TK-2 perform with headphones and other high impedance drivers, though I have no doubt that this device will have no problem driving those planars and high impedance stuff. Furthermore, TK-2 also supports Line Out (LO) function which can be switched on at the back of the device. When LO is enabled, the output is fixed, and the volume can only be adjusted using the external amplifier.
On the other hand, battery life can be considered incredibly long-lasting when considering it has a Class AB amplification. I did not get an exact number on how many hours can the battery last, but in a fully charged state, I was able to use it for about a week (1-3 hours daily) before the battery was fully depleted. Therefore, I think the 9 hours long battery advertised is justified. Charging has its own USB C port, and it was averagely quick during my testing, probably around 4 hours via QC3.0. When the battery is full, the LED indicator will stay and stop blinking. At the front of the device, we have a nice analogue volume pot that is also being used to power on the device. However, the volume rotation feels slightly loose and hence, the recessed design, in order to avoid it being accidentally touched. On top, there are few LED indicators for various sample rates during your playback which include PCM and DSD. In order to play native DSD, ASIO drivers can be downloaded from the QR code given in the manual. With the ASIO driver, further settings such as sample rate, latency, and bit depth can be manually adjusted through the BRAVO-HD control panel.
Parameters:
- THD+N: 0.005%
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 40kHz
- Output Power: up to 1250mW @ 32Ω
- Impedance: 8Ω – 600Ω
- Headphone Interface: 3.5mm SE/ 2.5mm BAL/ 4.4mm BAL.
- Fixed LO level: 2Vrms
- Battery Life: 5000 mAh up to 9 hours
- QC 3.0 fast charging support
- Size: 13cm X 6.8cm X 2.4cm
- Weight: about 280 grams
Retail Price & Where to Get
This review unit received is part of the review tour conducted by HILL AUDIO – MY. Massive thank you to HILL AUDIO – MY & TRI Audio for giving us the chance to test this product. The TRI TK-2 is currently and exclusively available in Malaysia at HILL AUDIO for RM1,499. Please do support local shop like HILL AUDIO when buying audio gears to keep the community alive.
HILL AUDIO – MY Shopee : https://invol.co/cl7j0i0
Test Tracks
Tonality
Having two ES9038Q2M DACs give the TRI TK-2 a neutral and transparent sound signature with great extension on the sub-bass and upper treble. There are some but tiny mid-bass boost, but the elevation is not very obvious to the point that I can call it a warm-neutral type of sound signature. Whatever earphones you connected it with, the sound coming from those earphones will not change. So, the TK-2 will reflect whatever tuning your earphone or headphone has, and it will make your life easier to identify the sound signature of that particular cans. But regardless of how neutral the sound is, the TK-2 is never a DAC AMP that sounds dry and sterile. In fact, it sounds perfectly musical, natural, and smooth pleasing to the ears, as if there’s some sort of magic or finesse touch in the sound. This is probably because of the Class AB op-amp used in this device which are the OPA2132 and TPA6120A2 by TI. The only thing I can say here is TRI Audio and KAEI have done a good job in tuning this foot tapper beast. Yes.. a beast that will make your foot tap endlessly.
Bass
One of the strengths of TK-2 is the extension at both end of the frequency and thus the sub-bass is also extended quite well. With neutral sound signature you must have thought that TK-2 will sound flat and boring but it’s not. The bass of the TK-2 is ever so slightly elevated in the mid-bass which is very satisfying despite being clean and fast. The bass details, impact, and clarity are also impeccable and well controlled. Therefore, the result that you’ll get is an almost clean with tiny mid-bass bleed in order to support any type of bass in the music. Listening to drums, percussions, and bass guitars are just satisfying, meanwhile listening to brass instruments such as trombone in orchestral music and soundtracks are also excellent since the TK-2 is able to provide some heft to those low-end notes.
Midrange
Midrange of the TK-2 is also excellent in spite of being neutral mostly, but there are some tiny bumps in the lower-midrange that I could notice. This is to give some warmth and sweetness such as in human vocals and also to make the timbre such as in piano decays more naturally. Upper midrange is just neutral and clear. I was able to identify if any of my earphones have any peaks and recession in this region. One of the most interesting things about the TK-2 is it sounds very smooth in which I believe due to the tuning in the midrange. All notes and edges of any instrument seems like have been polished and smoothen, but at the same time still maintain those details and clarity. Resolution-wise, the TK-2 is undoubtedly very resolving here. The senses of clarity and the macro/micro details are superbly highlighted including in the vocals.
Treble
The highs of the TK-2 are perfectly balanced without any harshness and sibilance that I could detect. The treble here I think is just natural maybe a little bit bright on some occasions. With a well extended upper treble or “air”, that airiness really helps to portray a sense of spaces in the soundstage and also helps micro details such as echoes and sound reverbs to shine even more. That being said, TK-2 sounds extremely well with genres such as jazz, acoustic, classical, soundtracks, and orchestral-related music in my opinion.
Soundstage & Imaging
The soundstage ladies and gentlemen are stunning. Not because it is crazily wide or anything like that, but because it is greatly spacious. Within that relatively big soundstage, the sense of space or “room” is quite revealing and hence it helps every instrument to individually do their jobs and separating themselves from each other very well. Apart from that, the imaging and layering capabilities are also wonderful. You can feel the tallness and depth of the staging due its strong image placements, though I wouldn’t say it’s an endgame level of three-dimensional imaging and layering just yet.
Transient & Timbre
Transient speed is fast and quick. Most complex and demanding songs should have no problem to be handled by the TK-2 and hence, resulting in great dynamics and control throughout the whole songs. On top of that, despite having the ESS DACs in it, the TK-2 still has a natural and organic timbre. Along with its smooth sound and spacious staging, the TK-2 really present a pleasing sound signature which I very much fond of. All in all, the technical performance of this device is just marvellous which I think already exceed beyond its price point.
DAC vs AMP
In terms of hardware performance, the Class AB amplifier really got a lot of clean raw power with impressive black background. With dynamic driver earphone, the sound can get louder and louder without any bass distortion and peaks in the midrange and high. In other respects, I did test the LO function by connecting the TK-2 with Fiio AM3D THX amplifier and found out that the sound was not as good as before particularly in terms of staging, detail retrieval, and imaging. Therefore, what can be concluded here is that the amplifier section of the TK-2 is the one that matter the most instead of the DAC, I believe. Talking about the amplifier section, there is also no channel imbalanced at low volume.
Comparison
Fiio Q5 (AM3D):
Packed with features including 4.4 Balanced Output, Bluetooth, and Line In functions, the Q5 with the upgraded THX certified AM3D amplifier module is still one of the most competent portable DAC/AMP out there. The dual AK4490EN DACs combined with THX 78-AAA amp give the Q5 mostly a nice balanced tonality. TK-2 though has a little bit different tuning compared to the Q5. Q5 has more prominent midrange especially at the upper-mids while TK-2 has more elevated and extended treble. Bass quantity is more or less the same on both devices, but TK-2 has the upper hand when it comes to subbass extension. However, when comparing it side by side with the TK-2, Q5’s sheer power and technical performance are clearly inferior. In terms of power output via balanced, Q5 with AM3D has a maximum number of ~500mW, meanwhile the TK-2 has twice the power (1250mW). That being said, TK-2’s resolution, detail retrieval, soundstage, imaging, and layering performances are just another level above the Q5. On the soundstage, since Q5 has smaller soundstage and less extended upper treble or air, the overall sound is more focused in like in a studio compared to the TK-2’s more open, spacious, and live-like staging. Transients wise, both Q5 and TK-2 have similar attack and speed, but TK-2 has slightly more natural timbre probably due to longer decay in their transients or maybe because of better tuning.
Sony NW-ZX300 (MrW CFW):
ZX300 is a Digital Audio Player but it can also be used as a DAC/AMP via cable or Bluetooth. With the continuous support by the famous MrWalkman, the ZX300 in this comparison is loaded with a custom WM1Z-based firmware (CFW) along with added tuning profile called “Neutral”. The reason this CFW is so popular is because any Sony’s DAP that are compatible with MrW FW should have superior sound quality compared to the sound coming out from the stock firmware while maintaining that Sony house sound. Enough with that, the ZX300 has a warmer sound in comparison to the neutral sounding TK-2. It has a fuller and more weight note and body across the frequency. Mids are more colored and forward but then, the upper midrange may sound a little bit fatiguing at high volume (at least with Neutral FW). Treble is smoother and less extended which reflect the higher clarity coming out from TK-2. On the technical sides, resolution and detail retrieval of ZX300 is not far behind the TK-2 but the soundstage, imaging, and layering inferiority is obvious when comparing them both. In addition to that, the baby power output of the ZX300 means the sound feels softer and slower in their transients. Therefore, the TK-2 is a clear winner in terms of technicalities although the ZX300 with MrW CFW may have a tastier tonality to some people.
iFi hip-dac V1:
Recently updated with version 2, iFi hip-dac is a British-made portable DAC/AMP that features a fan favorite Burr-Brown DAC chipset. The hip-dac has this warmish and analogue characters but with quite forward midrange in which I think it’s their wow factor. It is very appealing to a lot of people especially the westerners. Even so, the technicalities leave a lot to be desired once you get used to the tonality. Enter the TK-2. The TK-2 is brighter but with far better resolution and technical performances. Going from TK-2 to hip-dac, soundstage and separation sound one-dimensional and lacking in contrast. Transient feels slower and loose in control over the time in comparison to the more proficient TK-2. Power wise, hip-dac has a maximum of 400mW @ 32Ω via balanced and it also has channel imbalanced at very low volume.
Synergy
As a neutral source, TK-2 is able to adapt and pair very well with any type of sound. With warmish type of earphones such as Blur 256 PK32 and ATH-CKW1000ANV, TK-2 will highlight bass lines even more and add some sparkles and clarity into the sound. Technicalities have a definite improvement especially in terms of soundstage, instrument layering, detail, and resolution. Pairing with Ksearphone LBBS which has a neutral sound profile makes it sound exactly like it should be except that it scales even more. Layering, transient speed, and imaging are greatly improved. Pairing with something that can scale really well with good source and amplification such as the bright-ish VE Monk SM and HZSound Heart Mirror again make them sound wonderfully balanced. Overall, TK-2 will max out the signal that will be feed into whatever your cans are, and at that point it is all depend on your cans to perform.
Conclusion
Well at this stage you can already guess that the TRI TK-2 is an absolutely fantastic for a mid-fi portable DAC AMP. Perhaps it can even be an endgame level of performance and value to some people. It does lack some additional features such as Bluetooth and Line In function but for what it is, the sound is just incredible, and it might be really hard to beaten for a while. Power output is already reaching desktop level performance and the design is extremely well-built and feels premium. TRI TK-2 is a highly resolving DAC AMP that has a neutral but smooth and engaging sound signature which is perfect for both audio testing and music listening. With the help from KAEI, what TRI Audio is trying to achieve here is remarkable since this is their first try on making a DAC AMP. Consequently, making people like me even more curious for the next TK-2 iteration or whatever they can offer in the future. For some, the TK-2 is already an endgame portable source and amplifier but for TRI and KAEI, this is just a start.
