Thanks, where do I find the newsletter with this info in, please?
Hello! for me, the main reference point has always been the Khadas forum, there are often the most relevant news.
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Yep, we will also update on the Khadas Forum here 
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oh gezzz, did anyone see the specs of Tone2 yet…lol…? The design cost more. I guess I will solder an old standard XLR to Tone2 since I have a bun of XLR adapters at home. Balanced RCA is expensive new design.
https://www.khadas.com/tone2pro
https://www.khadas.com/post/introducing-the-balanced-rca-jack
Claimed-118dB THD+N? Will be interesting to see the AP tests results. Will balanced cables or XLR adapters be included?
lol probably not, the XLR design will add at least $50 cost to the device so I don’t think the adapter will be included where it would cost around $25-$40
Well, I will sort it out to see what the best alternative even thought it’s not that much for high end users but it does for others.
This new connector is patented. Thus, their only objective is to make money from it. So I wouldn’t buy it.
I disagree with your conclusion. A patent is useful in many ways. Not the least of which is design protection.
Besides, if it wasn’t for making money, none of these SBCs would exist for the average person. Profit is why most things are made available to the public.
I also disagree that the new connectors are simply placed to drive profit. Many users do not have balanced audio connections, having the option for balanced and unbalanced on the same connector means more people can play(backwards compatibility). Specially when overall size and PCB area are taken into consideration.
Innovation is usually more costly than standard issue, both to the manufacturer and the end user, so naturally the price will be somewhat higher, at least initially. This was very evident when we switched from CRT TVs to digital flat panels. Initially, prices for the new tech were prohibitive to many. Now new TVs can be much less expensive at screen size/area than the CRTs they replaced.
I am certain Khadas makes their design decisions based on many factors, while I assume profit is one of them, I seriously doubt it was the only consideration.
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They could have used mini XLR connectors. If they charge for the adapters or cables then IT IS all about money. Also add the cost of the cables to the price of the “Balanced” DAC. Otherwise it’s just an unbalanced DAC. Anyone who wants unbalanced can just get the original TB. No need to spend the extra $69.
It’s a shame there isn’t any mention of a version without case. I am interested in finding 3 DACboards with balanced outputs to be fed by a MiniDSP Nanodigi all in one rack case. I’d invest i there was an OEM versionn for sure.
Can the volume control be disabled?
Balanced connectors are not the only improvement or feature add offered by the Tone2. The Tone2 Pro offers a cased, self-contained platform, needing only a signal source, power and headphones to enjoy. Also offers ability to separate data and power input and more. Khadas will follow on Tone2 Pro with the Tone2 bare dev board, no doubt it will be more budget friendly and will still offer a balanced connection.
People make their buying decisions on many factors. Never hurts to have more options in the choices we make.
Khadas has stated that a bare board(Tone2) is planned for Q1 2021.
To be honest, we never thought about redesigning & customizing a new connector to make a product more profitable, and we trust we can just go with easier way, if for that purpose, labeling our product with a higher retail price instead.
The only purpose we made this decision to define a FULL NEW connector is hoping to devliery better user experience to Khadas fans & users.
Small steps can make the world difference.
Actually, the Balanced RCA connectors including the Jack and Plug costed us quite a lot for designing, moulding development and the manufacturer process, it also took us up to 15 months to complete the work and delivery to the market:
Idea Stage
The Earliest Design (negated)
New Solution in Draft
Initial Design in 3D
Evolution
Finished Version
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I agree on this part, change is something us people cannot accept at first, it takes time to understand the reason of change and go with the flow 
I’m happy to see the amount of R&D put into this new connector, I’m 100% sure it has good reason for its creation,
keep it up Khadas team, hope to see more innovations made by you
cheers
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Hello! Personally, I have long been convinced of the quality of the boards made by the Khadas team, such as vim3 pro, vim2 pro, Edge-v!
I like how it works!
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Not surprising, innovation takes commitment, time and resources. And as said, there are much easier ways to increase profit. This is why I disagreed with user labjr.
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I didn’t mean it’s a bad way of new design. It actually has an advantage and disadvantage.
-Advantage: 2 connectors into 1, save more spaces.
-Disadvantage: cost more for both manufacture and buyers 
I don’t mind with this new design but a least you should have 3 pins option so anyone wants to use the old XLR that they can easily connect to. For me it’s not a problem to solder to the 3 pins at the bottom if it’s visible.
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Right. As long as there are pins available on the board to connect your own connectors, it is great. The connectors look good, but as long as Khadas is the only producer and I cannot just buy them in a local store, it is a problem. Khadas is probably not going to sell all the cable types and lengths required, so you will just need to buy adapters and use the old connectors anyway, just a bit away from your device. More connections also means more potential problems.
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Yep, you are right!
The BAL RCA Jack connectors will be also avaialble for sellling, so cable vendors can make different cables
Good day!
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Very good!
But what about the enforcement of the mechanical retention in absence of any physical lock / unlock mechanism ?
What about the cost that balanced cables and adapters adds to the product?