A extra particulars overview of the Khadas Tea Professional is out there on mightygadget.co.uk
My brother Ted reviewed the unique Khadas Tea practically three years in the past, highlighting its heat bass bias and irritating lack of a companion app. Whereas I personally desire hotter sound (high-pitched noises are my nemesis), the restricted customisations clearly held it again. Khadas ultimately launched the Audio app over a 12 months later, however the harm was completed.
The Tea Professional addresses these shortcomings head-on and provides a raft of recent options that remodel it from a distinct segment product right into a genuinely aggressive moveable DAC.
What’s Really Improved
The spec sheet tells the story. You’re getting an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC (versus the ES9281ACPRO), a Qualcomm QCC5181 Bluetooth chipset (up from QCC5125), and an XMOS XU316-1024 USB controller. In sensible phrases: PCM help jumps from 384 kHz to 768 kHz, DSD from 256 to 512, and Bluetooth strikes from 5.1 to five.4 with aptX Adaptive help.
The measured efficiency backs this up. THD+N sits at 0.000126% (-118 dB) with no load, and SNR hits 122 dB on the balanced output. These aren’t simply spectacular numbers on paper—you’ll be able to hear the distinction.
The bodily modifications are simply as vital. The 0.95-inch AMOLED show (120 x 240 RGB) exhibits battery life, connection mode, audio format, and pattern price. You additionally get a 4.4mm balanced output alongside the three.5mm jack, delivering as much as 5.0 Vrms and 180 mW into 16.5 ohms. The three.5mm manages 2.5 Vrms and 100 mW.
The MagSafe compatibility stays, which is good for iPhone customers. At 7.85mm thick and 96g, it genuinely disappears when magnetically hooked up to your telephone. The CNC-machined aluminium chassis with Gorilla Glass 3 and leather-based again feels premium, although the shiny surfaces are fingerprint magnets.
Design Frustrations
I’ve to be sincere in regards to the button format—it’s genuinely unintuitive. You get two quantity buttons on the correct, then two on the left: one bigger, one smaller. I assumed the bigger one was a rocker and the smaller was energy. Unsuitable. The bigger one is energy, the smaller is menu. I needed to seek the advice of the handbook, which is irritating on a £200 gadget.
Audio Efficiency: Wired vs Wi-fi
Testing with high-resolution DSD and FLAC recordsdata from OPPO’s library revealed the anticipated hierarchy. Over Bluetooth, you’re capped at PCM 96 kHz/24-bit, however USB with UAC2.0 delivers the complete PCM 768 kHz or DSD512 functionality.
The distinction between wired and wi-fi isn’t refined. USB-C connection supplies a major enchancment in readability, element retrieval, and dynamic vary. The soundstage is wider, instrument separation is extra distinct, and there’s an immediacy that Bluetooth merely can’t match. Bluetooth introduces a slight veiling and extra distant presentation—completely enough for informal listening on the go, however for vital listening, wired is the clear selection.
The balanced 4.4mm output is a standout. It supplies extra energy and a decrease noise flooring in comparison with the three.5mm jack, superb for higher-impedance headphones or delicate IEMs. You hear it as a blacker background, permitting micro-details to emerge with better management over the drivers.
Codec Comparability
Testing numerous Bluetooth codecs revealed the anticipated variations:
- SBC: Fundamental high quality, noticeable compression
- AAC: Improved over SBC, good for iPhone customers
- aptX: Higher than AAC, extra detailed
- aptX HD: Noticeable enchancment in decision
- LDAC: Greatest wi-fi high quality, approaching wired efficiency
- aptX Adaptive: Variable high quality based mostly on connection stability
The aptX Adaptive inclusion is welcome, adjusting bitrate based mostly on connection situations for extra constant efficiency than fixed-bitrate codecs.
App and Controls
The Khadas Audio app (iOS, Android, macOS, Home windows) affords seven EQ presets and a ten-band graphic equaliser with acquire adjustable from -12 dB to +12 dB per band. The on-device controls through the display imply you’re not at all times depending on the app, although the app can typically be sluggish to mirror gadget modifications.
For Home windows, you’ll want to put in drivers from Khadas’ downloads web page to regulate bit price and sampling price—it’s not fairly plug-and-play. Android customers get full app performance, and my Pixel 9 Professional XL detected it as a wired headphone when plugged in.
Battery Life
The 2100 mAh battery delivers the quoted 11 hours of Bluetooth playback and eight hours of wired USB use in real-world testing, although this varies with quantity, acquire settings, and codec selection. It’s enough for a full day, and pass-through charging works, albeit with some warmth technology. Full cost takes roughly two hours.
Value and Options
Right here’s the place it will get fascinating. The Tea Professional has an RRP of $199 (£199 within the UK), while the older Tea is £100 on Amazon UK.
The FiiO BTR15 (£115) and BTR17 (£180) are most likely the closest opponents, working over Bluetooth or USB-C, although neither affords magnetic attachment. The iFi GO blu (£199) takes a distinct method with analogue heat on the identical value level.
The Qudelix-5K at £101 on Amazon is probably the very best worth possibility—extraordinarily effectively reviewed and considerably cheaper, although it lacks the MagSafe integration and balanced output.
Verdict
The Tea Professional is a considerable improve that addresses the unique’s shortcomings. The color show, balanced 4.4mm output, improved DAC chipset, and Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive remodel it right into a extremely aggressive moveable audio answer.
For iPhone customers pissed off by restricted high-resolution codec help, that is arguably among the finest options accessible. It bypasses the iPhone’s Bluetooth limitations when wired and enhances wi-fi listening when obligatory. For Android and laptop customers, it’s a wonderful, extremely moveable DAC/amp with a complete function set.
The minor irritations—unintuitive button format, fingerprint-prone surfaces, sometimes sluggish app—don’t essentially undermine what’s in any other case a top-tier moveable audio gadget. The audio efficiency is phenomenal for the scale, the construct high quality is premium, and the MagSafe integration is genuinely intelligent.
Is it definitely worth the value premium over the unique Tea or the Qudelix-5K? If you would like the balanced output, superior DAC efficiency, and seamless iPhone integration, sure. In case you’re purely after worth, the options deserve critical consideration.
