TRANSCRIPT

If your system feels like it works, but it doesn't quite feel intentional or if you're building your first two channel setup and you want to get it right the first time – this is the product that can anchor the whole thing. Hey everybody, welcome back to the channel. Today we're taking a look at the new generation BasX TA2+ Stereo Preamp/DAC/Tuner with an Integrated amplifier.

That's a long name, but here's what it really means: This is the control center of your two channel or 2.1 system. You plug everything into this. It handles the switching, the volume, the digital conversion, and it powers your speakers. And in the second generation version, it adds a lot of features and connectivity that people have really been asking for.

So let's walk through the top three reasons why you might want the new BasX TA2+ in your system. And then we'll show you how easy it is to connect and set it up. Reason #1 You might want to add this to your system:  It really simplifies and modernizes your setup. A lot of systems start simple, then they get complicated over time.

You add a TV, you add a turntable, maybe a subwoofer, maybe a computer, and now suddenly you've got tons of dongles and adapters and it's a nightmare to keep up with. The new TA2+ is built to clean all of that up. This generation adds balanced XLR analog input, balanced XLR outputs for both your main channels and your subwoofer, 

HDMI arc for TV audio, USB-C input for computers, tablets, or phones that have a USB-C connection, built-in analog based management as well so you can really dial in your subwoofer with your system. So in practical terms, you can run a single HDMI cable from your TV and get clean two channel audio into your speakers. You can connect a laptop phone tablet directly over usb-C and stream to them via Bluetooth or a direct USB connection.

You can use the balanced connections if your system supports them, which will help reduce noise, especially if you have longer cable runs and you can integrate a subwoofer properly with the adjustable crossover control. Instead of stacking solutions, this becomes your main singular hub. Reason #2 you'd want the BasX TA2+: It is real Hi-Fi at its core.

At the heart of the TA2+, it is a traditional class AB amplifier powered by a toroidal linear power supply. That combination really matters. When the music gets dynamic or the volume goes up, the sound stays composed. You get control on the bass, the clarity, the vocals, and the sense of ease. Instead of having a strained sound from your speakers or from your amplifier, the amp stage in the TA2+ plus delivers a powerful 135W into eight ohms, or 250W into for ohms, to give you real headroom.

The preamp section keeps the analog sources in the analog domain, so if you're running a turntable, you're not converting that signal back and forth between analog and digital the whole time, and really ruining the point of you listening to a turntable to begin with. There's a built in phono stage that supports both moving magnet and moving core cartridges, so vinyl users are covered without needing an additional box.

And whether you're streaming over Bluetooth using the internal DAC or running HDMI arc from your TV, everything passes through a clean, well-designed control stage before it hits your speakers. That's what makes this system sound so balanced and so effortless. Reason number three it grows with you. This is where the second generation really stands out. With a balanced XLR analog inputs and balanced XLR preamp outputs, the TA2+ can serve as a serious standalone preamp

If you ever decide to add a separate power amplifier later. Sometimes you have to put the subwoofer somewhere in the room, either by design of the furniture or the acoustics of your room, and that's determined that's where the sub needs to be. Well, that's where the balanced subwoofer output helps. If your subs across the room, you run it via the quietest possible connection via the balanced XLR output, and the built in analog bass management helps you properly divide frequencies between your main speakers and your sub.

That's especially important in a 2.1 system, because it keeps the mids and highs clean, and lets the sub handle the heavy lifting without sending unnecessary low frequencies to your speakers that they will struggle to reproduce. So whether you're building your first proper stereo system or refining an existing one, the basic two plus gives you room to evolve. Now you know the three reasons why you need one.

Let's take a quick set up of what's in the box and what to expect when you get your TA2+. In the box, you'll find the TA2+ itself, the power cord, remote control, trigger, cable, FM antenna, and your user manual. Looking at the front of the BasX TA2+, it is very simple to use.

You have your 3.5mm headphone output input buttons that rotate you through all the available analog and digital inputs. Then you have your adjustable brightness TFT display to give you feedback on your inputs, volume, and menu. And finally, you have your knurled metal volume knob. Flipping around to the back of the unit, let's take a look at all of the inputs and outputs available, starting with your digital inputs.

You have HDMI ARC, USB-C coax, optical one, optical two, followed up by your Bluetooth antenna, trigger input and trigger output, and FM antenna. Now let's move down to the analog inputs. You have your ground and RCA inputs. If you're using a phono stage along with your loading types for a moving magnet or moving coil. You have three unbalanced RCA inputs and then a balanced pair of XLR inputs.

Next, you have your home theater bypass inputs for left, right, and subwoofer. Home theater bypass mode simply lets an external AV receiver or processor take full control of the volume and send the front left, and front right channels straight to your stereo and amp speakers, bypassing the preamps own internal volume knob and tone controls completely. Next, we have your unbalanced and balanced subwoofer output with low pass filter and frequency knob.

The low pass filter, sometimes known as LPF, allow signals with a frequency lower than a specific cutoff frequency to pass while rolling off the higher frequencies. Then we move to the unbalanced and balanced preamp outputs. You would use these if you want to bypass the internal amplifier and use your own external amplifier. You also have a high pass functionality on these outputs.

The high pass filter allows the high frequency signals to pass while rolling off the lower frequencies to the frequency you select. Finally, we get to the left and right speaker outputs. You will connect your left and right speakers to the 5-Way binding post via your personal choice of bare speaker wire, spades, or banana plugs. Now that we're familiar with the ins and outs of the BasX TA2+, let's jump into some simple menu options from the remote.

If you press the menu button, you can run through the trims and boost or cut treble, bass, subwoofer and you can adjust the balance left to right. You can also set the dim level and reset your unit to factory settings if needed. Now let's get into the setup of the unit. It's pretty straightforward, and I'm going to be connecting multiple items into this all in one device for you.

With everything powered off, we're going to connect some items now to the unit. I'm going to start by connecting my speakers to the binding posts via banana plugs into the speaker outputs.

Next I'm going to connect my subwoofer to the sub output. Now for the subwoofer I will be using XLR, but you can use single ended unbalanced if that's all you have. So now I'm going to connect my TV to the HDMI ARC. I'm going to go run from my arc output up from my TV to the ARC input on the TA2+.

Now I'm going to connect to my computer. I'm going to use usb-C for this. So I'm going to take my usb-C cable from my computer to the usb-C input. Now, the only analog piece I'm going to connect here is a turntable. So I'm going to connect my ground, select that I'm using moving magnet and connect my analog unbalanced to the left and right.

Now that all my items are connected, I'm ready to listen. So if your system feels pieced together, or you just want something that combines modern connectivity with a traditional class AB amplifier performance, the new generation TA2+ really is a compelling option. It simplifies your setup, gives you cleaner connections, and really keeps the sound honest. 

Want to learn more or need help with your BasX TA2+?

Give us a shout! We're here to help. Thanks for watching! Be sure to like, subscribe and check out the full BasX lineup at Emotiva.com and from all of us at Emotiva. Happy listening.

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