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Stage Box

Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box

The Yamaha Tio1608-D2 is the affordable Dante stage box in the Yamaha line: sixteen recallable preamps and eight outs with one-touch pairing to TF consoles, including the TF-Rack. Three units cascade for 48 inputs, and standard Dante means it also serves any Dante rig. The current second generation of the Tio.

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Photos

Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.

Photo: Yamaha1 / 3
Documented outputs
1One destination connection
Documented inputs
2Based on documented inputs
Rack space
3UBuilder checks available rail space
Power draw
30W45W documented maximum
Catalog estimate
~$1,650Use retailer rows for current price and stock

01 · What it does—and what that changes in your rig.

Product overview

Start with the payoff, then work through how it functions, where it fits, and the details that change a real build.

The payoff

Stage Box decisions, organized around the whole rig.

The Tio1608-D2 is Yamaha's rack-mounted Dante stage box — a 3U box that plants sixteen recallable mic preamps and eight analog outputs at the edge of the stage while all the audio travels back to your console over a single Cat6 run. It lives in the Yamaha TF ecosystem by design, with one-touch pairing to TF-series consoles including the TF-Rack, but because it speaks standard Dante it will work in any Dante-enabled rig. That dual role — tight Yamaha integration on one hand, open-protocol flexibility on the other — is what makes it worth understanding before you dismiss it as a brand-specific accessory.

Documented outputs
1One destination connection
Documented inputs
2Based on documented inputs
Rack space
3UBuilder checks available rail space
Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box — additional view 1
Photo: Yamaha3U · 30W
Function

How it works in the path

At 4 kg and 250 mm deep, this sits comfortably in a shallow stage rack without eating into your amp or wireless footprint. The 30 W nominal draw (45 W max) is honest enough that a single rack PDU outlet handles it without drama. Dual EtherCon ports for primary and secondary Dante networks mean you can run a redundant link back to FOH or your IEM rack — a legitimate safety net on a show where a single cable pull would otherwise kill everything. Three units cascade to 48 inputs on one Dante network, so a larger stage with multiple input drops can share the same logical system rather than running separate snakes.

Best fit

Where it earns its place in the rack

If you're already on a TF console or TF-Rack, this is the natural answer — the one-touch pairing removes a configuration step that can bite you at a rushed load-in. If you're running a Dante rig built around a different console, the Tio still works, but you'll configure it like any other Dante device and lose the shortcut. Where it's less obvious fit: engineers who need more than eight analog returns at the stage — a monitoring rig with six aux mixes feeding floor wedges plus a few direct drives will bump against that output count quickly, and a unit with a deeper output complement may serve you better.

Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box — rear panel
Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box — rear panelPhoto: Yamaha
In the rack

Details worth deciding before load-in.

  • Run the secondary Dante port back to your switch on a physically separate cable path — not just a separate port on the same cable run. The redundancy only saves you if the failure point is actually isolated.
  • Preamp gain is recallable, so build a show file with your standard gain structure before doors and let the console recall it at the top of every set — eliminates the hand-on-knob gain-staging ritual for repeating shows.
  • If you're cascading two or three units for 32 or 48 inputs, label the physical boxes clearly with a piece of gaff tape showing which Dante channels they occupy — 1–16, 17–32, 33–48 — before the units leave the shop. Stage hands will not intuit this.
  • At 250 mm depth, confirm your rack lid or rear-door clearance before you pack — the IEC inlet exits from the rear and a tight rack case can stress the power connector if the depth is borderline.

02 · Know the whole path before you buy.

Signal path

Learn the route as a block diagram: source, product function, transport, and destination. Select any block to see what enters, what changes, and what leaves.

Interactive block diagramAuto-looping · hover, focus, or tap to hold a stage
Port-type signalProduct functionSystem boundary
Follow one signal from source to destination

Each block answers the same three questions: what arrives, what changes here, and what leaves.

01 · Source · selected
01 · Source

2 documented inputs

XLR female + IEC C14

Arrives as
2 documented inputs
Connector
XLR female + IEC C14
Signal
analog audio

03 · What this product asks of the rest of the system.

Compatibility

Treat connector names as the start of the check—not the answer. These are the boundaries that determine a complete working path.

Best fit · Stage Box

Use it when 3U and 250 mm of depth fit the case.

Plan the companion path

Complete the path with upstream and downstream gear that matches connector, direction, signal type, protocol, and wiring standard.

Protocol boundary

This product declares DANTE; matching plugs alone do not make other protocols compatible.

04 · Every connector, grouped by job.

I/O ports

Switch the product view and the documented port inventory updates with it—hardware and data stay side by side.

Every connector, grouped by job.

Switch panels to keep the hardware view and the documented port list in sync.

Front panel
INPUTOUTPUTYAMAHATio1608-D2Dante Stage Box
Rear panel
YamahaTio1608-D2
All documented ports for Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box
PortPanelConnectorDirectionSignalChannels
Mic In 1-16frontXLR female inputanalog audio16
Out 1-8frontXLR male outputanalog audio8
Dante PrimaryrearetherCON bidirectionaldigital audio32
Dante SecondaryrearetherCON bidirectionaldigital audio32
PowerrearIEC C14 inputpower—

Showing 5 of 5 documented physical ports.

05 · Compare the decision, not just the price.

Alternatives

The rows are organized around fit, power, I/O, and system role so a cheaper unit cannot hide a more expensive workflow.

Compare
Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box
Yamaha Rio1608-D2 Dante Stage Box
Yamaha Rio3224-D2 Dante Stage Box
Yamaha Rio3224-D3 Stage Box
Fit📐 3U📐 3U📐 5U📐 5U
Power⚡ 30W⚡ 45W⚡ 65W⚡ 60W
Weight⚖️ 8.8 lb⚖️ 16.8 lb⚖️ 22.9 lb⚖️ 8.8 lb
I/O🔌 5🔌 28🔌 56🔌 6
Estimate💵 ~$1,650💵 ~$3,999💵 ~$5,899💵 ~$10,800
Deep diveCurrent selectionFull comparison →Full comparison →Full comparison →

06 · Resolve the questions that can change the purchase or build plan.

Planning questions

Short, source-backed answers surface rack fit, power, cabling, and connection details before they become surprises.

How will the Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box affect rack fit and case depth?

It occupies 3U. Its documented depth is 250 mm.

How much power does the Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box draw?

Typical draw is 30W and documented maximum draw is 45W.

What connections does the Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box have?

5 documented physical ports, including Mic In 1-16, Out 1-8, Dante Primary, Dante Secondary, Power.

07 · See this unit inside a real rack plan.

Builder preview

Placement is only the start. Builder checks space · depth · weight, power headroom, dependencies, and compatible signal paths around this exact catalog item.Open in Builder
Tio1608-D2 Stage Box positioned in a rack planA simplified plan shows the unit taking 3 rack units, with its documented connection path continuing to a planned destination.YamahaTio1608-D2CONNECTED GEARnext signal destination3U · 250 mm deep

08 · Related gear, in the order you may need it.

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Midas DL16 Digital Stage Box

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Behringer S16 Digital Stage Box

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Midas DL251 Digital Stage Box

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Planning guides for stage box systems.

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