Yamaha Tio1608-D2 Stage Box
Yamaha·Model Tio1608-D2·yamaha-tio1608-d2
Photos
Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate above stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.
About the Yamaha Tio1608-D2
The Yamaha Tio1608-D2 is the affordable DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. in the Yamaha line: sixteen recallable preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds. 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.
The Tio1608-D2 is Yamaha's rack-mounted DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. — a 3UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. box that plants sixteen recallable mic preampsThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds. and eight analog outputs at the edge of the stage while all the audio travels back to your console over a single Cat6Standard network cable grades. In an audio rig one cheap Cat5e run can replace a 48-channel copper snake; AES50 wants it shielded. 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.
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 EtherConAn Ethernet plug inside a rugged XLR-style locking shell — tour-grade network connections that can’t be yanked loose. ports for primary and secondary DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. networks mean you can run a redundantA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show. link back to FOHFront Of House — the main mix the audience hears, and the console position out in the room where it gets mixed. or your IEMIn-Ear Monitor — earpieces that replace floor wedges, feeding each player their own mix. The reason this whole rack exists. 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 snakesA multicore cable bundling many channels into one stage-to-console run. A sub-snake collects one corner of the stage into a drop box..
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 DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. 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 auxAn auxiliary mix output — each aux is its own independent blend of the channels, typically one per monitor mix or effects send. mixes feeding floor wedgesA floor monitor speaker angled up at the performer — the thing IEMs replace, and the thing you fall back on when they die. plus a few direct drives will bump against that output count quickly, and a unit with a deeper output complement may serve you better.
In the rack
- Run the secondary DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. port back to your switch on a physically separate cable path — not just a separate port on the same cable run. The redundancyA second copy of anything critical — supply, computer, network path — already running so one failure can’t stop the show. only saves you if the failure point is actually isolated.
- PreampThe gain stage that lifts a mic’s tiny signal up to line level — the first thing a signal hits, and a big part of how a console sounds. gainHow much the preamp amplifies the incoming signal. Too low and you’re hunting through hiss; too high and peaks clip. 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-stagingSetting sensible levels at every step of the chain so nothing clips and nothing drowns in hiss — the unglamorous secret to clean mixes. 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 DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. 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 IECThe standard three-prong appliance power inlet on rack gear — the kettle lead. C13/C14 in spec-sheet speak. inlet exits from the rear and a tight rack case can stress the power connector if the depth is borderline.
16-in/8-out DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. stage boxThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. — the TF-series companion, current D2 gen.
I/O Ports (5)
| Port | Connector | Direction | Signal | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mic In 1-16 | XLR FEMALE | input | analog audio | 16 |
| Out 1-8 | XLR MALE | output | analog audio | 8 |
| Dante Primary | ETHERCON | bidirectional | digital audio | 32 |
| Dante Secondary | ETHERCON | bidirectional | digital audio | 32 |
- Power (IEC C14)
Deciding between two?
Rack space, watts, weight and every connector, side by side.
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