The ONIX Tocata XM2 drops this week at $439, and ONIX isn’t dipping a toe into the DAP market so much as cannonballing straight into the crowded deep end dominated by Astell&Kern, FiiO, Cayin, and iBasso. Building on the design language of the Overture XM5 and the pocket-friendly footprint of the Waltz XM10, the Tocata XM2 fuses ONIX’s minimalist aesthetic with real-world portability. It delivers up to 800 mW into 32 ohms with full hi-res PCM and DSD support—an affordable, compact player meant to carry the ONIX identity into a far more competitive arena.
2025 has been a strange little plot twist. FiiO and Astell&Kern have doubled down on a category many assumed was drifting into irrelevance as consumers leaned on smartphones, wireless headphones, or a simple Dongle DAC hanging off the charging port. And when Samsung, Google, and Apple are already extracting a kidney for their latest flagships, the idea of carrying a second, dedicated digital audio player should feel like a non-starter. Yet here we are because overseas demand hasn’t just held steady, it’s thriving. Turns out a lot more people want a purpose-built music player than the doomsayers ever predicted.
Latest DAC Technology: New Cirrus Logic CS4308P Debuts in ONIX Tocata XM2
The Tocata XM2 is the first ONIX player to feature Cirrus Logic’s new flagship CS4308P, an 8-channel DAC designed for fully balanced implementation and a clear step forward from the brand’s previous-generation chipsets. ONIX supports the DAC with its in-house “Brighton” I/V conversion stage and a pair of SGM amplifiers capable of delivering up to 800 mW into 32 ohms. The design maintains a low output impedance, making the XM2 equally suitable for demanding full-size headphones and sensitive IEMs without noise or instability.
Streamlined Performance and a Purpose-Built Audio Platform
Powered by the Ingenic X2000, the Tocata XM2 runs a lean, fast system tailored for listeners who want music without the smartphone circus. It plays local hi-res files from a microSD card, supports Tidal streaming, and works seamlessly over DLNA or AirPlay to keep the signal clean and uninterrupted. The aluminum chassis carries the usual ONIX refinement, with bi-directional Bluetooth for sending or receiving wireless audio, a USB digital output for feeding an external DAC, and USB DAC mode for use with a computer or smartphone. ONIX even adds support for its new magnetic phone case to make tethered listening more practical—though the case itself is sold separately.
Specifications and What They Actually Mean
The Tocata XM2 stays compact at 82 × 65 × 18 mm (roughly 3.2 × 2.6 × 0.7 inches) and 140 grams, making it a legitimately pocketable DAP. It runs ONIX’s in-house system on the Ingenic X2000 platform with a 3-inch square 720p OLED touchscreen—simple, sharp, and functional. Music can be loaded from a microSD card up to 2 TB or streamed directly through TIDAL, DLNA, or AirPlay. Control comes through the touchscreen, four physical buttons, and a volume wheel, with remote operation handled via ONIX’s SyncLink system in the Eddict Player app for Android and iOS.
Wireless support includes two-way Bluetooth 5.2 with LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, SBC, and AAC. Wi-Fi runs on 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, letting the player stream or act as a DLNA/AirPlay target. The USB-C port handles standard charging, USB DAC mode for bypassing a phone or laptop’s internal audio, and USB digital output for feeding an external DAC. Hi-res file support tops out at PCM 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512, which covers anything most listeners will realistically throw at it.
Headphone outputs include both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced, each with low and high gain. The single-ended output delivers 51 mW at 32 ohms in low gain and 204 mW at 32 ohms in high gain, with a low 0.4-ohm output impedance—good news for sensitive IEMs. The balanced output is where the muscle lives: 200 mW at 32 ohms in low gain and 800 mW at 32 ohms in high gain, with a 0.7-ohm output impedance.
The measured performance is clean: 20 Hz – 40 kHz frequency response within half a decibel, THD+N at 0.0005% (A-weighted), 112 dB channel separation, and a 121 dB signal-to-noise ratio. Noise performance at 114 dB (A-weighted) keeps hiss out of the picture with efficient IEMs.
Battery capacity is 3000 mAh, yielding up to 8.5 hours of playback from either output. Not class-leading, not terrible—just the cost of running a fully balanced design and a bright OLED screen in a small enclosure.
The Bottom Line
The ONIX Tocata XM2 steps directly into a heavyweight division dominated by the FiiO M21 and Shanling M3, but it doesn’t show up unprepared. At $439, it delivers a fully balanced design built around Cirrus Logic’s new CS4308P DAC, ONIX’s “Brighton” I/V stage, and a genuine 800 mW of output power from the 4.4 mm jack. It keeps the experience focused: hi-res local playback, TIDAL streaming, DLNA/AirPlay, USB DAC mode, and two-way Bluetooth with LDAC and aptX HD. It’s compact, metal-bodied, and purpose-built for people who want a music player—not a pocket-sized tablet pretending to be one.
But accuracy also means calling out the limits. There’s no Bluetooth LE or aptX Lossless, two features that are becoming more relevant as wireless audio moves forward. Battery life is only average, and the OS remains intentionally lean compared to what FiiO and Shanling offer on their higher-end models. Even so, the XM2 carves out a credible lane: a simpler, more affordable DAP that still has the power, measured performance, and everyday usability to compete where the listening actually happens.
For more information: onixhiend.co.uk/introducing-onix-tocata-xm2/
Related Reading:
- FiiO M27 Flagship DAP: 5W Balanced Amp, AptX Lossless, And Dragonwing AI—Pocket Power That Could Actually Scare IBasso And Astell&Kern
- Astell&Kern PD10 Digital Audio Player Gains New Color And Flagship-Level Features From SP4000
- Review: Shanling M3 Plus DAP — Because Not Every Audiophile Needs A $3,000 Brick To Find Sonic Bliss
- FiiO M21 DAP Launches At $329: Because Apparently $199 Wasn’t Fancy Enough
