David I found the Phoenix an easy decision to purchase after a short listen just before the parade of experts finally decided what was coming out of China by the plane load was and is a serious threat .
Which USB Re Clocker
I have been very happy with my Innuos Zenith Mk 2 for several years. The sound is excellent and ripping is child's play. I have been interested in adding the Phoenix Re Clocker for a couple of years, but for various reasons, haven't been able to get a demo yet. One of the selling points of the Phoenix by Innuos, is that it can be used between any source and USB DAC.
Well it also means that any re clocker should work between an Innuos Server and DAC. The one drawback to me is that the Phoenix isn't cheap, at least as far as my budget in retirement is concerned. The Company claims that the Phoenix is more than a Re Clocker, with improved power supplies and other improvements. I don't suppose many of you guys have had the chance to compare the Phoenix with other units. Still any suggestions about other, cheaper Re Clocker units to consider? Particularly if you have had the chance to use it with an Innuos Server, but not much chance of that either. Still any advice is welcome, thanks.
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As stated above, if your USB DAC is async, "reclocking" the signal is a meaningless function. It will literally do nothing at least w.r.t. data transfer. sjsfive0 seemed to get good and honest data from a manufacturer who said the same thing. The reclocking function is meaningless. On the other hand, cleaning up electrical noise could certainly be a benefit. Is $3,000 a suitable price for doing that? Seems a bit "rich" for the function and could be done for considerably less money, but if you trial it and it helps, what is your time worth? It may be worth researching and investing in a simpler device but as effective device and putting that money elsewhere into the system. |
A good reclocker certainly made an improvement in my system. Even though the digital chain was not bad to begin with. Who cares what the naysayers and theorists say. The difference was obvious with much improved sound. More solid image and soundstage, better vocal and instrument separation, more detail, darker background etc. Everything they say. |
@erik_squires, I would not expect galvanic isolation in a low end DAC. There is a definite cost in doing it, especially if the DAC is USB powered. If externally powered, there is less justification, but it is still there, especially if you want to support USB2.0 data rates. If you are powering off a laptop, one quick test is to unplug the power cord and run off batteries. In some cases this can significantly reduce noise. With the power cord connected, there is a high frequency noise path. It is assumed it is the noisy USB supply that is the issue, but as likely it is noise on the AC supply transmitted through the USB ground connection. Sometimes pulling the ground pin on the AC works, sometimes it does not. Relatively low cost ($200) medical grade isolation transformers work well. They are designed for low leakage, hence have shield windings. Something like this: https://assets.tripplite.com/product-pdfs/en/is250hg.pdf |
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