Which USB reclocker is as good as the Innuos Phoenix USB?


I read a lot about the Innuos Phoenix USB and everyone sings its praises even owners of expensive gear. The problem is that it is expensive.

There are other reclockers like iPurifier3, the Ideon Audio USB Re-clocker 3R, or the SOtM tX-USBultra USB Audio Reclocker. In forums the feedback is that the Phoenix beats a lot of the reclockers.

Does anyone have experience with a USB reclocker that does as good job as the Phoenix USB?

tjag

I surmise these reclockers derive most of their improvements by lowering the noise floor rather than the reclocking. Servers are likely the noisiest component in streaming system,  the Phoenix should be providing lower noise floor.

 

I too am skeptical of adding multiple clocks, clock in renderer and usb board in dacs should do the job. At one point I added audiophile switch to my streaming setup, the OXCO clock in that far superior to the relative crap one in my router. Result was by far the worst addition to my streaming in five or six years of experimenting with various streaming components.

 

Ed Meitner of EMM scoffs at these various add on clocks, claims they do nothing or screw up timing. He states clocks should be internal, placed closest to circuit their providing timing for. He hears lower jitter mostly as affecting sound stage at this point, most of the jitter that we hear as digititus has been decreased to the point this only impacts lower level digital. Funny thing was, the audiophile switch I added decreased sound stage size, etched image outlines, I did hear more detail. This tells me something about adding another clock in that switch, I presume mismatched or excessive clocking.

 

Again,  optimize the usb rendering and input in dac, good to go, this best implementation of clocks.

@kijanki Yes I get it. I am definitely buying a Phoenix when I find one on the secondhand market or if someone recommends an equally good USB reclocker.

Look at all these positive review on the net. I didn’t list those on Audiogon:

"USB reclockers are an important element of a highly optimized digital audio chain. If your budget allows it, forget the spaghetti, and get yourself a Phoenix. Its addition in your USB chain will bring a huge grin on your face!"

@tjag What you should look for in all these reviews is what server is being used, this will tell you what purpose Phoenix serving. I suspect everyone of those servers is not optimizing usb rendering, this means using inferior clocking and noisy usb connected directly to motherboard, not good.

 

The problem with streaming is you can never get back what you lost, nothing that comes after a weak link can be recovered. This means information lost from high noise floor can't magically reappear, bad timing emanating from poor rendering cannot suddenly be re-timed at point of rendering, re-clocker is only band aid. You want to fix things at the source, band aids may help, but the damage remains.

@sns  I agree, internal clocks close to D/A converter IC make sense to me.  Advertisement of external clocks often shows extreme accuracy or long term stability - both unimportant.  Important is the jitter of the clock, that often is not specified and can be increased by the method of delivery (cable, external electrical noise, clock's PS noise).  I would rather spend money on better DAC instead of very expensive "femtosecond" external clock.  AFAIK jitter below about 50ps becomes inaudible, while "femtosecond" suggests 1000x below this level.  It is like buying keyboard able to type million words per second.

 

@sns Thank you for your advice. I have a simple but relatively good streamer ifi Zen with a nice DAC Musician Aquarius. I am not worried that my streamer is better than what these guys have :)

I did read about what gear they used, and it is a variety. One reviewer even tested the Phoenix with the Sonore UltraRendu and reported a positive result.