Implications of Esoteric G-0Rb atomic clock


The latest TAS (March 2008) has an excellent piece by Robert Harley: a review of the Esoteric G-0Rb Master Clock Generator, with sidebars on the history and significance of jitter. This Esoteric unit employs an atomic clock (using rubidium) to take timing precision to a new level, at least for consumer gear. It's a good read, I recommend it.

If I am reading all of this correctly, I reach the following conclusions:

(1) Jitter is more important sonically than we might have thought

(2) Better jitter reduction at the A-D side of things will yield significant benefits, which means we can look forward to another of round remasters (of analog tapes) once atomic clock solutions make it into mastering labs

(3) All of the Superclocks, claims of vanishingly low jitter, reclocking DACs -- all of this stuff that's out there now, while probably heading in the right direction, still falls fall short of what's possible and needed if we are to get the best out of digital and fully realize its promise.

(4) We can expect to see atomic clocks in our future DACs and CDPs. Really?

Am I drawing the right conclusions?
Ag insider logo xs@2xdrubin
Enjoyed reading this thread, but until a stable, audibly proven, simple and affordable solution is in place with say, flash drive PC transmission (via which cable) to my Dac, my CEC transport might go to Joseph Chow for some power supply reworking around the clock, he's good at addressing low-level signals.
Eric, I agree in essence with what you are saying. S/PDIF is inherently flawed. USB has advantages in terms of the ease of reclocking, etc. However, not all USB interfaces are created equal. Steven Nugent himself told me that there is a fair amount of variability in the quality of USB reclocking chips, which is where the $ is. That being said, I wonder if the sonic attributes of this WDP (nice Dgarretson....) are simply a byproduct of the USB interface or is it something more? I think you are operating under certain assumptions about the purported sonic attributes of USB data architecture. There are USB products out there which, while very good, are not a quantum leap beyond current offerings.

I will leave you with a quote from the Benchmark gang taken from a Stereophile thread:

We did measure the audio performance (Freq response, THD, IMD, etc) of the USB input, and it was completely similar to the all other digital inputs of the DAC1 up to 96/24. We also did listening tests. I am continuously conducting this test (as we speak ), as are several others here at Benchmark. Testing with a CD transport feeding the Coax input, and the computer feeding the USB with the same music, no one has been able to differentiate the two inputs.

--------------------
Elias Gwinn
Engineer
Benchmark Media Systems, Inc
www.BenchmarkMedia.com
Triode, I have the G0s working with the P0s VUK and DCS Elgar plus. Have you heard the Rubidium clock in action with the Esoteric , DCS, or EMM separates? Have you done A/B comparison?
Some fools buy "crazy" things, but the others speak about things they don't know. WHy don't you tell us about your experience with the Rubidium Clock and explain your statement?

Kyomi Audio
Ehider, "I am thinking I may start a specific thread with the USB DAC's name and some other details when the company gives me the "green light" to talk about them in detail"

Do you have a formal or informal relationship with this un-named company?

Can't wait for your thread on the specific DAC you are mentioning. I have a Pro Mac waiting for a higher purpose now, just in case.

Reading the comments from the reviewers regarding the Memory Player, it seems like this a new paradigm, a new cult, or an alien invasion starting.
Perhaps a naive question from someone technically challenged, but will any of this have an impact on, or improve upon, the performance of pc-based music delivered not by USB but wirelessly, as with a Sonos or Squeezebox? (Oh please, oh please, tell me it will!!!)

I think THIS is the real future of music delivery, whereby you DON'T have to plug a pc into your system via USB or anything else. Whereby you can sit anywhere in your house and pull up music and play it, via your laptop or your sonos, squeezebox, etc. This is truly the future. Hardwiring is NOT the answer in my book. Convenience equal with reference quality playback is the answer. I wish more effort was being put into this aspect of delivery.