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
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.
Agear, IMHO you are absolutely correct that USB intefaces are not created equal. (If it was only that simple!). I think we will see just a select few USB based digital standouts in the next year or so. Most likely, many of their competitors will be "scratching their heads" to why they cannot achieve the same sonic greatness when they try to implement a USB connection within their digital products. Steve Nugent is absolutely spot on with his assessments regarding USB variability. Only a very talented digital design staff (that understand digital like Steve Nugent) will be able to implement USB connectivity and actually achieve true sonic greatness due to the myriads of technical issues that Steve pointed out. As you surmised, the most important thing I've learned with this is that the SPDIF connection itself has always "sucked the life" out of what digital was capable of giving us. Of course, the Esoteric $15K Rubiduim clock probably helps fix some of this. ;-)

Bosrt; The wonderful pre-production USB DAC I heard was actually by accident. If their production USB DAC sounds as good as the beta unit I heard I think I will be "beating the drums" very loudly about it. I am so VERY TIRED of seeing the multitudes of huge dollar digital offerings that are being talked up in the rags and on the audio forums that don't actually meet the expectations? (Can we say "almost everything"). I think many audiophiles are getting burned out with digital as they spend STUPID money yet still end up flipping their digital front ends year over year. When are we going to see the super digital "revolutionary" product actually going to meet the hype about it?

BTW: Your "Alien Invasion" statement really cracked me up!