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Importance of clocking

There is a lot of talk that external clocks because of the distance to the processor don‘t work. This is the opposite of my experience. While I had used an external Antelope rubidium clock,on my Etherregen and Zodiac Platinum Dac, I have now added a Lhy Audio UIP clocked by the same Antelope Clock to reclock the USB stream emanating from the InnuOS Zenith MkIII. The resultant increase in soundstage depth, attack an decay and overall transparency isn‘t subtle. While there seems to be lots of focus on cables, accurate clocking throughout the chain seems still deemed unnecessary. I don‘t understand InnuOS‘ selling separate reclockers for USB and Ethernet without synchronising Ethernet input, DAC conversion and USB output.

antigrunge2
nigeltheflash
44 posts
 

Just so I understand:

  • you play a locally stored track in online mode
  • you make no physical changes such as unplugging a cable
  • you play the same locally stored track in offline mode
  • and it sounds better?

If so, I can't begin to understand what the cause of this might be. Do you have a theory? Is it anything to do with clocking?🤔

antigrunge2 OP
1,394 posts
 

@nigeltheflash

 

You got a Pulse using Sense: pls try it out. Why else would InnuOS provide the feature

nigeltheflash
44 posts
 

I will do, of course, and it will be fascinating.

I just don't know what it has to do with the earlier conversation about ethernet clocking!

Thanks, will try it

antigrunge2 OP
1,394 posts
 

It shows that the ethernet is a major source of DAC disturbances and some believe that clocking matters in that context.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,363 posts
 

About local files, couple of distinctions in my setup as to why local files sounds superior to those being streamed from Qobuz/Tidal:

1) No network noise and latency due to files being played from internal SSD storage of N30SA. 

2) 95% of stored files are digitized from analog tapes and direct DSD. 

IME, Tidal/Qobuz files are a mixed bag due to unknown provenance of files. There are some really stellar sounding files and then there are some that are simply unlistenable (to me). Not to mention, variables in our home network and equipments rendering the final sound. If one thing I learned with digital streaming is this, there is no streaming components at any price point out there that sounds optimal right out of the box without tweaking the home network. 

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