Having chewed my way through and taken on board the many interesting, informed, passionate and sometimes provocatively forthright opinions from within our community, I have been through a weekend of introspection, weighing up what I have learned and asking some questions of myself. I reached a few at the very least tenuous conclusions and knowing that there are many here with far more detailed knowledge and experience I will still risk sharing my thoughts with you all.
My reasoning seems to make sense at least to me but does it align with common practices common to higher-end audio setups?
Instead of following the I2S yellow brick road, I may now focus more on a synergistic combination of attributes approach but since mine is not a limitless budget I still need to find a balance between budget constraints and the relevant talents of the two components. In doing so, I have to be prepared for this particular voyage of exploration to conclude at the same port.
Further Questions & Answers (generated via maybe a still emerging appreciation of this whole new world).
Q: Could the answer to how much I spend on a Streamer vs a DAC be about a combination of one having a femto clock and the other having one or more OCXO clocks?
A: Yes, there could very well be?
Q: Is there an inherently better reason for utilizing femto in a Streamer
A: It seems accepting femto clocks are better at reducing Phase Noise which is more common in streamers as they have more fundamentals in common with a PC than other components in the audio chain. If a streamer has a high-quality clock (like a “femto” clock), it can provide a stable and precise signal to the DAC. This can reduce jitter at the source, however, the DAC still needs to re-clock the incoming signal to ensure accurate digital-to-analogue conversion.
Q: Why OCXO Clocks could be a good choice for DAC’s?
A: Temperature Stability: OCXO clocks provide excellent long-term stability due to their temperature-controlled environment, minimizing frequency drift as well as further reducing jitter, an OCXO clock could help the DAC produce a more detailed and natural sound, with better imaging and soundstage.
Q: Will the DAC Re-clock any incoming data from the streamer?
A: The DAC’s clock/s are crucial for re-clocking the signal it receives. Even if the streamer has a good clock, the DAC needs to ensure the timing is precise during the conversion process.
This means that even if the streamer’s clock is not as good, the DAC can still ensure high-quality audio output.
Q: Could both Clocks Matter?
A: Yes, a good clock (Femto better) in the streamer helps minimize noise & Jitter introduced at the source, potentially affecting the signal before it reaches the DAC.
A high-quality DAC with one or more OCXO clocks will re-clock the incoming data from the streamer, further reducing jitter and ensuring precise timing particularly influencing the digital-to-analogue conversion
Temperature Stability: OCXO clocks provide excellent long-term stability due to their temperature-controlled environment, which can be beneficial for maintaining consistent audio performance.
Temperature Stability: OCXO clocks provide excellent long-term stability due to their temperature-controlled environment, which can be beneficial for maintaining consistent audio performance.
Q: Does System Synergy Count here?
A: The consensus strongly suggests just as most parts of the chain, best performance is often achieved when both the streamer and DAC have high-quality clocks, ensuring minimal noise and jitter throughout the entire signal path, will lead to better audio quality. How large and consequential such improvements are and how they are quantified is not easy; I guess its system and probably subjective listening dependent at this level. I cannot envisage an opportunity to conduct such an in-depth auditioning opportunity. So I will need to narrow down any list by a combination of factors not all listening experience with my system.
If my budget allows, my approach may well be a femto clock in the streamer to handle initial signal processing and an OCXO clock/s in the DAC for final re-clocking, leveraging the strengths of both types of clocks in within their respective environments.
Overriding practical considerations
Budget Allocation: Depending on my budget, I may still need to prioritize spending more on the DAC, as I still maintain no one has debunked its almost paramount importance as more influential for the final audio quality.
However, I will look at streamers very closely and try to invest in a very good streamer with a femto clock, strong Power supply electronics and thoughtful design, because I now recognize it can also make a significant difference in the overall performance.
