Opinions on Esoteric clocks ......

I'm in the same boat, I have a D-05 and trying to determine which clock to purchase. Here are some numbers I found researching;

Clock accuracies in ppm:
Internal Esoteric D-03 = .5 ppm
Internal Esoteric D-05 = 3 ppm

Esoteric G-03x = .1 ppm = $4,000
Esoteric G-0Rb = .00005 ppm = $15,000
Antelope Isochrone OCX = .02 ppm = $1,495
Antelope Isochrone Trinity = .001 ppm = $4,750
add Antelope Isochrone 10M to the OCX or Trinity = .00003ppm = add $6,495 to either clock

Prices are MSRP

If it's all about ppm and $$$'s, I was considering the Isochrone OCX, but if power supply etc.. play a major role maybe the G-03x.

decisions....decisions...

Excuse my ingnorance

Is possile to use this antelope isochrone 10 m with dcs puccini? or with esoteric X01 D2? has someone experineced before? I nave heard about them

Thanks

If you will allow me, I’d like to elaborate on the external clocks use.

Something that should be realized about using a "super-precision clock" is that the stability of the clock in ppm (parts per million) does not have anything to do with improving short term instabilities, also known as clock jitter; all it affects is playback speed stability. In other words, if there is a deviation (plus or minus) of the clock frequency, you will hear increased or decreased playback speed, nothing else. Let’s say the audio master clock is 22,000,000Hz (or 22MHz) specified at the “extremely high” +/-100ppm frequency deviation, then you do the math what percentage is 100 parts per million from this frequency and you will find out what will be the speed deviation. Simply, this is something you cannot hear and hardly measure.

When it comes to digital audio, the jitter (or “period jitter”) is what’s important for best sound quality, not the frequency deviation/stability, which is negligible even at 100ppm.

External clocks are made for synchronization of multiple digital audio/video devices in studios and TV stations. The external clock is usually converted to DC voltage that controls a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator). While this synchronizes everything connected to the “house clock” (the external clock) and locks the frequency, it has nothing to do with clock jitter. Not to talk about the fact that, usually, the VCO is used as a reference to a multi-clock generator that is PLL based, so the jitter can sometimes exceed 400pS, although the frequency deviation is locked to some really low figure as 0.00005ppm. Compare to a non-PLL clock oscillator with 2pS of jitter, although its frequency deviation is specified at 50ppm or more.

Hope this helps you understand digital audio clocking even better!

Best wishes,

Alex Peychev
www.aplhifi.com

Dear Alex,

Well said! I hope you are doing well in all your endeavours!

Best Regards,

Kyle Takenaga

I have a P5/D5 with a Gorb clock. The Gorb clock makes the sound more clear and focused without being bright at all. The improvement was worth the money for me.