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Peachtree DAC iT vs. Benchmark's DAC1

I have read that Peachtree Audio's new DAC*iT re-clocks jitter to 3 picoseconds "when measured at the master clock," whatever that means.
Atkinson's DAC1 review in stereophile states a jitter rate of 157 picoseconds for 16-bit audio signals.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-dac1-usb-da-processor-headphone-amplifier-measurements
First question: considering that a picosecond is one-trillionth of a second, can we even hear the 154 picoseconds difference?
Second question: is there any truth to Peachtree's claims, they have a DAC that smokes the Benchmark in jitter reduction for half the price? Or is this just a trick of how the jitter is measured?
realremo
james63
534 posts
 
I owned both a Peahtree Nova and Benchmark DAC1-HDR. There is no comparison, the Benchmark was better in every way. Not to mention the volume control and build quality are much better on the Benchmark.

If you want a more detailed answer let me know. I am typing on my phone right now and need to keep it short.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,477 posts
 
The jitter of the master clock merely represents a lower bound, not the actual sampling jitter of the DAC.

What Stereophile measured on the DAC1 is the sampling jitter, measured at the analog output of the DAC, which is what ultimately matters to the sonic quality.

The analog output takes into account everything a DAC from keeping synchronized with the audio input all along the chain until the final analog output.

The DAC1 measured analog output jitter at 157 psecs is regarded as inaudible, however, until someone measures the Peachtree DACiT or iDac at the analog out then it is an unknown - it may be equivalently inaudible or worse.
realremo OP
460 posts
 
See, I figured that it was a measurement stunt.
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