Which USB Re Clocker

As stated above, if your USB DAC is async, "reclocking" the signal is a meaningless function. It will literally do nothing at least w.r.t. data transfer.  sjsfive0 seemed to get good and honest data from a manufacturer who said the same thing. The reclocking function is meaningless. On the other hand, cleaning up electrical noise could certainly be a benefit. Is $3,000 a suitable price for doing that?  Seems a bit "rich" for the function and could be done for considerably less money, but if you trial it and it helps, what is your time worth?  It may be worth researching and investing in a simpler device but as effective device and putting that money elsewhere into the system.

@erik_squires, I would not expect galvanic isolation in a low end DAC. There is a definite cost in doing it, especially if the DAC is USB powered. If externally powered, there is less justification, but it is still there, especially if you want to support USB2.0 data rates.

If you are powering off a laptop, one quick test is to unplug the power cord and run off batteries. In some cases this can significantly reduce noise. With the power cord connected, there is a high frequency noise path. It is assumed it is the noisy USB supply that is the issue, but as likely it is noise on the AC supply transmitted through the USB ground connection. Sometimes pulling the ground pin on the AC works, sometimes it does not. Relatively low cost ($200) medical grade isolation transformers work well. They are designed for low leakage, hence have shield windings.

Something like this: https://assets.tripplite.com/product-pdfs/en/is250hg.pdf

@in_shore, perhaps one day it will dawn on you that you are doing nothing but regurgitating what others have said, while clearly not even understand what I have said. I have seen many so-called "smart dudes" spout absolute nonsense in the guise of marketing it is laughable. I will repeat it a third time since you seem to be puffing your chest or something and not paying attention. The phoenix may improve the sound of the ops DAC. As the ops DAC is asynchronous (and we really hope is running in that mode with the appropriate drivers), it won’t be improving the sound from reclocking the USB.

Guys like me actually design this stuff. We know when other guys like us are telling tall tales.

in_shore  464 posts

07-09-2020 9:17pm

Robertdid , there’s an interview with Innuos design principle by John Darko , smart dude . What you just said is laughable, I find guys like you nothing more then a joke with your suggestions for others what is too expensive , how things should actually work so on and so forth and finally I distinctly heard a jump in performance using a MSB dac maybe I should of used a Denafrips Lol ..

@in_shore, I have not jumped off a 10 story building yet either, but based on laws of physics, general knowledge of what the human body can withstand, and similar things happening to other people, I know with a great deal of certainty it will kill me.

Being very knowledgeable about electronics, DACs, and async USB DACs, I know, without a doubt, that the DAC will generate its own clock completely independent of the incoming data stream. That is how they work.  A simple reclocking of the USB not fix any issues with the output clock, but if you believe that is the case, a highly fixed clock that is not synchronous with the output clock is just as likely to create a larger fixed harmonic on the output as it is to fix anything. If the input clock is random, at least clock induced noise would be random, i.e. harder to hear, than a highly fixed/periodic one.

On the other hand EMI coupled via the ground connection and data connections, and the power connection if used in any way, can absolutely play havoc with the stable operation of that output clock if the DAC is not well designed and the ops DAC is not very high end. That noise could also couple into sensitive analog circuitry.

Last, I stated quite clearly, that sure, try it out. The power filtering could quite possibly improve the overall sound and the op may be happy with the result.  However, for that much money, it would make far more sense to invest in a significantly upgraded, new DAC with better isolation of the USB from sensitive circuitry.

The one full of Sh-- is you in_patient, but thanks for adding nothing to the conversation but proving you have absolutely nothing to contribute and that will likely never change.