Ethernet Clocking


i had previously reported that adding an Antelope 10m rubidium clock to the Etherregen results in major tightening of soundstage and location of individual instruments. To my great surprise adding filtering on the BNC 75 Ohms connection between clock and Etherregen results in substantial additional benefits. The filter used is a Mini-Circuits BLP-10.7-75+ DCto11MHZ model.

We are only beginning to understand how to maintain clean clocking on digital connections, it is of paramount importance to SQ.

antigrunge2

I recently experienced an issue of what I perceive as overclocking with addition of audiophile switch with OXCO clock. Adding switch in front of server, NAS resulted in overly precise sound staging and images. Without switch I have a more natural blending of images, adding the switch drew excessively sharp image outlines, sort of like cookie cutter images.  The sense of performers existing within a venue of air and space was replaced by sense of performers existing within individual anechoic sound booths, extreme analytical sound quality. In real life sound waves emanating from individual performers diffuse and spread, multiply the performers and those individual sound waves blend together to some extent creating natural ambience. Decay of those individual sound waves as they blend is also important to this sense of natural ambience,  attenuated decay of these sound waves, aka images in case of sound reproduction creates unnatural sound stage.

My take is there can be an excessive amount of clocking within particular streaming setups. I presume this particular switch was doing the exact thing it was designed to do, more precise sound staging and imaging is commonly referred to in clock upgrades. One can go to far, based on my experience.

 

 I agree clocking is of extreme importance. I suspect dac clock input optimization  and equipment like usb renderers may provide the optimal amount of clocking with some setups. It will be interesting to explore clock optimization, is my situation unique? I suspect much yet to be fully understood in steaming realm.