When using the D.BOB, because it can’t take a clock input, you get lots of digital crackle if you have your dCS set to “W” Mode.
The thing is, even with the digital pops and clicks from this, you can hear the sound is more open and clear in “W” mode than “A” mode, which gets rid of the clicks because it gets rid of the clock error, but also the openness of the sound.
Classic Catch-22.
I asked Eric Geer about maybe adding a wordclock input someday and he said they were thinking of it, but that was a while back.
November, 2020:
I should have known that. This means the player needs a clock input as well. I’ve known for some time that a player should get its clock from the DAC, not the other way around. Didn’t realize the D.BOB would also need a clock input. I’ll contact the factory about the possibility of a clock retrofit I could do in my shop, as well as adding a clock input to the next production run, which won’t be until sometime until next spring or summer.
April, 2021:
Still thinking, but there would need to be enough players and DACs with WC to make it effective. When it’s time to order another production run, I’ll look at cost. The hardware is cheap, I don’t know about the programming.
For me, the DBOB is just a convenient way to be able to pop in a disc. SQ is not up to the standard of the rest of the system. But I’ve never had clicks and pops with mine (though I did have zero sound with the wrong settings/connections ). Sound is “smooth” but not lifelike. Mine is hooked up per the instructions on p. 10 of the Vivaldi Clock manual:
Thanks Ermos! I have an Oppo 203. I know the circuitry is better in the 205, but I have now landed on the Panasonic UB 9000. It has separate digital audio circuitry with excellent sound and the picture is really outstanding. But the Oppo gear was/is excellent too.
Agreed. And in the FWIW category, there are several very good models out there who supply purportedly improved clocking and HDMI circuits. I have no experience with them, but they get good reviews. FWIW.
Many dcs owner use an ocxo clock, and are very happy with it. I wouldn’t change. As said in the past, Esoteric used rubidium, and with the latest they use now ocxo… so everyone has to do his own choice, and a mutec is certainly not a wrong one
Waiting for the Mutec Ref 10 120 SE to come to my place. For those of you who own this unit, can you pls share the instructions on how to connect it to the Vivaldi Clock and the corresponding settings in the Vivaldi Clock? Thanks in advance. Franco
Dither only plays a role between the Vivaldi (Rossini, Lina) Clock and the clock in the Vivaldi (Rossini, Bartók, Lina) DAC.
The Dither feature modulates the clock edges in a controlled way to exercise the phase-
locked–loops in the source and DAC, improving their error correction.
Adding a 10Mhz reference clock to the Vivaldi Clock does not influence that. Your Mutec is an AC coupled reference clock.
So the only things you have to care for setting up are:
Connect your Mutec to the Vivaldi clock, using 1x 75Ω BNC connector
External Reference Input on 1x 75Ω BNC connector. Accepts either Word Clock or AC coupled signals at 1MHz, 5MHz & 10MHz. Lock range is +/-300ppm.
Open the Vivaldi Clock’s menu and set the Settings > Reference In menu page to AC
Leave the Vivaldi Clock’s Dither Settings to your liking, but recommended is Dither ON
Just got the Mutec and my first impression is that it sounds better with Dither turned off in the Vivaldi Clock. I am aware that the Reference Clock will need some time to settle in in order to sound properly so I will report back.
I have not listened with a 10MHz reference clock on my current system. But in the past I have been experimenting with using a Mutec MC3 with and without a REF10 on my Puccini player. I couldn’t hear a difference…
Where I did hear a clear difference when stacking two MC3 to cleanup the SPDIF signal.
[/Theory mode ON]
The dCS clocks have two key functions:
Keep a multi-box system in sync; This is actually the original role of external Word Clocks. Mostly in studio environments, to sync a large number of DACs/ADCs/DAW/Video equipment. Later it was discovered that different clocks actually brought their own differend sound signature. Then slowly the influence of jitter and clock noise on the audio signal became apparent.
Decrease influence of jitter and clock noise on the audio signal; this is where it is also of use in a single box system (e.g. the Rossini player or a streamer DAC). This is also where, apparently, higher quality clocks can improve audio quality.
Now the 10MHz reference clock enters the scene… the key function of that technology is to provide an absolute reference point for clocks that inevitably vary slightly over a long time. Mostly due to temperature variations or mechanical resonances. And a long time is minutes or hours.
This can be relevant for example in live continous broadcasting situations where various digital boxes need to stay in sync 24/7.
Now, in a stand-alone situation (like in a listening room) this not very relevant. With well designed clocks (like the ones from dCS) the long term drift is still specified in ppm. The effect of this will be that a song might be played -0.001% off-pitch in the morning and +0.002% in the afternoon. Someone with pitch perfect hearing might notice a difference, I can’t judge that.
The key here is that jitter or clock noise isn’t influenced by these 10MHz reference sources. If anything, it is yet another box that can induce noise into the system through the powerlines, earthing connections or by RF coupling into wires and equipment…
And, as some already mentioned, it works against the dither function that makes (to my ears) sound the dCS clocks better than alternative options that don’t offer this function.
[/Theory mode OFF]
Now, as I said, I haven’t listened to this in my system yet. So the theoretical stuff might be irrelevant as so often in audio. Still, on this 10MHz reference clock stuff I am extremely sceptical.
I’ve been told that this device (Mutec Ref 10 120 SE) takes at least 15 days to a full month to break in.
While I was skeptical at the first listening session, after ten days of my initial purchase, I can say that my system sounds now more fluid and natural. Low frequencies are definitely more controlled and the reproduction sounds in general more realistic. Hope that it should only improve with time passing.
I’m currently listening with Dither off.
I’ve used the same power and digital cables as the rest of my digital source, that is Transparent Audio XL.
). Sound is “smooth” but not lifelike. Mine is hooked up per the instructions on p. 10 of the Vivaldi Clock manual:
