Dcs clock jitter specs

[PaleRider (Greg)]

@James

So, are they bad for audio? Really depends on where in the chain they are used, and how the products it connects to use the clock signal.

This last paragraph reminded me of something you wrote in that post that Pete linked above:

@James

On the 10MHz clock topic… One thing I would like to point out (which I am sure many on this thread are aware of, just to add to the collective knowledge here) is that a 10mHz clock signal is not inherently better than a clock signal generated by a dCS Master Clock. Conversely, if you are generating a clock signal specifically for use in audio products, it makes far more sense to use a direct multiple of the signal you are clocking, in audio being direct multiples of 44.1kHz and 48kHz. We use clocks centered at 22.5792MHz and 24.576MHz. These rates are 2^9 of the base frequencies, meaning this rate can easily be divided down to the audio rates in powers of 2. 10MHz master clocks use rate multipliers to convert to digital audio rates, which generate more jitter and tend to have a dirtier spectrum. As far as I have ever been able to find out, the reason 10mHz is prevalent in clocking is likely historical and due to it simply being a round number. No real rationale for audio purposes, unlike the rates we use.

From the perspective of a reference clock connected to the dCS Master Clock on a 10mHz input, is this rate multiplication a factor, and does it occur in the reference clock or the dCS Master? Forgive my ignorance; I am just trying to gain a layman’s appreciation for all this. Let’s posit a reference clock of cesium accuracy [I know, not likely for any of us here, except maybe @Anupc ], with acceptable short term specs as well. Presumably, such a reference clock can “enhance” the dCS Master Clock’s accuracy, yes? No? Maybe?