Hi folks,
Following our series on D/A conversion, we have a new set of posts to share. These posts will focus on another important aspect of the D/A conversion process, which is clocking. Whilst a DAC’s circuitry is responsible for making sure the right voltage is generated on conversion (ideally without correlated errors), clocking is responsible for ensuring the conversion happens at the right time. This series aims to explore why this is important in digital audio, along with good practices related to clocking.
We’ll start with discussing the basics of clocking and what happens when clock systems fail to produce an accurate signal. We’ll also examine the effect this causes, jitter, and the consequences this can have on digital playback, before going on to look at clock synchronisation in audio systems with multiple components, and the role of clocking in relation to asynchronous audio, such as music streamed over the internet or played via USB. Alongside this, we’ll provide an insight into the design of both dCS clock systems and dCS Master Clocks, and explain the steps we take to ensure our clocks deliver an accurate and consistent signal.
Our aim is to provide some helpful information on the role and importance of clocking in digital audio, and answer some common questions related to this topic, as well as providing a deeper look at our approach to developing clock systems and Master Clocks (something we’ve been doing for over three decades). We hope you’ll find it useful.