Hey everyone I know this is some old gear but here it goes. I have a the Debussy and love it and have heard that by adding a clock I should improve my soundstage and depth. I found a said Puccini U clock from 2008. Has anyone tried this pairing or have any insight? Thanks!
I would advise that you don’t buy any random clock but a Puccini U clock ( or other dCS clock ) as suggested in your subject line. dCS know an awful lot about digital clocks for audio and you can be sure that the clock is not only accurate but stable. BTW the 75 ohm BNC cable that connects the two can also affect the sound, but that is another kettle of worms.
Yes, having one can improve things. However the one that is already inside your Debussy is good in the first place. Another reason not to buy any old clock which may actually be worse even if it sounds “different”.
I would not anticipate how things will manifest themselves for you. Perhaps you may find a better soundstage or image depth but those cannot appear from nowhere. If your recordings or system fundamentally lack or cannot reproduce these attributes you still won’t hear them.
Use of an external clock may or may not affect sonic attributes such as these. What it probably may do is allow the music itself to flow more naturally ( think phrasing , musical communication and, as a result, emotion).
Would I do it if in your position? Most certainly.
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I agree with @PAR
One key issue will be the calibration of the Puccini U clock as these tend to need checking after a decade, sometimes longer, and there are not a lot of places you can bring the gear for this kind of testing.
FWIW, I found the U clock to be a nice addition to my Puccini many years ago, but I found the improvement to be subtle. Others on this forum have better hearing than I do, and found the improvement more substantial : )
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Yes i understand the Debussy has an internal clock the hope is the Puccini U-clock would improve my sound. The rest of my chain starts with Aurrender N100 streamer and down chain is a Zesto Leto 1.5 with esp upgrade and an upgraded Zesto Bia 120. This is all connected with silver balanced cables. I personally think if the clock would create an improvement my chain would pick it up.
I will hold out for a better clock if you think that a 2008 clock may potentially not be better than the Debussy clock itself
I didn’t intend to buy anything other than a DCS clock. I want to feel certain that it won’t hurt and it’s very likely to improve it.
So essentially because it’s older it may not be functioning as intended or with time it may not be as effective?
It is as I said. You cannot guarantee that you will hear any preconceived type of sonic improvement or other change. At least a couple of contributors to the forum decided that they could hear no difference at all. That was not regarding Debussy/Puccini U Clock but what I am saying applies to any dCS/dCS system clock consideration. The most consistent report and my experience with unit/clock combinations from the classic range (of which Debussy and Puccini are members), Scarlatti series and Vivaldi is that improvements to music rather than sound is more noticeable. However this depends on the type of music you play. I doubt if this aspect will be very noticeable if your main genre is death metal for example, but I have to admit that my experience is limited in this area.
Clocks have improved over the years but current clocks are dual output ( frequency) devices required by the current units to allow automatic sample frequency processing changes. This will not be relevant for Debussy . There is also a significant cost penalty involved. If you have the cash for this you might find it better applied elsewhere.
If you were not looking at used units and buying current ones I would advise you to get a home demonstration and preferably a short loan from from your dealer. That is not possible in this case . Yes, @keiserrg is correct that older clocks may need calibration. However AFAIK this can only be ascertained with measuring equipment for Puccini U and may need returning to the dCS factory which is also the only place for the re-calibration to be carried out ( it requires time in an environment “chamber”). On the other hand it may NOT need recalibration .Also like buying a new clock this will involve further expense which may not be economically viable to you.
So, my conclusion is , as you say:
Likely to improve and it won’t hurt. Get it but do not make any rush decision. Leave it in for a month ( leave switched on) and keep on listening. After this time remove it. You will probably find as many before you. The subtle changes it brings become impossible to live without.
I appreciate your insights. I found with my now all tube power and pre that I can now listen to things I wouldn’t previously because they were harsh or unlistenable. My new chain is very musical and smooth without sacrificing much resolution. I find anything that gives me a subtle upgrade to sound is worth it if it fits my budget. I don’t expect an omg reaction but I would hope it would be noticeable. But if it’s internal stuff is off it’s sunk money at that point.
You might ask dCS directly if you can pay them to check/calibrate a U Clock
If they will then you could be sure that you have one that is accurate
: )
I think paying for that plus the shipping to the UK back to the US would not be feasible. Having said that the price seems to be right at $1300. I’m also wondering why the calibration would change or not work correctly after time when it’s the pieces soul purpose.
: )
I like your phrasing Walter.
Accuracy of clocks of these types tends to degrade (very minimally) over time. The Vivaldi clock self diagnoses if it needs calibration, but if I remember correctly the Puccini does not have that feature
The accuracy specs should be in the manual/on-line
That is a good price. You can always ask dCS, that doesn’t cost anything ; ) Maybe they have a US solution
Cheers
Effectively the external clock is not a really a clock but is the reference to which the clock in Debussy is locked. By being in an enclosure away from other active circuit components the reference is in a preferential environment and is calibrated to finer tolerances . These can drift over time.
However all such references are subject to the same process including the one already in your Debussy.
So, whilst @keiserrg is correct it is a view from a perfectionist position IMO. I have been using dCS clocks since roughly the turn of the century and have never found the need to have this job done. Vivaldi system clocks display a warning when it is necessary and I am only aware of one respondent posting here that it had been triggered.
The cost to do this from the USA is not insignificant and I would check with the US distributor. My view is don’t be paranoid about it. If it does worry you then perhaps dCS may not be the way to go for you as it is not just expensive to buy but may be costly to run if servicing is required.
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