For Gustard R26...which bang for the buck: DDC or LHY OCK clock?

Well, I answered my own question.  I turned the DSD Direct on and felt that the sound was better.  It sounds really good.  To confirm, I flipped it on and off with my remote.  I have the benefit of being old, so I couldn't remember what setting it was on.  lol.  I chose what I felt sounded better and checked the dac.  DSD was turned on. The display on the Gustard is so tiny, that you can't see it from the listening position. 

@oddiofyl Wow.  Looks like they can make just about anything. I'm guessing it's a much better deal than a branded audiophile cable. 

@boulder_bob I wondered the same thing.  I'm guessing Head-Fi.org

@peareye @kereru Old thread.  I have a Gustard R26 dac and Gustard U18 ddc.  I read this post and it enticed me to try a LHY ock-2 clock. It won't get to me for several days.

I was wondering what you feel is the best way to connect everything.  Should I connect the LHY to the dac, or to the ddc, or to both?

Did you find a particular brand/type of cable that works well?

I'm streaming with an innuos zen mk3 and going into the U18 via USB. ​​​

@benzman thank you.  

@kereru thank you!

I ordered some cheap cables, but sounds like I'll need better ones. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C3GDDK5T?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

@kereru Are you using the sinewave outputs on the clock? 

@kereru If FedEx doesn't let me down, the OCK-2 will arrive tomorrow.  My plan is to connect it to both the U18 and R26 as you suggested.

Stupid question of the day...  if I connect my cd player to my R26 using a coaxial digital connection, the clock will benefit that connection as well as the i2s connection, correct?  I typically use the dac built into my Denon DCD-1700NE because it actually sounds good. I figure I'll try connecting to the dac again with the addition of the clock.  The U18 doesn't have a coaxial input, so I can't go through it.

@kereru   Thank you for the reply.  You've been very helpful.  

@kereru And just when you thought I was out of stupid questions... I seem to recall something about caps for the unused bnc connectors.  I found both copper shorting caps and some silicone caps on Amazon.  Do you recommend one or the other?  I can't see the silicone hurting anything, but I wasn't sure about a shorting cap. 

@kereru I actually bought both.  They were cheap. I just didn't know if shorting the unused output was a good idea.  The silicone cap would simply keep dust out. 

https://www.amazon.com/Bingfu-Connector-Protecting-Protective-Surveillance/dp/B07MM8YHMB/ref=asc_df_B07MM8YHMB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693363874255&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3110337875363081293&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023230&hvtargid=pla-1950200277264&mcid=39eedd65559d381d9e6fc4dac97d9c60&th=1

@kereru Ok. I'll skip the shorting caps unless I can confirm that it's a good idea.  Thanks for the reply. 

@kereru Well, FedEx came through. Hooking up the OCK-2 was straight forward. I'm connected from the sine output to the U18 and R26. I'm still cooking my $7.50 cables.  Lol.  I ordered better cables, but they didn't show up.

I'm not good at describing what I hear, but it sounds excellent. Big soundstage and 3D sound. Separation of instruments.  Excellent detail, but no sibilance. 

The first thing I noticed was how punchy the bass is. 

Things sound more real.  I'm very pleased. 

@kereru Thanks again for your responses. You've been extremely helpful. 

@oddiofyl I'm really happy with my OCK-2.  My son and I both feel that my system sounds as good as it ever has.  His hearing is excellent, so I often get his opinion.

What did you order for cables?  I'm using RG400 cables that I found on eBay.  Made in USA. I did a little reading on 50 ohm cables and the RG400 seems to be a good conductor.  I haven't done any comparisons, but these are well made and sound good. 

@lollipopguild A couple of forum members recommended sine wave earlier in this post, so I went with that.  I haven't tried square wave.

I read some other posts on the internet and a few guys preferred square. Something along the lines of it being more detailed and sine being smooth. I'm getting good detail with sine and I suspect that I wouldn't like square (reading between the lines). Maybe I'll try it some day. 

@kereru @pindac   Stupid question.  If I'm streaming (innuos Zen MK3 by USB to Gustard U18, Gustard U18 by i2S to R26), should I have DSD Direct turned on (on the R26) so that the internal interpolating FIR filter is off?   Would I turn it off if I'm using my Denon DCD-1700NE as a transport via coaxial digital?

It's working fine with DSD Direct turned off.  

If it matters, I'm using the LHY-OCK2 (connected to both U18 and R26).