OP: wait for the new "discrete" external master clock, the G-01XD. This is not letting me post links, but it is launching for sale in April. Reported to have a US MSRP of $14,000.
To clock or not to clock?
Hi,
I am considering adding the Esoteric G 05 clock to my system.
My digital front end is an Esoteric K 01 XD which is connected with a USB cable to an Esoteric N 03 T operating in RAAT mode and connected to a Roon NUC via the LAN.
According the K01 manual, “the USB input does not support clock synchronization.”
So far, I have not tried out any other ways of connecting the K 01 to the N 03 T as I gather that, by using USB, both streamer and DAC are controlled by the same clock. The USB connection also supports higher bit rates than RCA or optical. So far, I have not come across 32-bit files in the wild.
My dealer lent me a TEAC clock. While playing a high-quality CD the sound became very precise, almost etched, but not in a bad way. Not sure how that would work out long term. With a rather poor CD the added precision was not helpful at all.
The K01 has a Grandioso Custom VCXO II clock; the G05 is a SXT 03 OCXO clock. I know nothing about clocks, and I wonder if the G05, being only a clock, would improve upon the K01 clock.
As I stream about 80% of the time, to really benefit from a better clock it would be necessary to change the way of connecting the DAC to the streamer and have both devices synchronized by the G05.
I would be grateful for any advice on this idea, especially from people who have tried a similar move.