SOtM sCLK-OCX10

[Blackmorec]

As they say in German, let yourself be surprised. In my experience a good rack always outperforms stacked boxes. 

[elan120]

13 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

More 50 Ω clock cables.

A lot of choices...I am ordering two cables from Pasternack to see how they work in my system.  Should know more in a few days.

[str-1]

How short a BNC cable are people using between the sCLK-OCX10 and the tX-USBultra (or sMS-200ultra)?

[d_elm]

11 minutes ago, str-1 said:

How short a BNC cable are people using between the sCLK-OCX10 and the tX-USBultra (or sMS-200ultra)?

I use 30 cm RG400 between Cybershaft and sMS-200ultra.

[elan120]

6 hours ago, str-1 said:

How short a BNC cable are people using between the sCLK-OCX10 and the tX-USBultra (or sMS-200ultra)?

I have tried both 1M and 15cm between sCLK-OCX10 AND txUSBUltra.

[str-1]

13 hours ago, d_elm said:

I use 30 cm RG400 between Cybershaft and sMS-200ultra.

Thanks.  I’ll look into that one.

[str-1]

7 hours ago, elan120 said:

I have tried both 1M and 15cm between sCLK-OCX10 AND txUSBUltra.

Thanks.  Were they the same type of cable?  Did you notice any difference in sound quality that you could attribute to the differences in cable lengh?

[elan120]

5 hours ago, str-1 said:

Thanks.  Were they the same type of cable?  Did you notice any difference in sound quality that you could attribute to the differences in cable lengh?

They are different cables.  The shorter cables are both PE-P195 and RG400, where I like the RG400 slightly better.  The longer cable is the SOtM cable, and this is what I use currently.

[auricgoldfinger]

I finally received my sCLK-OCX10 yesterday along with a pair of dCBL-BNC cables.  I bought the cables based on my positive experience with the dCBL-CAT7 and dCBL-UF silver USB cables.

 

Frankly, I am very disappointed with the dCBL-BNC.  There is a tremendous amount of HF glare that makes listening very fatiguing.  I spent a lot of time trying to EQ my system to no avail.  I finally remembered my six unused ferrite cores, so I put three of them on each cable.  The HF glare is now greatly diminished, so I have ordered more ferrite cores to experiment further.

 

USD700 cables should not require ferrite cores to be usable.  Given the price of the cables plus the additional $100 in ferrite cores, I do not recommend the dCBL-BNC.  A very disappointing product from SOtM.

 

[elan120]

4 minutes ago, auricgoldfinger said:

I finally received my sCLK-OCX10 yesterday along with a pair of dCBL-BNC cables.  I bought the cables based on my positive experience with the dCBL-CAT7 and dCBL-UF silver USB cables.

 

Frankly, I am very disappointed with the dCBL-BNC.  There is a tremendous amount of HF glare that makes listening very fatiguing.  I spent a lot of time trying to EQ my system to no avail.  I finally remembered my six unused ferrite cores, so I put three of them on each cable.  The HF glare is now greatly diminished, so I have ordered more ferrite cores to experiment further.

 

USD700 cables should not require ferrite cores to be usable.  Given the price of the cables plus the additional $100 in ferrite cores, I do not recommend the dCBL-BNC.  A very disappointing product from SOtM.

I also thought the cable isn't as impressive as I have expected.  Do you have a link to the ferrite cores you use, I would like to give that a try as well. 

[auricgoldfinger]

5 minutes ago, elan120 said:

I also thought the cable isn't as impressive as I have expected.  Do you have a link to the ferrite cores you use, I would like to give that a try as well. 

 

Here are the ferrite cores: 

 

http://www.newark.com/wurth-elektronik/74271622s/ferrite-core-split-12-5mm-140/dp/08P2341?ost=08P2341&ddkey=http%3Aen-US%2FElement14_US%2Fsearch

 

You have to order the key that unsnaps the ferrite cores separately.  I'd buy a few in case you ever accidentally break one. 

 

http://www.newark.com/wurth-elektronik/74271/safety-key-black-snap-ferrite/dp/79Y5591?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acce

 

[elan120]

1 minute ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

Here are the ferrite cores:  http://www.newark.com/wurth-elektronik/74271622s/ferrite-core-split-12-5mm-140/dp/08P2341?ost=08P2341&ddkey=http%3Aen-US%2FElement14_US%2Fsearch

 

You have to order the key that unsnaps the ferrite cores separately.  I'd buy a few in case you ever accidentally break one. 

 

http://www.newark.com/wurth-elektronik/74271/safety-key-black-snap-ferrite/dp/79Y5591?MER=sy-me-pd-mi-acce

 

Great, thank you, I will get them ordered and see if I can also get this cable in better listening shape.

[tedwoods]

2 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 I bought the cables based on my positive experience with the dCBL-CAT7 and dCBL-UF silver USB cables.

I'd be very interested in your take on the dCBL-UF USB cable, as I am considering one.

[auricgoldfinger]

3 minutes ago, tedwoods said:

I'd be very interested in your take on the dCBL-UF USB cable, as I am considering one.

 

Here are a few brief comments that I made couple of months ago.  I hope you find them helpful.

 

 

 

[tedwoods]

Thanks, that was helpful indeed!

[auricgoldfinger]

Here is an update on the HF glare:

 

 

[asdf1000]

11 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

Frankly, I am very disappointed with the dCBL-BNC.  There is a tremendous amount of HF glare that makes listening very fatiguing. 

 

Since the clamp on ferrites helps with RFI outside of the shield, I wonder if you're getting a leakage current loop via the shield of those cables?

 

In theory, no leakage currents through a cable should mean no radiated RF / RF pickup, if I follow John S's teachings correctly.

 

In this ideal case, external ferrites shouldn't make a difference but they may make a differences if you do have leakage currents go through the cable/shield? Maybe? I'm no expert.

 

 

[MNG]

On 10/04/2018 at 5:24 PM, auricgoldfinger said:

I finally received my sCLK-OCX10 yesterday along with a pair of dCBL-BNC cables.  I bought the cables based on my positive experience with the dCBL-CAT7 and dCBL-UF silver USB cables.

 

Frankly, I am very disappointed with the dCBL-BNC.  There is a tremendous amount of HF glare that makes listening very fatiguing.  I spent a lot of time trying to EQ my system to no avail.  I finally remembered my six unused ferrite cores, so I put three of them on each cable.  The HF glare is now greatly diminished, so I have ordered more ferrite cores to experiment further.

 

USD700 cables should not require ferrite cores to be usable.  Given the price of the cables plus the additional $100 in ferrite cores, I do not recommend the dCBL-BNC.  A very disappointing product from SOtM.

 

 

This is interesting - have you found any change arising from continued use of the cable? I’ve been running an sCLK-OCX10 for a few weeks now quite happily with a cheap 50 Ohm BNC cable. I received the SoTM cable yesterday and my initial perception was that it was brighter and re-introduced a small degree of digital glare. I’ve left it running for 24 hours and it seems to be settling a little and seems less bright. Certainly, it’s too early for me to judge and make any decisions at this point and I need to give it time. I did find that the two BNC cables that I have between my Blu and Dave took a couple of weeks or so to settle in to my system. I know that this was not just psychological or my brain/ears adjusting because I was initially experiencing drop outs which reduced and then disappeared completely over time.

[auricgoldfinger]

23 hours ago, MNG said:

 

This is interesting - have you found any change arising from continued use of the cable? I’ve been running an sCLK-OCX10 for a few weeks now quite happily with a cheap 50 Ohm BNC cable. I received the SoTM cable yesterday and my initial perception was that it was brighter and re-introduced a small degree of digital glare. I’ve left it running for 24 hours and it seems to be settling a little and seems less bright. Certainly, it’s too early for me to judge and make any decisions at this point and I need to give it time. I did find that the two BNC cables that I have between my Blu and Dave took a couple of weeks or so to settle in to my system. I know that this was not just psychological or my brain/ears adjusting because I was initially experiencing drop outs which reduced and then disappeared completely over time.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.  I'm still trying to sort through the potential causes of my dissatisfaction with what I am hearing.  At this point, the issue is more of an overly aggressive sound in the lower half of the midrange and excessive energy in the bass.  I ordered my OCX10 with the Evox caps upgrade, and I am wondering if those are the source of the problem.  Everyone else seems quite happy with their standard version.

[BigAlMc]

Introducing my latest upgrade:

 

 

Premium Organic Bamboo Chopping Board by Harcas. Extra Large Size Cutting Board 44.5cm x 30cm x 2cm

 

 

 

The instructions say its best for meat, vegetables and cheese. But there's nothing about acoustics or isolation! 

 

Does anyone know the burn-in time for bamboo? 

 

Oh I also added a sCLK-OCX10, SPS-500 and the SOtM dCBL-BNC cable. Not quite as exciting as the bamboo but (hopefully!) a big step towards audio nirvana. 

 

These I gather do need sufficient burn-in but let's just say it's sounding very, very promising at just a few days. 

 

So. Reason for posting. Am a bit disturbed to read that my £500 dCBL-BNC might not be as truly great as you expect/demand a 500 quid cable should be. 

 

Ferrites on order to play around with them on the clock cable and the USB cable into the TX-USBultra. 

 

Be interested to hear how you gents get on with the clock cables. 

 

I looked at the Pasternack but whilst the cable is very reasonable at 60usd for 12 inches they wanted 122usd to deliver it to the UK. Not a ratio that stacked up! 

 

 

[auricgoldfinger]

17 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

Introducing my latest upgrade:

 

 

Premium Organic Bamboo Chopping Board by Harcas. Extra Large Size Cutting Board 44.5cm x 30cm x 2cm

 

 

 

The instructions say its best for meat, vegetables and cheese. But there's nothing about acoustics or isolation! 

 

Does anyone know the burn-in time for bamboo? 

 

Oh I also added a sCLK-OCX10, SPS-500 and the SOtM dCBL-BNC cable. Not quite as exciting as the bamboo but (hopefully!) a big step towards audio nirvana. 

 

These I gather do need sufficient burn-in but let's just say it's sounding very, very promising at just a few days. 

 

So. Reason for posting. Am a bit disturbed to read that my £500 dCBL-BNC might not be as truly great as you expect/demand a 500 quid cable should be. 

 

Ferrites on order to play around with them on the clock cable and the USB cable into the TX-USBultra. 

 

Be interested to hear how you gents get on with the clock cables. 

 

I looked at the Pasternack but whilst the cable is very reasonable at 60usd for 12 inches they wanted 122usd to deliver it to the UK. Not a ratio that stacked up! 

 

 

 

Keep us posted on the burn-in.

[MNG]

1 hour ago, BigAlMc said:

Introducing my latest upgrade:

 

 

Premium Organic Bamboo Chopping Board by Harcas. Extra Large Size Cutting Board 44.5cm x 30cm x 2cm

 

 

 

The instructions say its best for meat, vegetables and cheese. But there's nothing about acoustics or isolation! 

 

Does anyone know the burn-in time for bamboo? 

 

Oh I also added a sCLK-OCX10, SPS-500 and the SOtM dCBL-BNC cable. Not quite as exciting as the bamboo but (hopefully!) a big step towards audio nirvana. 

 

These I gather do need sufficient burn-in but let's just say it's sounding very, very promising at just a few days. 

 

So. Reason for posting. Am a bit disturbed to read that my £500 dCBL-BNC might not be as truly great as you expect/demand a 500 quid cable should be. 

 

Ferrites on order to play around with them on the clock cable and the USB cable into the TX-USBultra. 

 

Be interested to hear how you gents get on with the clock cables. 

 

I looked at the Pasternack but whilst the cable is very reasonable at 60usd for 12 inches they wanted 122usd to deliver it to the UK. Not a ratio that stacked up! 

 

 

 

My cable is being used in between a tX-U and a SPS-500 powered CLK-OCX10. The tX-U is fed by a Zenith SE. My rack is made from ‘specially imported Carbon treated Bamboo resin composite panels’ which sounds suspiciously like chopping boards to me!

[BigAlMc]

8 minutes ago, MNG said:

 

My cable is being used in between a tX-U and a SPS-500 powered CLK-OCX10. The tX-U is fed by a Zenith SE. My rack is made from ‘specially imported Carbon treated Bamboo resin composite panels’ which sounds suspiciously like chopping boards to me!

 

Hi MNG - yeah we have very similar set-ups then - bamboo notwithstanding. I have a Zenith SE feeding a TX-USBUltra and I've added the sCLK-OX10 to this.

 

The TX-USBUltra is powered by an LPS-1.2. The sCLK-OC10 is powered by the SPS-500.

 

The bamboo is powered by Amazon Prime! 

[MNG]

Yes, the front ends are very much the same. I was in a similar position to you in that I had a MkII and an SE at the same time. I was trialling a MkII back in July last year, but my wife didn’t like that it was black whilst everything else in the rack was silver. It was in looking around for a silver MkII that I discovered that the SE was going to be introduced. I got one of the first ones out - mine is no 9 of 100. Ironic now that I have 3 black boxes! Luckily, I can hide them away reasonably well - sufficient to slip them past her anyway.

 

I don’t post very often on here, but I did post about it all on Headfi - I am Malcyg over there. 

[BigAlMc]

32 minutes ago, MNG said:

Yes, the front ends are very much the same. I was in a similar position to you in that I had a MkII and an SE at the same time. I was trialling a MkII back in July last year, but my wife didn’t like that it was black whilst everything else in the rack was silver. It was in looking around for a silver MkII that I discovered that the SE was going to be introduced. I got one of the first ones out - mine is no 9 of 100. Ironic now that I have 3 black boxes! Luckily, I can hide them away reasonably well - sufficient to slip them past her anyway.

 

I don’t post very often on here, but I did post about it all on Headfi - I am Malcyg over there. 

 

Haha - yup that's a bit ironic re the 3 black boxes. 

 

I recognise your Head-fi user name. I've read quite a few of your posts - you helped me convince myself to buy the SE! So thanks and nice to 'meet' you. 

 

Funnily enough I've gone opposite direction. I was semi hiding the SOtM boxes towards the back of my rack and the bamboo board marks a change in direction where I'm putting them at the front and on display. 

 

Cheers, 

Alan