USB Reclockers

[KingRex]

I am trying to extract the most from my setup.  Here is what I am running.  For the love of god, please do not start with some crap about selling my gear and buying something else.  Can we just look at the topology I am using and if you have any experience with this or a similar setup, help me understand if what I am considering will help.

I have a server with a JCat usb femto card outputting to a DAC with usb input.  The server has a dedicated power supply for the JCat card.  The DAC has multiple  isolated power supply further isolating the signal transferred between the 2 pieces of gear.  In short, its a pretty thoughtful design as far as giving the cleanest power possible to the usb connection between the server and dac.  The server and DAC were designed to talk usb together.

 

If I was to get something like an Ideon Audio reclocker, would I gain any benefit.

 

Is the JCat card such a piece of junk, a reclocker is going to be that much more precise and give less timing errors.

 

I can't see the power supply powering the reclocker being as good as the one powering the JCat card and DAC.

 

 If I put an Ideon reclocker in my chain, is it going to give real bang for the dollar.  Has anyone experience with this device.  Yes, I'm gonna need another expensive USB cable.

 

Thanks

[Ralf11]

isolated power supplies, but what isolates the USB input to the DAC?

 

I'd do that before reclocking worried me

[asdf1000]

4 hours ago, KingRex said:

For the love of god, please do not start with some crap about selling my gear and buying something else.

 

LOL this place can be funny like that sometimes.

 

4 hours ago, KingRex said:

If I was to get something like an Ideon Audio reclocker, would I gain any benefit.

 

This is where it really helps to know what DAC you are using... you may find lots of people may have found improvements with certain DACs and maybe less people found improvements with other certain DACs... Some people may have good technical knowledge on the design of/around the USB input for your particular DAC too.

 

The JCat card is very nicely designed though.. 

 

 

[KingRex]

11 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

isolated power supplies, but what isolates the USB input to the DAC?

 

I'd do that before reclocking worried me

I assume a good reclocker better have superior isolation, if not in my mind I'm trading 1 noise for another.

 

[KingRex]

7 hours ago, Em2016 said:

 

LOL this place can be funny like that sometimes.

 

 

This is where it really helps to know what DAC you are using... you may find lots of people may have found improvements with certain DACs and maybe less people found improvements with other certain DACs... Some people may have good technical knowledge on the design of/around the USB input for your particular DAC too.

 

The JCat card is very nicely designed though.. 

 

 

My gear is not so mainstream,  but a very common topology.

Let me also say, I'm very happy with it too.  I tossed all my vinyl after my last upgrades and use digital only.  I just can't touch the performance with vinyl anymore.  Of course I am one always trying to get that last bit of juice.  Not necessarily more quiet, but more palpable feel.  More realism such as multi thousand vinyl does.

 

I use the latest server and DAC from Mojo Audio.

[Ralf11]

can you ask Mojo what they think?

 

if you find out, post it here

[KingRex]

Ask what?  Will a regenerator help.  I asked once about his server feeding an endpoint, then to the DAC.  He did not say no, he did not say yes.  It was kind of a, it's unnecessary answer, but maybe done right.   He is not at all recommending anything between his gear.  He spend a lot of time voicing it out so why would he want something there. 

 

In reading around other threads here I am getting the feeling Isolator/Reclockers might change things more than improve things.  I hear talk its the best in the world, then a few pages in you start to hear it got more smooth but collapsed the sound stage, or the sound stage got huge but it was a little strident.

 

I have really good sound.  I  just want the magic $2k to  $3k piece to take my gear and move it to MSB Select performance level.  I don't want to spend any money to just change the voice.  To me, that is a waste of money.  Mojo voiced it well.  It's very nice to listen too.  Improving is something other than changing how it speaks.

[The Man]

On 11/29/2018 at 10:48 PM, KingRex said:

I am trying to extract the most from my setup.  Here is what I am running.  For the love of god, please do not start with some crap about selling my gear and buying something else.  Can we just look at the topology I am using and if you have any experience with this or a similar setup, help me understand if what I am considering will help.

I have a server with a JCat usb femto card outputting to a DAC with usb input.  The server has a dedicated power supply for the JCat card.  The DAC has multiple  isolated power supply further isolating the signal transferred between the 2 pieces of gear.  In short, its a pretty thoughtful design as far as giving the cleanest power possible to the usb connection between the server and dac.  The server and DAC were designed to talk usb together.

 

If I was to get something like an Ideon Audio reclocker, would I gain any benefit.

 

Is the JCat card such a piece of junk, a reclocker is going to be that much more precise and give less timing errors.

 

I can't see the power supply powering the reclocker being as good as the one powering the JCat card and DAC.

 

 If I put an Ideon reclocker in my chain, is it going to give real bang for the dollar.  Has anyone experience with this device.  Yes, I'm gonna need another expensive USB cable.

 

Thanks

I have no experience with that clock... but if its a quality clock it will definitely make a difference. I notice the difference right away if I turn my world clock off... 

[Ralf11]

what exactly does a reclocker do in a USB input (as vs. the 'slaved' to origin Spdif)

[PeterSt]

May it help you: IME it's a bit of nonsense that any of this "reclocking" stuff is required to surpass the sound of LP hugely. I mean, 10 years ago nothing of this existed, nor did USB isolation (although I myself tried to get that latter going back at the time already, for reasons).

 

Now don't ask me what exactly to do to get there because it might comprise of replacing a few components, which you didn't want (for good reasons, but ...).

 

It is not that all this USB sh*t, including cables, suddenly is the miracle sauce to everything. True, it all helps again, and IMO not even according a 80-20 rule (but better). But first things first because you can't fix what's wrong in the base.

 

Digital takes its time and I don't think I ever saw someone who did all right from scratch. Take a year for for that good base. And this does not comprise of a nest of USB hoopla. You can do it, but may be lost forever ...

[Raimund Heubel]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:36 PM, KingRex said:

I assume a good reclocker better have superior isolation, if not in my mind I'm trading 1 noise for another.

 

I cannot agree more.

What you are looking for - I guess - is a re-clocking device that not only converts and re-clocks the incoming USB data stream but isolates the digital source from the DAC at the same time. While there a multiple USB converters/re-clockers available in the market I have never seen a better device that so consequently isolates the source from the DAC as the 'afi + external USB-module' or the 'afis+ external USB-module' from the Germany based company 'artistic fidelity'. Please check these devices out here .

What makes these isolator switches + their external USB-modules so unique and efficient is that the USB signal will firstly be converted into an optical signal via three fibre optical cables (FOC) for maximum isolation from interference before the signal in a second step will be re-clocked/converted.

I own the 'afis + ext. USB-module' (plus their external PSU 'arfi-psu' plus the DAC 'arfi-dac2' ) since September last year and could not be happier with the results of a very relaxing, analog like sound.