Master Clock for your EtherREGEN

[MartinT]

Some detail of my BG7TBL PCB.  I have swapped two outlets to 75 ohm BNC connectors, leaving one sinewave outlet at 50 ohms.

 

Top side.

 

 

Underside.  Note the PCB is dated later than my rear panel, 2020-03-13.

 

 

Detail showing ceramic bypass capacitors added.  There is only just enough clearance in the case, it's a tight fit.

 

 

 

[MartinT]

I can say, in conclusion, that this inexpensive OCXO is really doing the business in my system, with the squarewave clock going to the EtherREGEN and sinewave clock to the Mutec MC-3+ USB.  For a tiny fraction of the cost of any 'hi-fi clock', it's giving a decent proportion of the attributes of running an external clock over using the internal clocks.  A good quality 12V external LPSU is essential, as is a decent DC cable (I'm using a Coherent modified Chinese LPSU to feed both the ER and OCXO, Coherent DC cable to the ER and MCRU DC cable to the OCXO).  Decent vibration absorbing footers are needed, too.  I also tacky-glued the two halves of the metal case to prevent resonances.  A trip to Coherent with it verified the decent performance (about 40ps jitter, reducing to 30ps with the LPSU) and good quality waveforms.  We saw overall phase noise drop with a low noise LPSU, too.  My Canare LV-61S cables also tested pretty well.

 

What I hear is a very low noise floor, deep soundstage with micro-detail, huge ambience and note decay (this latter a revelation in my system), natural 'shape' to notes, for instance guitar strings, highly focused vocals and an easy, liquid flow to the music while remaining highly dynamic with impressive attack and slam.  Steely Dan never sounded so good!

[zerung]

 

16 minutes ago, MartinT said:

What I hear is a very low noise floor, deep soundstage with micro-detail, huge ambience and note decay (this latter a revelation in my system), natural 'shape' to notes, for instance guitar strings, highly focused vocals and an easy, liquid flow to the music while remaining highly dynamic with impressive attack and slam.  Steely Dan never sounded so good!

 

@MartinT is this after the conversion of the clock to 75 Ohm? Incidentally the seller from Taobao is willing to change the system to use the Morion Clock and also change the connector to 75 Ohm, etc.

[MartinT]

6 minutes ago, zerung said:

 

 

@MartinT is this after the conversion of the clock to 75 Ohm? Incidentally the seller from Taobao is willing to change the system to use the Morion Clock and also change the connector to 75 Ohm, etc.

 

Yes, I'm getting a little more now but even in stock form it was worth the purchase.

 

If you can get it supplied in 75 ohm form then go for it as swapping those connectors wasn't easy.

 

How do you know the Morion clock is better than the DAPU?

[zerung]

@MartinT  Allegedly the Morion 2009 clock is better?

[lwr]

2 hours ago, zerung said:

 

 

@MartinT is this after the conversion of the clock to 75 Ohm? Incidentally the seller from Taobao is willing to change the system to use the Morion Clock and also change the connector to 75 Ohm, etc.

Can you provide the contact information for "the seller from Taobao" and how one goes about special ordering "the change to use the Morion Clock and also change the connector to 75 ohm, etc."   Thanks

[zerung]

16 hours ago, lwr said:

Can you provide the contact information for "the seller from Taobao" and how one goes about special ordering "the change to use the Morion Clock and also change the connector to 75 ohm, etc."   Thanks

@lwr Here you go. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.13a42e8dfRSJG8&id=574999325376&_u=iq09tfsf69e

[MartinT]

That's the frequency adjustable model.  Can they not provide 75 ohms in the fixed model, like mine?

You want the least complexity inside that you can go for.

[zerung]

I am assuming he can? 

I needed two with variable output.

He is having trouble sourcing a 75Ohm BNC binding post that will fit his circuit board. 

[lwr]

8 hours ago, zerung said:

@lwr Here you go. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.13a42e8dfRSJG8&id=574999325376&_u=iq09tfsf69e

Excellent!  Thanks!

[zerung]

7 hours ago, MartinT said:

That's the frequency adjustable model.  Can they not provide 75 ohms in the fixed model, like mine?

You want the least complexity inside that you can go for.

 

He can.

 

[basillus]

1 hour ago, zerung said:

I am assuming he can? 

I needed two with variable output.

He is having trouble sourcing a 75Ohm BNC binding post that will fit his circuit board. 

I think this B6252HB-NPP3G-75T will fit.

[Savolax]

On 6/2/2020 at 3:46 PM, MartinT said:

 

From AliExpress.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000152539910.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.795e4c4dGTiyce

 

Mine is the latest BG7TBL variant, dated 2019-12-09 and contains the DAPU OCXO.  No guarantees that others will be the same!

 

 

I ordered the same unit. Just received and opened it. The one I have is also 2019-12-09 and includes the same DAPU OCXO inside. I will be using it being connected to Magnafied Singxer SU-1 (sCLK-EX tweaked). I'm eager to get it compared vs the sCLK-EX clocks. 

This sCLK-EX mod provides me an extra DC-out via SU-1 which I will be using to power this clock unit. Modded SU-1 is powered by Farad3 12V.

 

Too bad I don't have any BNC cables, yet. Ordered bunch of custom low loss cables to try out if they make any difference. Some of the cable specs are at least above Mutec recommended cable standards to use for the REF10 (from the REF10 manual).

 

P.S. First post, yay. And what would be any better way to start posting than in UpTone forum 🙂

[MartinT]

4 hours ago, Savolax said:

 

I ordered the same unit. Just received and opened it. The one I have is also 2019-12-09 and includes the same DAPU OCXO inside. I will be using it being connected to Magnafied Singxer SU-1 (sCLK-EX tweaked). I'm eager to get it compared vs the sCLK-EX clocks. 

This sCLK-EX mod provides me an extra DC-out via SU-1 which I will be using to power this clock unit. Modded SU-1 is powered by Farad3 12V.

 

Try both the sinewave and squarewave outputs into the ER and let me know what you think.  Don't forget to power up the ER after you're changed the switch to external clock.

[zerung]

1 hour ago, MartinT said:

 

Try both the sinewave and squarewave outputs into the ER and let me know what you think.  Don't forget to power up the ER after you're changed the switch to external clock.

 

Is that an external filter? I am not sure how to do this? As far as I know this only come with square wave as a standard

 

[MartinT]

3 minutes ago, zerung said:

 

Is that an external filter? I am not sure how to do this? As far as I know this only come with square wave as a standard

 

 

Look at your front panel: from left to right, the BNC outputs are squarewave, sinewave, sinewave.

[zerung]

Mine is two variable, one fixed, all square wave. Which is what I would prefer. But the sine wave sound like a good experiment.

So for me I will need a hardware filter....oh! Well!

[MartinT]

Ah sorry, I was looking at Savolax's photo above, which is the same as mine.

[Savolax]

3 hours ago, MartinT said:

 

Try both the sinewave and squarewave outputs into the ER and let me know what you think.  Don't forget to power up the ER after you're changed the switch to external clock.

 

Actually I don't have ER even though I'm this sub forum. I wanted to post and confirm for your and others' information about the master clock details since it pretty much was your post inspiring me to order it and hence registering as member here 😉. Sorry for confusion.

 

Let's not take this off-topic too far. Just want to clarify, like I mentioned in my first post I am using modified Singxer SU-1 as USB DDC device and now seems I'm quite committed using USB due to pre order of JCAT USB XE card to use in my PC.

 

Then again, I am open to hear any experience would ER make any sense when I'm using PC and it's USB out (JCAT USB FEMTO) to play music without ethernet streaming/NAS devices? 

[zerung]

 

On 6/19/2020 at 10:50 PM, Savolax said:

Then again, I am open to hear any experience would ER make any sense when I'm using PC and it's USB out (JCAT USB FEMTO) to play music without ethernet streaming/NAS devices? 

 

With my system, the ER and the clock make an alarming upgrade. If I might,  a point of debate, the Jcat Femto is still the bottleneck - you have ordered the XE, that will make a greater complete chain.....I think the synergy of those two will give you want you want.

[MartinT]

8 minutes ago, zerung said:

With my system, the ER and the clock make an alarming upgrade.

 

I completely agree.

[MartinT]

On 6/18/2020 at 3:19 PM, zerung said:

He is having trouble sourcing a 75Ohm BNC binding post that will fit his circuit board. 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RF-COAXIAL-BULKHEAD-BNC-Coaxial-RECEPTACLE-R-A-75-OHM-SOLDER/293400270378?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648

 

[zerung]

@MartinT  He has it now and assembling some for me.

 

For (My) Ref. 

DAPU O55A  (Frequency range 5.00MHz ~ 40.00MHz) Offset Noise at 10Hz -125dBc/Hz, Single Oven
MORION 89A (Frequency range 4.096 MHz ~ 10 MHz)  Offset Noise at 10Hz-155Dbc/Hz,   Double Oven 

[MartinT]

Cool. Looks like the Morion is the one to get.

[MartinT]

On 6/18/2020 at 7:03 AM, zerung said:

@lwr Here you go. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.13a42e8dfRSJG8&id=574999325376&_u=iq09tfsf69e

 

Ok, how do I penetrate the Chinese to contact him?  I tried Contact: which doesn't help.  I've registered for a Taobao account.  What did you do to make contact?