AfterDark Project ClayX Black River Giesemann EVA Clock Cable Review

[DarqueKnight]

Part 1. Introduction

 

A 2 meter length loaner sample of the new AfterDark (AD) 75 ohm Giesemann EVA BNC-BNC clock cable was evaluated in my two channel stereo system between the AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz clock and Uptone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet switch and between the dCS Puccini U-Clock word clock and dCS Debussy DAC. The AfterDark clock cable was compared to my previous reference clock cable, a Revelation Audio Labs (RAL) Prophecy Cryo-Silver BNC-BNC 75 ohm digital cable (2015 version). The AD loaner clock cable, and a second AD clock cable, were purchased during the evaluation.

 

The AD clock Cable and the RAL digital cable share some design and construction similarities. Both use an electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise dissipation system based on carbon fiber shielding. Both use extensive mechanical vibration damping systems. The AD clock cables were evaluated after each had been in service for 14 days. AfterDark recommends a 7 day break in period. At the beginning of the AD clock cable evaluation, the AD Emperor Double Crown Clock had been in continuous operation for 37 days.

 

Figure 1. AfterDark Project ClayX Black River Giesemann EVA 75 ohm clock cable. This is a stiff, mechanically-braced cable. A longer length is advisable to accommodate the 7 inch bend radius. This is also a heavy cable (0.9 lbs./0.408 kg for the 2 meter length). Some support at the connector ends might be advisable to take the strain off the sending and receiving devices' BNC jacks.

 

Figure 2. I inquired about the manufacturer of Black River cable's BNC connectors. I was told they are a proprietary custom design made for AfterDark. The AD clock cable is directional. The end with the glossy shrink wrap and "AfterDark" logo should be placed at the receiver end. I found the AD cable's BNC connectors to fit much tighter than those of my other BNC cables. I used care when installing and removing, especially on the EtherREGEN switch.

 

3. The Black River Giesemann EVA's carbon fiber outer shield.

 

AD clock cable description:

 

1. One Layer of carbon fiber woven for EMI shielding and two layers of aluminum foil for high frequency shielding. 

2. Silver Plated 99.999% Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) Solid Core conductor.

3. High speed low-loss Ethylene Propylene insulation.

4. The cable is mechanically tuned and twisted with spacing for less cross interference.

5. Proprietary twisted-pair Helix Technology offering superior dielectric performance and mechanical damping. 

6. Gold Plated BNC Connectors.

7. Impedance matched at 75 ohms for Giesemann clocks.

Price: USD $1156 for 2 meter length.

 

RAL clock cable description:

1. Conductive Carbon Infused Composite (CCIC) outer EMI shielding.

2. Silver 99.999% ultrapure solid silver conductor, cryogenically treated.

3. Furutech rhodium plated BNC connectors.

4. Ceramic micro-spheres for vibration damping.

5. Dual metallic shields consisting of copper and silver plated copper.

6. Large diameter "Big Air" conductor tubes made of Teflon to minimize conductor contact with the dielectric tubing.

7. True 75 ohm impedance.

Price: USD $449 for 1 meter length. [Note this was the pricing for the 1 meter 2015 version. The current version is the 2021 1.25 meter length, priced at USD $599. I did not have a sample of RAL's 2021 75 ohm digital cable for this evaluation. I have had one on order since March 6, 2021.]

Figure 4. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm 1 meter digital cable.

 

Figure 5. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm digital cable - Furutech BNC connectors.

Figure 6. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm digital cable conductive carbon fiber outer shield.

 

Part 2. The Sound

For reference, the results of evaluating the sound quality of seven different clock cables with the AD Emperor Double Crown clock were posted here:

The results in the post referenced above will not be rehashed here.

For the AD clock cable evaluation, five configurations, in order of increasing sound quality were evaluated:

1. RAL 2015 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2009 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

2. RAL 2009 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2015 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

3. AD Black River cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2015 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

4. RAL 2015 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and AD Black River cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

5. AD Black River cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and AD Black River cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

In summary, the following stereophonic performance improvements were achieved with the AD Black River clock cable compared to the RAL 2015 digital cable:

1. More detail in ambient cues.

2. More bass growl and bass articulation.

3. More fine detail in background percussion instruments, particularly shakers and tambourines.

4. More weight and overtones to piano notes.

5. More of a sense of space between sound images.

6. More weight and solidity to sound images.

The degree of improvement using an AD Black River clock cable was greater when used between the dCS Puccini U-Clock word clock and the dCS Debussy DAC compared to between the AD clock and EtherREGEN switch. The prices of the AD Emperor Double Crown clock and dCS Puccini U-Clock are $2681 USD and $5500 USD respectively. Both clocks serve different functions. The dCS word clock clocks each digital sample (digital "word") of the DAC and digital music player connected to it. The AD clock replaces the internal time reference of the EtherREGEN Ethernet switch with a more accurate, lower noise reference.

 

Figure 7. One Black River cable was great. Two were greater.

 

Part 3. Oscilloscope Measurements

Figure 8. A Tektronix TDS 2012 oscilloscope was used to create plots of the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of an RAL 2015 digital cable and the two AD Black River clock cables.

 

Figures 9 through 17 are oscilloscope plots of the RAL, first AD, and second AD cables connected to the AD Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 9. RAL 2015 version cable pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 10. RAL 2015 version cable pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 11. RAL 2015 version cable noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 12. AD Black River cable #1 pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 13. AD Black River cable #1 pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 14. AD Black River cable #1 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 15. AD Black River cable #2 pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 16. AD Black River cable #2 pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 17. AD Black River cable #2 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figures 18 through 29 are oscilloscope plots of the RAL, first AD, and second AD cables connected to the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 18. RAL 2015 version cable pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 19. RAL 2015 version cable pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 20. RAL 2015 version cable pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 21. RAL 2015 version cable noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 22. AD Black River cable #1 pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 23. AD Black River cable #1 pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 24. AD Black River cable #1 pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 25. AD Black River cable #1 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 26. AD Black River cable #2 pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 27. AD Black River cable #2 pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 28. AD Black River cable #2 pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 29. AD Black River cable #2 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

Part 4. Notes On Power Quality

I live in an area that has good power quality with stable voltage levels (118V - 121V over a 24-hour period) and low total harmonic distortion (average 1.5% over a 24 hour period. My two channel stereo system is served by three dedicated 20 amp AC circuits. Each dedicated AC circuit is terminated by a PS Audio Soloist SE which is an in-wall passive power conditioner coupled with an audio grade PS Audio Power Port Premier AC receptacle. Two of the dedicated AC circuits feed the Pass Labs X600.5 monoblock amplifiers. The third AC circuit feeds a PS Audio P10 AC regenerator which has an average outgoing total harmonic distortion of 0.1% and outgoing voltage of 121V on average. The P10 AC regenerator feeds the Pass Labs XP-30 preamp, source components, switches, and clocks. I have found it is much easier to discern differences in cables, source components, and accessory electronics, like switches and clocks, when the AC power quality is very high (stable voltage and very low total harmonic distortion).

Part 5. Associated Equipment

Bryston BDP-3 Digital Player

dCS Debussy DAC

dCS Puccini U-Clock Word Clock

PS Audio PowerBase Isolation Platforms For BDP-3, Debussy DAC, P-10 AC Regenerator, And Puccini U-Clock

Black Diamond Racing Mk3 Mini Isolation Pits And Mk4 Isolation Cones For BDP-3, Debussy DAC, And Puccini U-Clock

Pass Labs XP-30 Line Level Preamplifier

Pass Labs X600.5 Monoblock Power Amplifiers

Synology DS718+ Network Attached Storage With Two Western Digital Red 6 TB Drives in RAID 1 Configuration

TeraDak DC-150VA Linear Power Supply For DS178+ NAS

Uptone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet Switch For NAS And Digital Player

Farad Super3 Linear Power Supply For EtherREGEN

Araknis AN-110-SW-R8 Ethernet Switch For Connectivity To Home LAN

Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver Split Configuration USB Cable (CICC)

Revelation Audio Labs Passage Cryo-Silver DB-25 Power Umbilicals For XP30 Preamp

Revelation Audio Labs Cat8+ Ethernet Cables, 1.25m, For BDP-3 To EtherRegen And NAS To EtherREGEN

Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy CryoSilver Reference S/PDIF Digital Link Cable (CCIC) - U-Clock To Debussy DAC - RCA Terminations (Audio Signal)

AudioQuest Sky Generation 2 XLR Interconnects

AudioQuest Everest 9 AWG Hyper-Litz Speaker Cables

PS Audio PerfectWave AC-12 Power Cords For Amplifiers And Source Components

Signal Cable MagicPower Cord For TeraDak DC-150VA Linear Power Supply

PS Audio PerfectWave P-10 AC Regenerator (For Source Components And Preamplifier Only)

Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2TL Loudspeakers (Heavily Modified)

Dreadnought Non-Common Ground Interface (Avel-Lindberg Audio Grade 1000VA Isolation Transformer) For SDA SRS 1.2TL Loudspeakers

HiFi Tuning Supreme Power Line Fuses For Debussy DAC, P-10 AC Regenerator, Puccini U-Clock, BDP-3 Digital Player, and Super3 Linear Power Supply

Salamander Synergy Triple 30 Audio Credenza

Dell Venue Pro 7140 Docked Tablet Computer For Controlling BDP-3 Digital Player, NAS, And AC Regenerator

Three Dedicated 20 Amp AC Circuits, One For Each Power Amplifier, One For The Source Components, AC Regenerator, And Preamplifier

Three PS Audio Soloist SE In-Wall Passive Power Conditioners, One For Each Dedicated AC Circuit

 

[PYP]

Very thorough and helpful review.   Thanks.

 

I don't want to go too far from the subject of this thread, but just wanted to mention that my own experiment with clock cables (not either of these brands) tells me that folks who use the eR with an external sine wave clock might (all systems being different) find that the clock cable can make a large impact, even when using the mini-circuits filter and an excellent clock (the measured value of my clock is -142 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz).  

 

@DarqueKnight mentions that the cable effect was greater with his DAC than the eR.  Since my own DAC doesn't use external word clocks, I can't compare my own experience with the DAC.  But the effect on the eR, based upon his description of the impact, was much greater in my own setup.   Just FYI.  

[AfterDark.]

We recieved a positve feedback from the customer using Giesesmann EVA Clock Cable with amazing result. 

 

[richard_crl032]

On 6/11/2021 at 4:54 PM, DarqueKnight said:

Part 1. Introduction

 

A 2 meter length loaner sample of the new AfterDark (AD) 75 ohm Giesemann EVA BNC-BNC clock cable was evaluated in my two channel stereo system between the AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz clock and Uptone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet switch and between the dCS Puccini U-Clock word clock and dCS Debussy DAC. The AfterDark clock cable was compared to my previous reference clock cable, a Revelation Audio Labs (RAL) Prophecy Cryo-Silver BNC-BNC 75 ohm digital cable (2015 version). The AD loaner clock cable, and a second AD clock cable, were purchased during the evaluation.

 

The AD clock Cable and the RAL digital cable share some design and construction similarities. Both use an electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise dissipation system based on carbon fiber shielding. Both use extensive mechanical vibration damping systems. The AD clock cables were evaluated after each had been in service for 14 days. AfterDark recommends a 7 day break in period. At the beginning of the AD clock cable evaluation, the AD Emperor Double Crown Clock had been in continuous operation for 37 days.

 

Figure 1. AfterDark Project ClayX Black River Giesemann EVA 75 ohm clock cable. This is a stiff, mechanically-braced cable. A longer length is advisable to accommodate the 7 inch bend radius. This is also a heavy cable (0.9 lbs./0.408 kg for the 2 meter length). Some support at the connector ends might be advisable to take the strain off the sending and receiving devices' BNC jacks.

 

Figure 2. I inquired about the manufacturer of Black River cable's BNC connectors. I was told they are a proprietary custom design made for AfterDark. The AD clock cable is directional. The end with the glossy shrink wrap and "AfterDark" logo should be placed at the receiver end. I found the AD cable's BNC connectors to fit much tighter than those of my other BNC cables. I used care when installing and removing, especially on the EtherREGEN switch.

 

3. The Black River Giesemann EVA's carbon fiber outer shield.

 

AD clock cable description:

 

1. One Layer of carbon fiber woven for EMI shielding and two layers of aluminum foil for high frequency shielding. 

2. Silver Plated 99.999% Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) Solid Core conductor.

3. High speed low-loss Ethylene Propylene insulation.

4. The cable is mechanically tuned and twisted with spacing for less cross interference.

5. Proprietary twisted-pair Helix Technology offering superior dielectric performance and mechanical damping. 

6. Gold Plated BNC Connectors.

7. Impedance matched at 75 ohms for Giesemann clocks.

Price: USD $1156 for 2 meter length.

 

RAL clock cable description:

1. Conductive Carbon Infused Composite (CCIC) outer EMI shielding.

2. Silver 99.999% ultrapure solid silver conductor, cryogenically treated.

3. Furutech rhodium plated BNC connectors.

4. Ceramic micro-spheres for vibration damping.

5. Dual metallic shields consisting of copper and silver plated copper.

6. Large diameter "Big Air" conductor tubes made of Teflon to minimize conductor contact with the dielectric tubing.

7. True 75 ohm impedance.

Price: USD $449 for 1 meter length. [Note this was the pricing for the 1 meter 2015 version. The current version is the 2021 1.25 meter length, priced at USD $599. I did not have a sample of RAL's 2021 75 ohm digital cable for this evaluation. I have had one on order since March 6, 2021.]

Figure 4. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm 1 meter digital cable.

 

Figure 5. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm digital cable - Furutech BNC connectors.

Figure 6. RAL 2015 version 75 ohm digital cable conductive carbon fiber outer shield.

 

Part 2. The Sound

For reference, the results of evaluating the sound quality of seven different clock cables with the AD Emperor Double Crown clock were posted here:

The results in the post referenced above will not be rehashed here.

For the AD clock cable evaluation, five configurations, in order of increasing sound quality were evaluated:

1. RAL 2015 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2009 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

2. RAL 2009 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2015 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

3. AD Black River cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and RAL 2015 version cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

4. RAL 2015 version cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and AD Black River cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

5. AD Black River cable between AD Emperor Double Crown clock and EtherREGEN switch and AD Black River cable between dCS Puccini clock and dCS Debussy DAC.

In summary, the following stereophonic performance improvements were achieved with the AD Black River clock cable compared to the RAL 2015 digital cable:

1. More detail in ambient cues.

2. More bass growl and bass articulation.

3. More fine detail in background percussion instruments, particularly shakers and tambourines.

4. More weight and overtones to piano notes.

5. More of a sense of space between sound images.

6. More weight and solidity to sound images.

The degree of improvement using an AD Black River clock cable was greater when used between the dCS Puccini U-Clock word clock and the dCS Debussy DAC compared to between the AD clock and EtherREGEN switch. The prices of the AD Emperor Double Crown clock and dCS Puccini U-Clock are $2681 USD and $5500 USD respectively. Both clocks serve different functions. The dCS word clock clocks each digital sample (digital "word") of the DAC and digital music player connected to it. The AD clock replaces the internal time reference of the EtherREGEN Ethernet switch with a more accurate, lower noise reference.

 

Figure 7. One Black River cable was great. Two were greater.

 

Part 3. Oscilloscope Measurements

Figure 8. A Tektronix TDS 2012 oscilloscope was used to create plots of the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of an RAL 2015 digital cable and the two AD Black River clock cables.

 

Figures 9 through 17 are oscilloscope plots of the RAL, first AD, and second AD cables connected to the AD Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 9. RAL 2015 version cable pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 10. RAL 2015 version cable pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 11. RAL 2015 version cable noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 12. AD Black River cable #1 pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 13. AD Black River cable #1 pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 14. AD Black River cable #1 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 15. AD Black River cable #2 pulse train from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 16. AD Black River cable #2 pulse from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figure 17. AD Black River cable #2 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the AD 10 MHz clock.

 

Figures 18 through 29 are oscilloscope plots of the RAL, first AD, and second AD cables connected to the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 18. RAL 2015 version cable pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 19. RAL 2015 version cable pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 20. RAL 2015 version cable pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 21. RAL 2015 version cable noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 22. AD Black River cable #1 pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 23. AD Black River cable #1 pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 24. AD Black River cable #1 pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 25. AD Black River cable #1 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 26. AD Black River cable #2 pulse train from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 27. AD Black River cable #2 pulse rising edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 28. AD Black River cable #2 pulse falling edge from the dCS Puccini word clock.

 

Figure 29. AD Black River cable #2 noise spectrum (Fast Fourier Transform) from the dCS Puccini word clock.

Part 4. Notes On Power Quality

I live in an area that has good power quality with stable voltage levels (118V - 121V over a 24-hour period) and low total harmonic distortion (average 1.5% over a 24 hour period. My two channel stereo system is served by three dedicated 20 amp AC circuits. Each dedicated AC circuit is terminated by a PS Audio Soloist SE which is an in-wall passive power conditioner coupled with an audio grade PS Audio Power Port Premier AC receptacle. Two of the dedicated AC circuits feed the Pass Labs X600.5 monoblock amplifiers. The third AC circuit feeds a PS Audio P10 AC regenerator which has an average outgoing total harmonic distortion of 0.1% and outgoing voltage of 121V on average. The P10 AC regenerator feeds the Pass Labs XP-30 preamp, source components, switches, and clocks. I have found it is much easier to discern differences in cables, source components, and accessory electronics, like switches and clocks, when the AC power quality is very high (stable voltage and very low total harmonic distortion).

Part 5. Associated Equipment

Bryston BDP-3 Digital Player

dCS Debussy DAC

dCS Puccini U-Clock Word Clock

PS Audio PowerBase Isolation Platforms For BDP-3, Debussy DAC, P-10 AC Regenerator, And Puccini U-Clock

Black Diamond Racing Mk3 Mini Isolation Pits And Mk4 Isolation Cones For BDP-3, Debussy DAC, And Puccini U-Clock

Pass Labs XP-30 Line Level Preamplifier

Pass Labs X600.5 Monoblock Power Amplifiers

Synology DS718+ Network Attached Storage With Two Western Digital Red 6 TB Drives in RAID 1 Configuration

TeraDak DC-150VA Linear Power Supply For DS178+ NAS

Uptone Audio EtherREGEN Ethernet Switch For NAS And Digital Player

Farad Super3 Linear Power Supply For EtherREGEN

Araknis AN-110-SW-R8 Ethernet Switch For Connectivity To Home LAN

Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver Split Configuration USB Cable (CICC)

Revelation Audio Labs Passage Cryo-Silver DB-25 Power Umbilicals For XP30 Preamp

Revelation Audio Labs Cat8+ Ethernet Cables, 1.25m, For BDP-3 To EtherRegen And NAS To EtherREGEN

Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy CryoSilver Reference S/PDIF Digital Link Cable (CCIC) - U-Clock To Debussy DAC - RCA Terminations (Audio Signal)

AudioQuest Sky Generation 2 XLR Interconnects

AudioQuest Everest 9 AWG Hyper-Litz Speaker Cables

PS Audio PerfectWave AC-12 Power Cords For Amplifiers And Source Components

Signal Cable MagicPower Cord For TeraDak DC-150VA Linear Power Supply

PS Audio PerfectWave P-10 AC Regenerator (For Source Components And Preamplifier Only)

Polk Audio SDA SRS 1.2TL Loudspeakers (Heavily Modified)

Dreadnought Non-Common Ground Interface (Avel-Lindberg Audio Grade 1000VA Isolation Transformer) For SDA SRS 1.2TL Loudspeakers

HiFi Tuning Supreme Power Line Fuses For Debussy DAC, P-10 AC Regenerator, Puccini U-Clock, BDP-3 Digital Player, and Super3 Linear Power Supply

Salamander Synergy Triple 30 Audio Credenza

Dell Venue Pro 7140 Docked Tablet Computer For Controlling BDP-3 Digital Player, NAS, And AC Regenerator

Three Dedicated 20 Amp AC Circuits, One For Each Power Amplifier, One For The Source Components, AC Regenerator, And Preamplifier

Three PS Audio Soloist SE In-Wall Passive Power Conditioners, One For Each Dedicated AC Circuit

 

Hi,

 

Will be nice to include vfm factory terminated proaudio canare's 5.5cuhd or 8cuhd for tens of usd.

 

Will be more than happy to send one to you for same measurement and subjective listening review.

 

Cheers.

 

Richard