Finally! An atomic clock for your audio setup! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:12:42 pm
content: For those of you, who are just as furious as I am by that song ending 3 microseconds sooner, or *GASP* the tone of an instrument being shifted by 5ppm, here's a product for you:http://www.esoteric.jp/products/esoteric/g01/indexe.html

author: geo_leeman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:16:15 pm
content: Wow! You'd wonder if someone could do the same thing, but pulling a GPS signal for a GPSDO clock. Seems like it'd be much cheaper!

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:26:49 pm
content: What will those peckerheads think of next! Despite being ridiculously useless for audio, it does look like a nicely build reference clock for test equipment.

author: atw60444
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:41:29 pm
content: wow! For the audiophile that has everything eh? After spending all their cash on oxygen free cables too. I must pass the link on to my step father

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:52:30 pm
content: Do they even use such a thing in recording studios in the first place?

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 02:54:05 pm
content: QuoteProbably not. But that means that your setup is actually better!

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 03:00:00 pm
content: QuoteI highly doubt it; there's just no need for such precision. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they used an ovenized crystal. Recording studios have some very expensive gear in them.

author: DL8RI
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 03:06:41 pm
content: Quote from: G7PSK on October 20, 2013, 02:52:30 pmA Master Clock? Yes, and it's useful (to synchronize all the digital stuff).But I highly doubt apurerubidium would be good for this. If I remember correctly the short-term stability is inferior to an Crystal. Long-Time is not important for this application, although the advertisement says soWhat you "see" is most likely the disciplined TCXO/OCXO.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 03:32:41 pm
content: Quote

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 04:09:44 pm
content: Fascinating thing that this is made by TEAC Corporation, not some audiophool brand. Whatever, all new CD's are over-compressed like hell and are pain to listen on a good system. I hooked oscilloscope to audio card output while playing Metallica's Death magnetic. There was almost square waveform, no surprise that it sounded like cracking shit.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 05:10:35 pm
content: No, the oscillator is made by TEAC, the audiophool company has made the rest of the electronics to go with it...

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 05:33:09 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on October 20, 2013, 05:10:35 pmEsoteric is division of TEAC

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 06:03:26 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on October 20, 2013, 05:33:09 pmHuh, did not realise.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 06:13:21 pm
content: Might be good for a studio where you want a master clock, but those generally are hidden out of sight in a rack in the back of the wiring cabinet in most cases.

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 06:28:17 pm
content: Quote from: daqq on October 20, 2013, 02:12:42 pmSearch ebay for "rubidium clock CD" and you will find a Chinese guy selling rubidium standards programmed with CD clock frequencies - Atomic master CD clocks have been on ebay for ages.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2013, 08:13:04 pm
content: I demand a Rubidium frequency standard in my home theater system!

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 05:08:15 am
content: Internal pics, stolen from GoogleAlmost $23K

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 06:35:51 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on October 20, 2013, 03:02:25 pmThat is a sure sign that this thing is no longer the exclusive domain of the discerning elite, but rather now everyone has one. Just like vinyl was contemptible when CDs first came along. Then everyone got CDs and almost no-one has vinyl. So now of course CDs are crap and vinyl is the hallmark of someone that really appreciates audio...I'm not laughing at the beautiful engineering and construction that is in this box, or for that matter good CDs or good vinyl; just the mindset of some people that think they are a cut above the rest.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 07:23:33 am
content: Quote from: Circlotron on October 21, 2013, 06:35:51 amHaving built audio instrumentation with <=1ppm noise an non-linearity and having battled things like mains hum/induction, the unshielded power supply layout inside that thing looks quite hopeless. And what is with all the diodes on the power supply boards?

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 09:06:58 am
content: Hmmm... I think I was mesmerized by the ground planes and the gold plated connectors. And the fact that it was in a box. How about those green electros that don't even match the lead spacing on the boards.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 10:01:56 am
content: Quote from: Circlotron on October 21, 2013, 09:06:58 amThose caps (what's the brandname SUNCON?)need to be floating so their legs can function as antenna's

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 10:04:57 am
content: Quote from: Circlotron on October 21, 2013, 09:06:58 amWell the thing sells for only $23k, so the manufacturer has to use and fudge in whatever inventory stock they can get for the best price.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 10:07:36 am
content: Quote from: Circlotron on October 21, 2013, 09:06:58 amBoard is made so they stand of with leads formed. Look closer, usual practice. Nothing wrong with that transformer, it is toroidal, so not much magnetic leakage. And this is digital device. All that said, it is usable only for audio hipsters self orgasmation thou.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:07:20 am
content: Quote from: GK on October 21, 2013, 07:23:33 amThey think each supply needs to have its own bridge rectifier and filter caps...The green caps look like Rubycon to me.

author: Jon86
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:12:47 am
content: What a load of shitThose audiophiles will stop at nothing...

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:20:06 am
content: Quote from: amyk on October 21, 2013, 11:07:20 amTo me they keep on looking like SUNCONwhatever the crap that is.Googling said it is from Sun Electric which was Sanyo in the past, so they are probably ok.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:23:47 am
content: Quote from: wraper on October 21, 2013, 10:07:36 amDefinitely not a usual practice for large electrolytic capacitors. Those caps don't have standoff-formed leads either. They've just been splayed to fit the board.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:37:09 am
content: Quote from: GK on October 21, 2013, 11:23:47 amWell, they should't be extremely large. Biggest seems to be 180uF x 50V. They are formed, I clearly see it on the pictures. Seems that you haven't seen how ugly splayed caps actually looks like.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 11:46:21 am
content: Quote from: wraper on October 21, 2013, 11:37:09 amWho said "extremely" large? I know what standoff-formed leads look like, with their little outwards-pointing horseshoe bends that butt up against the top of the board (I have a bag full of 10uf/25V with such leads), and those caps don't have them. But whatever you say.............

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 03:22:56 pm
content: Those capacitors are too large to be mounted like that.I doubt there'd be a problem with the legs picking up noise, since they'd short it but it looks crap and is more of a mechanical problem as there's more leverage on the solder joints.I notice what looks like a 5% carbon film resistor which is very noisy, even if it doesn't make much difference, I'd expect metal film to be used for something that expensive.

author: Galaxyrise
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 03:38:39 pm
content: Quote from: DL8RI on October 20, 2013, 03:06:41 pmThey got you covered. Behold theG-02

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 03:56:45 pm
content: You want to see ugly splayed capacitors?http://shop.sjstv.co.uk/ekmps/shops/sjstv/images/17mb15e-5-20280174-2144-p.jpg

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2013, 05:31:43 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on October 21, 2013, 03:56:45 pmHmmm not really a good example IMHO, this is not the way it came out off the factory or was mounted in the final product.More a spare pcb someone ripped out of the product and stored in a really really bad way.

author: Jon86
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 06:36:46 am
content: I hope they're using directional wire in there!

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 07:37:43 am
content: $23k? I'm in the wrong business...The 10MHz and 22.5792MHz outputs will be coming off a PLL that's driven by the rubidium oscillator anyway. The only attractive quality the atomic clock brings is long term frequency stability, and I couldn't care less about that.Want a low-jitter clock source? TI will happily sell you a PLL with <300fs jitter for under $10:http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/clocks-timers/ultra-low-jitter-less-than-300-fsec-rms-products.page300 femtoseconds is about one 76 millionth of the period between samples at 44.1kHz... that'll do me! Shame it's almost impossible to get a signal that accurate to the clock pin of the DAC chip where it's actually needed, though.

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 02:37:30 pm
content: Pics & desc smells like a SRS PRS-10 rubidium (it can be 1-pps diciplined)http://www.thinksrs.com/products/PRS10.htmOur "Great Master" got one of those (Rubi's) in a unit he got for a ridiculously low price/Bingo

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 02:39:09 pm
content: Quote from: Kjelt on October 21, 2013, 05:31:43 pmNo, I've opened sets like this new from the factory and found just that inside it. It's like the manufacturer plays target practice with the board, throwing the caps from a long distance.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 06:01:14 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on October 22, 2013, 02:39:09 pmThat would be an interesting video

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 22, 2013, 06:21:38 pm
content: Quote from: bingo600 on October 22, 2013, 02:37:30 pmI believe you are correct on the PRS-10. I was trying to figure out, but couldn't tell from the pics.