Tick tock goes the Word Clock..... LE users OT

[mlange]

Gurus!

I've been absolutely in love with my 001 over the last three years. Flawless performance and sound quality. From the get-go I've used an Octopre and set the 001 to external/adat sync via a lightpipe connection.

Recently I've added a Ramsa DA7 digital console, and now syncing up the Finalizer Express, Lexicon PCM91, plus the 001 & the Octopre yields a number of questions:

Any thoughts on sync performance of any of the above as word clock "master"?

How 'bout anyone using external word clock generators?

And the $64,000 question: what combination of sync options with your rig sounds best to your ears?????!!!!!

Thanks!

Mark

[lemix]

Hello mlange ,

Logic would dictate, to find the most stable WC of all the pieces you have. I'm wiiling to put my vote on the DA7, but users on this forum have reported the Octopre to be excellent, also.
Next step is to get a WC distribution amp, and feed everythig off it, to avoid daisy chaining and long cable runs.

just my opinion,
cheers,

[Chris Cavell]

mlange,

If I were you, I'd get an AardsyncII. It is generally regarded as the best "sounding" clock in all shootouts conducted in our typical trade magazines (mix, eq, sos, em, etc...). Even in those mags where it hasn't been part of a shootout, reviews of newers clocks generally use the AardsyncII as a comparison. It would seem most prefer it's sound even to the far more expensive Big Ben...and it's only a fraction of the cost. With as much digital sync'ing you've got to do, I'd recommend getting one and minimizing any chains that aren't 75 ohm BNC cables.

-Chris

[Lalaman]

mlange,

If I were you, I'd get an AardsyncII. It is generally regarded as the best "sounding" clock in all shootouts conducted in our typical trade magazines (mix, eq, sos, em, etc...). Even in those mags where it hasn't been part of a shootout, reviews of newers clocks generally use the AardsyncII as a comparison. It would seem most prefer it's sound even to the far more expensive Big Ben...and it's only a fraction of the cost. With as much digital sync'ing you've got to do, I'd recommend getting one and minimizing any chains that aren't 75 ohm BNC cables.

-Chris

Err ... What!??
Magazine reviews aren´t considered exactly as being objective, expecially not of magazines like mix.

If you want to know how the Aardsync appears to users who compared it to the big ben make for instance a search on the other audio forum that you frequent too.

I have never seen anybody prefer the Aardsync to the Big Ben, but very much the opposite.

Lalaman

[Chris Cavell]

Lala, then your experience differs from mine. While I agree that Mix is a terribly advertiser biased magazine (I generally prefer electronic musician...while owned by the same company as Mix, the articles and reviews appear to answer to a higher ethical standard than those in Mix)...I have never heard of anyone performing a blind listening test preferring the Big Ben over the aardsyncII. Ahh...to each his own. Both are impeccable units IMO.

However, I was incorrect about the pricings...the aardsyncII USED to be a fraction of the cost of a Big Ben...I guess demand for the unit has risen so much that it is now generally a few hundred dollars more expensive than apogee's flagship master-clock.

[Lalaman]

Hi Chris,

Just to make it clear, I was not speaking of my personal experience ( there is none with these units ), only about user reflections.
... And indeed your post is the first which I have seen preferring the Aardsync.
Anyway, now that you said that the Aardsync has become more expensive the option would be less that any fellow would get himself a - suspectively - less good sounding clock.
... So sonic police can turn off the sirens and drive back to central station now.

Greets,

Lalaman

[hanzoid]

Chris I seem to recall a post of yours somewhere extolling the virtues on the accuracy of the Presonus Digimax's clock. Did I remember correctly?

[Chris Cavell]

The digimax clock is an excellent clock source...but not exactly a master clock. It has but one word clock output...although the higher than average voltage (most are 3 to 3.5 volts where the digimax is 4...the spec simply states less than 5) used by the digimax' clock does enable it to drive more devices in a chain than most (assuming simple unterminated and unbufferred in/out)...and drive poorly designed devices that would load other word clocks.

[mlange]

OK - I'm seeing a pattern. So if I understand this correctly, a quality master clock will be propogated via a distrubution amp using individually connected bnc/word clock cables.

External Clock = master
Everything else = lock to external sync

However, if the 001 is connected to the OctoPre via lightpipe and I don't want to send sync info down the lightpipe to the 001, can I merely connect the SPDIF out of the externally word clock synced DA7 to the SPDif in of the 001?

whew!!!

[Chris Cavell]

No. You've got to sync it off a compatable format...so you've got to sync it off of a digital connection. Chaining devices like this is generally OK...you just don't want the chain to be too long.