[JaMo]

Here is my OCK-1 plots.

Not bad for a master clock in this low price range.

/Jan

 

[Jake2]

Here is my OCK-1 plots.

Not bad for a master clock in this low price range.

/Jan

Pretty nice looking indeed Jamo.

BTW I was right the square chart posted earlier was a different unit tested by AS user Clockmeister who sounds like he has a professional lab so should know what he's doing. Interestingly when he retested his OCK-1 unit with a different input impedance he got a much cleaner result as below that looks rather more like Jamo's one...

"...these measurements are with the same cabling/clock/scope/scope settings EXCEPT I change the input impedence to 1M Ohm (the same for a stock passive probe) Most interesting!"

He was going to look into this unusual behavour but not sure he ever came back on it.

 

[PeterCraig]

I had a chance to compare the OCK-2 with my Morion MV89A this morning. The OCK-2 has over 1700 hours on it.

I'm using a ZeroZone LPS, DIY Mundorf DC cable with the Morion vs. the OCK-2 with it's built in power supply. $ to $ comparison these two setups are about the same retail price, the OCK-2 is about $100 higher today. And of course your mileage will vary with the Morion depending on power supply and DC cable used.

Using a DI-20HE to feed a Master 7 DAC (yes I still have it), and only the DI-20 using the external clock input as the M7 doesn't have one.

I first did this comparison last week and the OCK-2 killed the Morion until I realized they were not using the same power cords. I had some cable of unknow origin on the Morion. Switching to the same power chord on both units and the difference narrowed considerably.

Especially in the high frequency the OCK-2 edged the Morion. Some tracks it made a big difference, others not so much. Messy complex tracks became more organized and coherent. Everything was more enjoyable.

Compared to the internal clock of the DI20HE + Morion, I'll give the OCK-2 40-60% improvement again. But the differences don't jump out at you like when comparing a different amp or headphone. Here it's the same but different.

For sure in my system the OCK-2 is the winner with relative price, sound, and build quality. And no need to deal with matching DC cables and LPS as with the Morion.

The DI20HE is still the biggest winner for me though, clock or no clock. But if you feel you have a resolving system get an OCK-2 or similar also. When you compare the DI20HE with and without the OCK-2 the differences are significant.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Here is my OCK-1 plots.

Not bad for a master clock in this low price range.

/Jan

Maybe it explains the many posts where people said they preferred sinewave out of those clocks. Although the trailing edge of the square wave clock is sharp, I wonder if that rough leading edge could cause triggering issues.

 

[MartinWT]

I think there's more to it than just poor clocks being better at sinewaves.

A squarewave is equivalent to a sinewave at the same fundamental frequency added to an infinite series of odd sinewave harmonics at decreasing amplitudes. This means the squarewave clock cable is carrying a huge bandwidth compared with a sinewave clock. There are considerations of impedance matching and UHF noise injection into the digital stream.

On the other hand, a squarewave should achieve a more consistent triggering threshold than a sinewave, especially if the input processing trigger is not well designed.

There are arguments for both waveforms and sinewave clocks are not the poor relative, in my view, if used with appropriate equipment.

 

[Jake2]

Does anyone know if AfterDark offer their Giessman Trifecta with 3x 50 ohm outputs and/or a mix of 50 and 75ohm? As unlike their single output clock which has a 50/75 option, the Trifecta presents no such option. (Yes I can and will ask AD but it's the weekend)

Also I see there's a banner at the top of their webpage saying 'New Giessman Products Coming' - any insight as to what this includes?

 

[Boomboy]

@Jake2

This is one new product . There is a sft version coming as well . I'm really keen as I've never tried optical to my server and have a few unused outs on my ock-2

https://www.adark.co/en-au/collecti...ellation-giesemann-x1-ethernet-server-adapter

 

[DecentLevi]

No, I do not. This is my first experience with Master Clocks. I chose it because of and owner's experiences and recommendation from this thread.

If I were going to take the next leap, it would be a big one towards something like CyberShaft OP20 or Mutec Ref10 SE120. Buy once, cry once.

That said, I'm very content and don't see needing to upgrade anytime soon.


Well the HMS does introduce jitter going through the dual BNCs, so I can't say I'm surprised. And this, at the last leg of the signal before the DAC.

Earlier I posted something about putting two Audio GD DI-20HE DDCs inbetween an HMS and TT2/Dave and syncing those to the Master Clock. This would get you a clean 16x upscaled signal through the dual BNC to the TT2/Dave.

Regarding the HMS, I've removed it from the chain and the sound is less dimensional—less so with DDC/ master clock present, but still... to me, HMS is essential kit.

I'm still trying to figure out what HMS is. A Google search showed a variety of topics from political to academic related, or even Hour Minutes Seconds. Some seem to refer to HMS as a DDC, but others seem to refer to it as a cable. What is it, and is it still helpful if I have a well-implemented DI-20? I for one, if using an obscure acronym like to spell out when first referencing it.

Also, is there any new opinions of preference for the best affordable clock cable?

 

[Jake2]

I'm still trying to figure out what HMS is. A Google search showed a variety of topics from political to academic related, or even Hour Minutes Seconds. Some seem to refer to HMS as a DDC, but others seem to refer to it as a cable. What is it, and is it still helpful if I have a well-implemented DI-20? I for one, if using an obscure acronym like to spell out when first referencing it.

Also, is there any new opinions of preference for the best affordable clock cable?

Chord Hugo M-scalar is what I guess he must be referring in this context - a dedicated hardware upscaler in its own enclosure using Chord's proprietary hardware and algorithms.

 

[Giru]

Hey fellas!
So a lot of you have heard both the OCK-1 and 2; anyone here who liked the 1 over the 2? If yes, what was your setup configuration like?
I'm looking to add a clock to my setup and have auditioned a few. The best yet was a Cybershaft but that was wayy over my budget.
I also auditioned both OCK1 and 2. While the 2 was defintely more "clear" and "detailed", it somehow felt a bit "sharp" and "bright" while the 1 was relatively "smoother" and "quite well rounded". Both were connected to a Singxer SU2 KTE with the Gustard Cable feeding a Holo Spring KTE.

Also there isn't much talk of the Gustard C18/C16, Aune S1c (or SC1) vs the LHY clocks; has anybody had a chance to compare them?

 

[nikko510]

It seems to me that the OCK-1 is better when connected to a sine wave, although Audio-Gd prefers a square wave.
OCK-1 is much warmer, smoother compared to GUSTARD C18.
In my system I prefer GUSTARD c18 it is more detailed, transparent.


Anyway, the OCK-1 is unbeatable for the money.

 

[dougms3]

Testing out these dummy load plugs.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...2xjQVEp&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

It seems to take time for these plugs to take effect but it does seem to improve the sound.

I'll listen for a bit with the connected then remove them after I adjust to the sound to see what the difference is.

I also ordered the grounding caps but those haven't arrived yet.

 

[Giru]

It seems to me that the OCK-1 is better when connected to a sine wave, although Audio-Gd prefers a square wave.
OCK-1 is much warmer, smoother compared to GUSTARD C18.
In my system I prefer GUSTARD c18 it is more detailed, transparent.


Anyway, the OCK-1 is unbeatable for the money.

Hey thanks for sharing your observations.
I think we did swap sqaure and sine wave outputs on both OCK1 and 2 but the broader outcome was the same. Like you said, the OCK1 feels decidedly warm vs the 2.
I wish I could audition the C18 somewhere. Hearing very good things about it.

 

[piguetpolo]

I'm still trying to figure out what HMS is. A Google search showed a variety of topics from political to academic related, or even Hour Minutes Seconds. Some seem to refer to HMS as a DDC, but others seem to refer to it as a cable. What is it, and is it still helpful if I have a well-implemented DI-20? I for one, if using an obscure acronym like to spell out when first referencing it.

Also, is there any new opinions of preference for the best affordable clock cable?

My apologies, I hate acronyms too - it's easy to project on these threads and act as if everyone knows what you're talking about.

HMS = Hugo M Scaler, the Chord electronic product that upsamples source bit rate to 24bit/768khz and sends it to a Chord DAC for the improvement of clarity in transient and spatial awareness in one's music. Though the HMS is not referred to as a DDC, it technically is doing that job while upscaling.

And yes, a well implemented DI-20 can still help, before or/and after the HMS. No one's tried the "after the HMS" since that would take 2 DI20s and a lot of adapters and cables to obtain full 16x upscaling. It's something I proposed earlier in this thread.

Everyone has his/her philosophies on clock cables, but in my 2 months of experience on my OCK-2, I no longer feel the need to spend >$500 of dollars on a cable based on my unscientific testing. I'm currently using an Italian made 50Ω Messi & Paoloni Hyperflex 5 which cost about $40 for 1m length. It's become my standard for performance, flexibility, material, value and build quality. The connectors are beautifully industrial.

You can have it made from the factory to your desired length and shipped to your door within a weeks time from anywhere in the world here.

 

[ray12345]

My LHY OCK-2 arrived last night, I have just been letting it to settle down for 12 hours and tested this morning. It seems some of you are interested in OCK-2 vs Gustard C18, I have both.

I previously used Cybershaft Blue clock cable only to U18, it is quite analytical but now I changed to LMR400 as recommended here, I find LMR400 has better mids and vocals, although the treble details and soundstage size is still won by Cybershaft. The LMR400 has just 12 hours on it, so it may keep on improving. For now, I connect OCK-2 to U18 using LMR400, while OCK-2 to my X26 Pro using Cybershaft Blue, this seems to get the benefits of analytical power of Cybershaft while keeping warm and sweet vocals of LMR400.

OCK-2 seems to sound better on my system using square wave. Sine wave is a bit smoother, but less analytical power and less clear imaging than square wave. My system is tube preamp and power amp, so I do not have problem with system being too analytical. For others with systems prone to sharpness, maybe sine wave can help. Otherwise, use square wave if you can.

As to the million dollar question OCK-2 vs C18, so far OCK-2 seems to match the C18 in details. As I have changed cables, I am not very sure as I need further testing. Also, OCK-2 has just been on for 12 hours, while C18 has been on for months. If OCK-2 keeps on improving while running in, it has the potential to even beat C18. I will report later on if that happens.