[FredA]

Well, Mutec gear is all 75 ohm in and out except for the REF10 as far as I know which has just (2) 50 ohm outputs, since most people buying that clock will not be using it with consumer hifi. The reason is simply that hifi gear was made that didn't use the existing standard. I am not sure why it isn't universally obvious that gratuitous change in these kinds of situations is just bad.

I wouldn't say Mutec and Cybershaft in the same sentence though

I don’t get why, they are both top notch, Cybershaft being even better, speaking of their respective best offerings. It comes at steep cost for both brands.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I don’t get why, they are both top notch, Cybershaft being even better, speaking of their respective best offerings. It comes at steep cost for both brands.

I meant in terms of company longevity. No doubt, plenty of great 10 MHz clocks are going to be hitting the market. The question is how many of these companies, even the ones who put out very good quality products, will be in business 5 years from now. Only time will tell...

 

[Lickumms]

Behind the faceplate, there is a chip on socket that needs to be changed. The dsp needs to be flashed through usb using a usb blaster, following the update procedure. Not easy to setup. Refer to this

http://www.audio-gd.com/Firmwaredownload.htm

As for clocks, check the di20 thread, you will see many options in the last 10 pagee.

Could I get a picture of the chip that needs to be changed? Also, what chip do you recommend changing it out with?

 

[FredA]

Could I get a picture of the chip that needs to be changed? Also, what chip do you recommend changing it out with?

It needs ro be reprogrammed in fact. Kingwa can most likely sell you one with the new program on it, in which case it is a swap. Get the help of a technician if not at ease with that sort of operation. Contact Kingwa and tell him you want to have the external clock feature on your r8 mkii, and that you need the ext clock program for the r8mkii on the new MCU chip. And ask if anything, other than this and flashing the new FPGA fw, is needed. Get help from someone who is familiar with all this locally, you'll save time.

 

[hifixman]

Any comparison of Mutec two master clocks? The price varied dramatically with upgraded oven clock and power but can't help wondering the sonic improvement!
Much appreciated!

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Good clocks are a lot of money for small, incremental gains. As far as I know, no clock upgrade make a big difference. They all make small, important differences though. And at that level, you have to have a very resolving system to take advantage of it.

 

[fishbone999]

I just know this thread, I am a fan of audio-gd after I have their NFB-11.28 and R-27. It is so good for its price. My first DAC/AMP is Schiit modi2 and magni2, later at the same price I bought NFB-11.28, I have to say, the sound quality smashed schiit.

 

[Ninja Theory]

Hi. I have the R7HE pre-May 2019 model. I am getting very good sound using the USB input direct from my Lumin U1 Mini. Is it possible to upgrade the USB input to galvanic isolation or would it be better to just buy something like the Intona USB Isolator 7055 Series? From what I understand, neither my Lumin or the R7HE have galvanic isolation on the USB input, so I'm thinking this could be a worthwhile upgrade that won't break the bank.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Hi. I have the R7HE pre-May 2019 model. I am getting very good sound using the USB input direct from my Lumin U1 Mini. Is it possible to upgrade the USB input to galvanic isolation or would it be better to just buy something like the Intona USB Isolator 7055 Series? From what I understand, neither my Lumin or the R7HE have galvanic isolation on the USB input, so I'm thinking this could be a worthwhile upgrade that won't break the bank.

I see you have a DI-20 in your equipment list in your signature, can you use it?

 

[Ninja Theory]

I see you have a DI-20 in your equipment list in your signature, can you use it?

Pulled it out my chain and it sounds better without it to my ears. I cannot explain. I recently upgraded my Mac Mini to 12V DC with LPS. Maybe this has helped with a cleaner USB signal? I am not sure. But I hear no benefit with the DI-20 in my current chain, which is why I'm thinking to rather just add even more royal treatment to the USB?

Edit: I am not sure if it could be because the R7HE has better clocks. I don't know. I am not as technically proficient as some people here to know without guidance.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Pulled it out my chain and it sounds better without it to my ears. I cannot explain. I recently upgraded my Mac Mini to 12V DC with LPS. Maybe this has helped with a cleaner USB signal? I am not sure. But I hear no benefit with the DI-20 in my current chain, which is why I'm thinking to rather just add even more royal treatment to the USB?

Edit: I am not sure if it could be because the R7HE has better clocks. I don't know. I am not as technically proficient as some people here to know without guidance.

If the DI-20 doesn't help then I guess you won't benefit from galvanic isolation. Let's see what the guys say.

P.S. I cannot imagine more royal USB treatment than a DI-20HE! Is yours the HE or non-HE version?

 

[Ninja Theory]

If the DI-20 doesn't help then I guess you won't benefit from galvanic isolation. Let's see what the guys say.

The DI-20 does not have galvanic isolation on the USB. I was using it to reclock over I2S to the R7HE. The R7HE I2S port has the 2021 I2S isolation upgrade. This leads me to believe (perhaps erroneously?) that the clocks in my DI-20 are inferior to the clocks in my R7HE? The DI-20 is a 2016 model I believe (might be 2017 or even 2018 I am not sure).

 

[dougms3]

Pulled it out my chain and it sounds better without it to my ears. I cannot explain. I recently upgraded my Mac Mini to 12V DC with LPS. Maybe this has helped with a cleaner USB signal? I am not sure. But I hear no benefit with the DI-20 in my current chain, which is why I'm thinking to rather just add even more royal treatment to the USB?

Edit: I am not sure if it could be because the R7HE has better clocks. I don't know. I am not as technically proficient as some people here to know without guidance.

What type of cabling are you using from the di20 to r7he?

Kingwa says the ddc scales well with a higher level DAC so something is off, if there's no noticeable difference

Both ddcs have galvanic isolation as far i know.

May be best to contact kingwa regarding that.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The DI-20 does not have galvanic isolation on the USB. I was using it to reclock over I2S to the R7HE. The R7HE I2S port has the 2021 I2S isolation upgrade. This leads me to believe (perhaps erroneously?) that the clocks in my DI-20 are inferior to the clocks in my R7HE? The DI-20 is a 2016 model I believe (might be 2017 or even 2018 I am not sure).

I understand from @sajunky that the DI-20/HE does not reclock USB. So I don't think clocks have any bearing on the sound. You should be getting benefit from the isolation. Are you sure there is no galvanic isolation on the DI-20 USB? Also, have you tried other interfaces for example AES/EBU from the DI-20 to your R7HE and does it sound better or worse?

updated: I missed that you're using IIS. If so, I think galvanic isolation is not relevant, so isolation cannot be the reason for any sound quality difference.

 

[Ninja Theory]

What type of cabling are you using from the di20 to r7he?

Kingwa says the ddc scales well with a higher level DAC so something is off, if there's no noticeable difference

Both ddcs have galvanic isolation as far i know.

May be best to contact kingwa regarding that.

I’m going to do more focused tests with the DI-20 tomorrow. It’s powered from my PS Audio PowerPlant and I use the AudioQuest Carbon HDMI cable to the R7HE. The USB coming into the DI-20 is either. Light Harmonics 2G or an AudioQuest Carbon.