Studio Magazin

2 | 3 Studio Magazin 11/13
MUTEC MC-3+ SMART CLOCK
Probably everyone knows that a clock signal is the A and O and by principle an inhe-
rent sound quality-determining factor for an intended operation of digital PCM sys-
tems which are applied to all rules of the theory. Nevertheless, there is much contro-
versy about whether and how an external or internal clock can contribute to or impro-
ve the quality of an A/D and/or a D/A converter system, an aspect that is brought to
bear. ‘Quality improvement’ is actually the wrong choice of term because a clock gene-
rator can either run (nearly) perfectly precise or lead to a deterioration. The less distor-
ted or jitter afflicted the clock is, the closer is the transmission to the theoretical ideal.
More fundamentally considered, audio signals can only be passed on without so-called
„clicks and pops“ if all involved devices run on the same system clock. In a digital audio
network a device, the master, supplies the clock. In a particular case it may also be a de-
vice that does nothing else but generate the clock to which all other devices, the slaves,
synchronize. But even with such a basic principle, there still exists the danger that one
quickly slips into esotericism, ascribing miracles to specific clock generators while igno-
ring the real technical coherences. It actually is ‘only’ about the development of a pro-
cess to produce a constant system clock as deviation-free and faultless as possible.
FRITZ FEY, PHOTOS: FRIEDEMANN KOOTZ