Fifthcircle wrote on Thu, 11 September 2008 01:23 |
I have used Yamaha boards for years- from the early days of O2Rs and O3D consoles to today where I use PM5D, DM2000, O1V96, M7CL, LS9 and others... Every single board has improved massively when clocked with a good clock.
I'm currently using a Brainstorm DCD-8 for clocking duties, but I've also used Antelope, Apogee, Lavry (blue converters), Mytek (AD896 converters), and others to clock. The differences are not subtle. From the wider sound stage to the clearer sound of the effects. EQs don't sound so grainy, the tails of the reverbs sound better, etc... All this is because the conversion gets that much better with a quality clock.
--Ben
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Hello Ben,
I spent a little time this morning searching for references that supports or refutes your opinion on Yamaha clocks, since what you are reporting conflicts with my own experiences. I have to admit that my experience with Yamaha consoles is limited to the DM2000, but I have about thirty five years as an engineer and started with digital audio around 1980.
The only reference I could find is from Alan Silverman of Pro Audio Review on a review of the 02R96, a little brother to the DM2000. Here is what he said about the Yamaha clock.
"My first test was to compare the main stereo analog output of the console to my mastering-grade reference digital-to-analog converter. The source was a digitally patched, pristine 24-bit/96 kHz transfer from the 1/2-inch master of the new Patricia Barber record. With the 02R96 clocked to this digital input, the sound through its control room DAC was good by today's standards, and a far cry from the DAC designs of 1995, but still a little harsh and less detailed than my reference converter. However, when I set the 02R96 as the system master clock, its analog out trumped my standalone reference DAC with a smoother sound, a more solid bottom and a larger image. This was, to say the least, a bit of a surprise. Albeit, a DAC clocked internally is at a distinct advantage because jitter is then minimized and my house converter was still on external clock, but this result was both unexpected and impressive. The 02R96 DAC was far better than I would have anticipated, and I would be completely at ease using it for critical monitoring when clocked internally."
It is my habit to not state my opinions as matters of fact. They are my opinions. It is my opinion then, and it seems Alan Silvermans opinion that the Yamaha clocks are of a fairly high quality. As I have said, I tried clocking my DM2000 with a variety of external sources and really did not hear an improvement. While it is possible that I'm not as demanding a listener as you, or my control room is less than perfect, I do get reasonable results.
I would be interested if you could provide us with some technical support to your argument, such as the published jitter results pre and post external clocking, or some other quantification of your experiences. If I can improve my system with a specific clock, I'm all for that. But it is not worth spending the money without something more than your assertion.
Best regards,
Bill