Grandioso G1 Clock

[marpa]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Chris... I break in all my Esoteric players with continuous play for 500 hours. After that it is pure bliss...

Thanks Ivan.
Cheers

[brodricj]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Chris...I own the following clocks; G02, G02X, G01, and G1. Each model is incrementally better than the previous version..

Which would be the better choice option, on performance basis, and value basis. Current model G02X, or discontinued model G01?

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by brodricj

Which would be the better choice option, on performance basis, and value basis. Current model G02X, or discontinued model G01?

Good question, but it depends on your definition of value basis. For me it is the G01.

[brodricj]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Good question, but it depends on your definition of value basis. For me it is the G01.

G02X is my first clock. It is a big jump in price from G02X to G01X, more than double. I'm only using a cheap BNC digital cable. My next investment might be a Mexcel 7N-DA6100II, I got a tempting price from my dealer. Cheaper than buying a used one on eBay.

[SCAudiophile]

The question being about clocks, I would not focus on price tag or PPM versus PPB stability measurements before considering the following...

IMHO, make your decision based upon getting the phase noise test measurements (dBc/Hz) from Esoteric at 1Hz, 10Hz, and 100Hz for each. Phase noise then Allan Variance in that order are how clocks are best evaluated for audio and video purposes. G01 may prevail given overall power section, case, design superiority, etc, but you won't know until you look at Phase Noise (which is primary in calculating jitter injected by the clock) and Allan Variance.

[SCAudiophile]

Originally Posted by brodricj

G02X is my first clock. It is a big jump in price from G02X to G01X, more than double. I'm only using a cheap BNC digital cable. My next investment might be a Mexcel 7N-DA6100II, I got a tempting price from my dealer. Cheaper than buying a used one on eBay.

For 50ohm if you go that route, consider a Esoteric Mexcel 8N-A2000 (Very rare) or Shunyata Alpha or Sigma. Best on the planet IMHO...

For 75ohm, Shunyata or Esoteric Mexcel are great choices.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by brodricj

G02X is my first clock. It is a big jump in price from G02X to G01X, more than double. I'm only using a cheap BNC digital cable. My next investment might be a Mexcel 7N-DA6100II, I got a tempting price from my dealer. Cheaper than buying a used one on eBay.

Tip; don’t use cheap digital cables for such a high precision device.

Do yourself a huge favor; become a Subscriber and check out our Marketplace now.

http://www.audioaficionado.org/payments.php

There is perhaps a “once in a lifetime opportunity to own the best, and hardest to find Esoteric BNC/BNC digital cable” at a bargain. It is from a long time, trusted AA’r.

[brodricj]

From what I've read, for Esoteric 10 Mhz clocks, it doesn't matter whether you use 50 ohm or 75 ohm for such short cable lengths.

I have ordered Mexcel 7N-DA6100III digital cable for my clock. The price for the cable is so crazy, cost almost as much as the G02X clock.

[docmd2010]

Ivan, you must have super long BNC cables which time all your components on the central rack right? Is it a 4 meter?

[SCAudiophile]

Originally Posted by brodricj

From what I've read, for Esoteric 10 Mhz clocks, it doesn't matter whether you use 50 ohm or 75 ohm for such short cable lengths.

I have ordered Mexcel 7N-DA6100III digital cable for my clock. The price for the cable is so crazy, cost almost as much as the G02X clock.

If the device you will connect G1 to requires 50-ohm (as is indicated in the manual in all cases where Esoteric for example requires a 50-ohm cable for a 10 mHz connect...), you are well advised to ignore the advice you've received that 75-ohm and 50-ohm cables are interchangeable. I know there is feedback out there, even from Esoteric's own engineers in Japan of the form "should not make a difference,..." (I've received this feedback myself from them...) but you'll note that they used to say something very different (and still do in their manuals) when they and Mexcel offered the 8N-A2000 cables which are truly 50-ohm compliant. Perhaps this is just happenstance/coincidence but I find it puzzling myself.

Think of it this way,..you have two components (the G1 and something else) whose retail value sums to well over $40K-$45K USD; why ignore specific connect instructions in the manual and the specific design of that BNC output and input stating they are 50-ohm / 10 mHz?

If you don't accept that argument.....I spent several MONTHs doing true blind testing of what turned out to be 50-ohm, 75-ohm and mixed impedance (e.g. 75-ohm with 50-ohm connectors or vice-versa) digital cable samples that were not labelled or able to be discerned as to what they were, together with 4 other audiophiles with very different equipment stacks (Esoteric gear, DCS gear, other gear, Cybershaft, DCS and Esoteric clocks and one custom BVA-based implementation. The testing was double-blind and run by a test coordinator separate from any of us who disbursed cable samples, instructions and collected results from each person.

At the end of the test, the collected feedback summed up to this; while interchanging 50 and 75-ohm cables did result in playback that was for the most part very listenable and enjoyable there were distinct advantages in bass weight, accuracy, over pacing and imaging and other categories where using a 50 where a 50 belonging made a discernible difference for the better. Further, using a 75 where a 50 belonged unbeknownst to me at the time as it was blind testing resulted in inaccuracies in several of categories that were not possible to ignore. I cannot send out more specifics on a public forum but am happy to talk through what I heard personally via phone in more detail.

With all due respect,...if you are ordering new, please consider ordering the right impedance matched cables for the circuit. It's probably safe to say someone would not ever think about putting a 75-ohm cable terminated with an XLR in place of a 110-ohm required AES/EBU cable; I don't think clock cables should be any different !

BTW...I'm not trying to point you to the 2 8N-A2000 50-ohm cables I happen to have for sale due to a recent move to Shunyata Sigma; my only advice is to get whatever truly 50-ohm cable you like where one is called for. You'll be glad you did...

FWIW...