USB DAC clocking question (PC vs Grimm CC2)

[cowby]

Dear memebers,

I have an Antelope Amari DAC and connect directly to a Win10 PC via USB. The Freq rate say 44.1 or 96 KHz can be set by the DAW software and locked in the DAC. If I connect a Grimm CC2 to the Amari, which will be my clock source? I mean PC or CC2?

Someone told me that it should be the PC which is the source of the clock and he doesn't know even if I hook up a CC2 with my Amari, the soulds will be improved or not. Share your thoughts, please.

Regards!
Cowby

[BertKoor]

The PC is never the source of the clock. Your DAC has an internal one.

If you have the WordClock out of the Grimm CC2 connected to WordClock in of the Antelope Amari, then it overrides the internal clock of the Amari DAC. I'm not too sure whether it as actual benefits, but if wooden cases give you a smile on the face, then by all means do that.

Here's some quotes:

The benefit of an external clock is that it allows you to sync multiple devices with AD and/or DA converters to a single clock so they are in time with one another. For a single device, you'll only get more jitter using an external clock as the internal clock has to sync to the external clock and the jitter of the two clocks is additive.

Because of the nature of the extremely high frequency clock signals, a self-clocked converter will almost always have lower jitter.

[cowby]

Thanks Bert for your super fast reply. The magic word is "override" and I always think that the CC2 will take all the control in terms of clock rate not the PC. The one told me was a sales man of Grimm's local dealer