SKU: Audiocom-Super-Clock-CD-Clock Audiocom Superclock II

Audiocom Superclock II

Product Summary

Superclock II represents a significant advance in dramatically improving the sound and picture quality of CD, SACD, DVD & DVD-A players and uses new technology designed exclusively for Audiocom. It can be fitted into many brands and models of CD, SACD or DVD player where the main crystal clock is easily accessible and either the two pin or four pin type.

The new technology is the result of painstaking research and collaboration between Audiocom engineers and specialists in the field of low noise and high frequency circuitry.

No expense has been spared in the development of Superclock II and with no set deadlines to compromise quality, Superclock II truly sets a new international standard in the arena of purest audio and visual reproduction.

Features

• High-grade oscillator circuit for better short-term and long-term stability.
• Wide bandwidth, low noise RF buffer and amplifier stage.
• Sine-square wave circuitry development.
• Shorter signal path.
• Low data related and power supply jitter.
• Faster, more accurate bass with extraordinary definition and timing.
• Increased texture and substance to vocals and instruments.
• A more seamless, transparent and coherent sound.
• Startling dynamics. Detail and expressive music making.
• A closer emotional bond between listener and music.
• Improved focus, definition and lifelikeness of sound stage.
• Resolution and detail improved dramatically.
• Deeper and more controlled bass response.
• Easy connection with only four points to hook up.
• Able to operate from the CD's internal power supply.
• Able to be fitted into most types of digital equipment including professional gear.
• Compact size: 57 mm x 35 mm x 15 mm. (approx.)

Customer Feedback

"Not sure I like admitting it but the quality of the music from that Audiocom Superclock modded Marantz CC-4300 CD changer now sounds so close to that of the Meridian 800 it is not funny. It is hard to distinguish between them both. I do not like admitting it and it lacks any humour because of the massive price difference between the two. [$2000- compared to $20,000-]

Moral of the story: buy a good but not stratospherically priced player and have Soundlabs modify it. You will end up with a genuine high end product at a fraction of the price of the expensive players and it might even out perform them!"
John Coulson - Tasmania

Design Considerations

The basic platform of Superclock II is its printed circuit board. This is formed as an extremely low impedance ground plane over which the components are placed. Very low impedance ground planes contribute to signal quality and are essential when handling radio frequency signals which are of exceptionally low distortion and phase jitter. The ground plane shields the radio circuits from the invisible capacitor formed when the board is mounted close to metalwork.

Only the highest quality components are used in Superclock II, having been selected to give a standard of sonic quality hitherto unavailable. All of the electrolytic capacitors for example are of the Black Gate and OS-CON type, with capacitor types such tantalums and other electrolytic's having been totally rejected during the research and development process. Sonic tests proved conclusively that these cheaper capacitors significantly degraded sonic quality.

Component quality has been the underlying strategy in the extensive Superclock II development process. At each stage of the quality of signals, such as frequency, voltage or waveform were brought to the required standard in the laboratory. Listening tests were then used as the sole arbiter in deciding whether the technology was producing the demanded sonic quality. This slow, painstaking and very expensive process has resulted in a new standard of clock, namely Superclock II.

The highly demanding specification for Superclock II meant that the radio frequency circuits, which actually generate the precision clock, were grossly over specified to yield a purity and clarity of sound which other clocks cannot achieve. The radio frequency circuits in a CD or DVD clock operate in the high frequency part of the radio spectrum, typically between 8 MHz and 45 MHz. Superclock II radio circuits naturally also operate in this range of frequencies but have been designed as if they were operating at considerably higher frequencies of up to 1000 MHz. The sonic benefits of this design approach are, however, only realised when the physical layout of components on the printed circuit board are also designed for higher frequencies. The result is a strip line layout, with extremely short component trace interconnects. The combination of strip line layout and ultra high frequency design was proven, by listening tests, to produce excellent audio quality.

The heart of Superclock II is its low phase noise oscillator. This original design, proprietary to Audiocom, uses two Ultra High transistors in a unique arrangement to produce a very clean signal at the clocks fundamental frequency, having minimal waveform and phase distortion. The circuitry is capable at running at many times the required fundamental frequency and is proven to give a significant sonic improvement over earlier clock oscillator circuitry. With the oscillator and its components arranged on a Superclock II board as a stripline UHF circuit, the sonic advantages can clearly be heard in any CD, SACD, DVD & DVD-A players.

The power supply of Superclock II also represents a significant departure from the more traditional three terminal regulators as used in many other clocks. From the outset the power supply was identified as a crucial element in reducing phase noise and jitter in the radio frequency circuits.

Superclock II's power supply filters the incoming supply from the CD/DVD to remove low and high frequency noise from the power supply, together with reflected noise from the digital circuits inside the CD. This cleaned up supply is then used to generate a precise, stable and exceptionally quiet reference voltage which drives a JFET input operational amplifier being the heart of the Superclock II power supply. The op-amp is configured to provide far more current drive ability than is actually required by Superclock II, which results in a very stable power source for the radio frequency circuits. Further the op-amps configurations serves to further reject any noise.

The result is a clean stable power source for the radio frequency circuits, which is essential in the design of low distortion and low phase noise circuitry.