As I then listen to Otmar Liebert's album Dune, the musical flow and smoothness are particularly striking. In "On the Road to Shiraz", Otmar Liebert's guitar has more volume, the handclaps are more realistic and the accordion, which has always been somewhat nebulous, can now suddenly be heard with fine definition. The electric bass anchors the melody more firmly and drives the piece forward with verve. Here, too, the stage is deeper and the overall impression is more vivid and energetic. Another immediately noticeable feature is the increased transparency in the mids and highs. In "Tarantella" by Sarasate (The Chasing Dragon - Audiophile Recordings), the solo violin chases through the entire sound space at breakneck speed and with the highest degree of difficulty. Soft tones alternate with passages played extremely strong, high harmonics with medium and low registers. This par force ride can quickly become exhausting, especially in the high registers, and the pleasure is then lost. With the REF10 NANO, the solo violin sounds smoother and far less coarse-grained. But that's not all: the overall sound is calmer and less agitated. This makes subtleties in the other instruments audible that were previously masked by the solo violin pushing to the fore. This transparency is continued in the mid-range and gives human voices more naturalness. On "The very thought of you" with Emilie-Claire Barlow (Jazz Ballads - 2xHD 24/44.1), I was impressed by how naturally and clearly outlined the singer now stands between my speakers. The nice thing about this is that the proportions are maintained and the singer and accompanying instruments are not simply shown larger, as when you zoom in on an object with a camera. A warning at this point: anyone listening to a REF10 NANO in combination with a MUTEC MC3+ USB for the first time may initially find the sonic improvements less than spectacular. The aha-effect moment comes at the latest when the REF10 NANO is removed from the chain. You don't really want to have that, i.e. hear it. Until now, I've always been of the opinion that two MUTEC MC3+ USBs are better than one. I still think that, but I would change the order of purchase. Before buying a second MUTEC MC3+ USB, I would now advise you to invest in a REF10 NANO first. With one MUTEC MC3+ USB, which derives its clock from a REF10 NANO, you will come much closer to the listening impressions just described as with two MUTEC MC3+ USB alone. And I would probably add another purchase in between: a good linear power supply. I know I'm biased when it comes to switching power supplies. But when you hear how even an affordable SBooster BOTW Power & Precision ECO power supply brings even more calm and flow to the musical performance, you'll understand my point. With a good linear power supply, the REF10 NANO comes a good deal closer to the big REF10. But when it comes to the purchase price of such a power supply, keep things in proportion, otherwise you might as well invest in a REF10. Against the background of the experiences just described, the question arises as to whether more is possible? What if the REF10 NANO could make even more devices in my digital chain happy with its 10 MHz reference clock? To examine this question, I am now using a server from SOtM, in which all essential components such as the motherboard, Ethernet module and USB module can be clocked externally, and I am also adding the SOtM switch sNH-10Gi - also with an external clock input - to my chain. I experience the "Spanish Overture No. 1: Capriccio brillante on "La Jota Aragonesa" by Mikhail Glinka with Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Valdimir Jurowski: 10 years) with a degree of transparency and resolution that I have hardly heard before: every instrument has its rock-solid, immovable place on the stage and the proportions of the instruments to each other are simply perfect. The whole thing is particularly impressive when groups of instruments at the back, such as the timpani, have already reached fortissimo and do not obscure the violins, which are still playing softly pizzicato and sitting further forward. Following the different musical levels in this piece changes from concentrated listening to relaxed enjoyment! This experiment impressively demonstrates the potential of a REF10 NANO if we allow its 10 MHz reference clock to supply as many as possible or even all devices in a digital chain.
Listened with
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Computer | Intel Xeon E3-1225 3,2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows Server 2012R2 and 2019 with AudiophileOptimizer 3.0, JPLAY USB Card, HDPLEX 400W ATX Linear PSU and HDPLEX 200W Linear PSU, Diretta Lucia Piccolo Bridge, LattePanda Alpha 864s with Intel 8th m3--8100y with Diretta Target Bridge or Volumio with HDPLEX 200W Linear PSU |
Software | JPLAY Femto, JPLAY femtoServer, JPLAY iOS App, Upplay, JRiver Media Center 24, MinimServer, Roon Server, Volumio |
LAN Switch | Silent Angel Switch Bonn NX, SOtM sNH-10G i |
10-MHz-Clock | Silent Angel Clock Genesis GX, SOtM SCLK-OCX10 |
USB | MUTEC MC-3+ USB, SOtM USB Hub tX-USBultra |
DA converter | PS Audio DirectStream DAC MK1 |
Turntable | Platine Verdier |
Tonearm | Souther TRIBEAM |
Cartridge | Clearaudio Veritas |
Preamp | Erno Borbely, Omtec Anturion |
Power Amp | Stax DA-80m, Omtec CA 25 |
Loudspeakers | Børresen 01 Cryo Edition, 2 x Velodyne Subwoofer DD-10+, Audioplan Kontrapunkt IV |
Cables and Accessories | Van den Hul, JCAT Reference USB, JCAT Reference LAN, Analysis Plus Digital Oval Yellow, AudioQuest Eagle Eye Digital Cable, SOtM dBCL-BNC, Audioquest Niagara 5000, Ansuz Sortz RCA, LAN und BNC |
Manufacturer's Specifications
MUTEC REF10 NANO
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Interfaces | 2 x BNC-Ausgang für 10 MHz-Referenztaktsignale, 50 Ω-Terminierung unsymmetrisch, 2 x BNC-Ausgang für 10 MHz-Referenztaktsignale, 75 Ω-Terminierung unsymmetrisch |
Signal Format of all Clock Outputs | Square wave, 10.000 MHz, 2 Vpp, 50:50 duty cycle |
Phase Noise | ≤ -112 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, ≤ -142 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz; ≤ -158 dBc/Hz at 100 Hz, ≤ -164 dBc/Hz at 1000 Hz; ≤ -167 dB Noise floor |
Jitter | ≈ 30 fs (1-100 Hz) |
Weight | 2070 g without packaging |
Case size | 196 x 44 x 300 mm (WxHxD, without connectors and case feet) |
Price | 2000 euros |
Manufacturer
MUTEC Gesellschaft für Systementwicklung und Komponentenvertrieb mbH
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Address | Siekeweg 6/8 12309 Berlin |
Phone | +49 30 7468800 |
Fax | +49 30 74688099 |
contact@mutec-net.com | |
Web | www.mutec-net.com |