For what it’s worth, here’s my tuppence. In my previous systems, I have found that having a master clock (either separate or using one of the units) makes a big difference in terms of tightening the overall pace, rhythm & timing, better holographic imaging, and creating a bigger sound stage (both width and depth). I’ve just taken delivery of my dCS Bartok DAC specifically because it has a clock input. I tested the following:
- AQ WEL SPDIF with synchronous clocking
- AQ WEL SPDIF with K50 as master clock, using a Mogami BNC 75 ohm clock cable
- CAD II USB cable with Bartok as master clock
2 and 3 were both much better that 1 which was quite a flat sound. 2 and 3 were close. With my cables, my preference is for 2 as, for me, it is a more balaced sound across the whole of the hamornic range. However, I’m sure that you could experiment with different cables to make either your preference, depending on your views on USB v digital cables. I hope this helps.