02-Apr-2018, 17:50
gui - I do have a laptop, one that actually has very little installed on it, so something I could try. In addition, you can run the sMS-200 without a PC, by plugging a USB drive with music in the back. That said, I do not think jitter from my PC is the issue here. For sure, the PC is probably not the best source and it may well have relatively high levels of jitter. But the PC’s job is to send 1’s and 0’s to the sMS-200Ultra via Ethernet. This is sent as packet data to via a switch, as it happens this is an SOtM modified switch that is fed from the REF10 via SOtM’s clock board, the sMS-200 buffers the incoming 1’s and 0’s and itself is running from the REF 10, the tX-USBulta buffers and reclocks, with clock reference from the REF10, this feeds a Mutec MC3+USB, which strips out the clock from feed, reclocks and sends out via AES3, the MC3 has the REF10 as it’s reference clock. If any jitter from the PC could make it through that lot I would be very surprised indeed. Consider that this hardware string has about 3 seconds of latency due to buffering. Indeed, when kit swapping I noticed that you can pull the Ethernet cable out of the sMS-200 and the system keeps playing for a few seconds with no obvious tonal change. Also consider that with decent recordings the treble sound pristine to me. Jitter is not the answer to everything.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
