As @octaviars stated, the Uptone switch has a 10MHz input, so this is for use with a reference clock, not a word clock or master clock. So I guess you could say that it "syncs" with a 10MHz reference clock, but it does not sync clocks in a system in the way a word clock generator might do.
The theory behind all this is exactly as @thumb5 has stated, a reduction in clock phase noise. This is where things get problematic. Nobody has really come up with a technically robust reason why this should influence a packet data which is then FIFO buffered. There are similar arguments relating to clocks used in USB streamers and endpoints, where the clock in the receiving DAC is all that should matter in an asynchronous system, as long as other system clocks are within broad tolerances. So it is very easy to dismiss all this as audiophile foo, and very difficult to come up with a robust technical argument as to why it is not audiophile foo. On the other hand, there is currently a lot of evidence that that these seemingly non critical clocks do influence sound quality. It is fascinating stuff, and the market is already filling up with products that make use of better clocks upstream of the DAC, it is the main reason a ultraRendu is better than a microRrendu or the sMS-200Ultra is better than a sMS-200. People are selling this kit and people are buying this kit, but nobody seams to really know why the clocks should influence sound quality as they do. Fascinating stuff. I look forward to the day all this stuff is properly understood, I wonder if that will ever happen?
The theory behind all this is exactly as @thumb5 has stated, a reduction in clock phase noise. This is where things get problematic. Nobody has really come up with a technically robust reason why this should influence a packet data which is then FIFO buffered. There are similar arguments relating to clocks used in USB streamers and endpoints, where the clock in the receiving DAC is all that should matter in an asynchronous system, as long as other system clocks are within broad tolerances. So it is very easy to dismiss all this as audiophile foo, and very difficult to come up with a robust technical argument as to why it is not audiophile foo. On the other hand, there is currently a lot of evidence that that these seemingly non critical clocks do influence sound quality. It is fascinating stuff, and the market is already filling up with products that make use of better clocks upstream of the DAC, it is the main reason a ultraRendu is better than a microRrendu or the sMS-200Ultra is better than a sMS-200. People are selling this kit and people are buying this kit, but nobody seams to really know why the clocks should influence sound quality as they do. Fascinating stuff. I look forward to the day all this stuff is properly understood, I wonder if that will ever happen?
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
