Why Low Jitter Clock?

Low Jitter Clock is nothing new in the Hi-End Audio Market. Just search on the Internet and you will see more than a dozen of these products. Brand names like Audio clock that must not be named.  Each tries to justify charging you an arm and a leg (up to $500 for a clock and $200 for a power supply board) and promising walls disappearing around you once it’s installed.

So what is a Jitter Correction clock? And why will they make improvements to the Hi End audio and video system?

In every digital system there is a clock (technical term is Master Oscillator). The function of the clock is to provide a benchmark. (A ruler if you like).  It tells the laser pick-up if it is spinning too fast or too slow, so it will adjust itself. It also provides a benchmark for sampling digital signals from digital sources such as CD’s, SACD’s or DVD’s.  

So as you can see, if the benchmark is not accurate then the result is what we call Jitter Error. Brand names such as Arcam Alpha, Musical Fidelity, Meridian, Greek and other Hi-End brands are obviously aware of the benefits of a  low jitter clock. However due to the cost concern, they will only incorporate  low jitter clock in their top of the range models. Apart from the cost issue, Jitter Error has only been identified as a deficiency in the last couple of years, therefore any CD player that’s more than two to three years old will not have a  low jitter clock in it.  So installing one of our Burson Clocks is a shortcut to bring older digital source in line with some of today’s best technolog.

Most of the CD players being sold in the shops come with a simple clock, which is a combination of a single crystal and two capacitors. The typical error rate on this kind of clock is about 250 ps or more. Not only that, their performance is also very unstable, and can easily be affected by their surrounding temperature.

Team Burson spent many weeks on developing The Burson  Clock. The clock is made from the best material we can source; Elna Capacitors, extra thick gold plated PCB, DALE military graded resistors.  Also, each of the  Clocks is carefully assembled and tested by one of our members. Before dispatching we have to fine tune each clock to ensure it is producing the most ideal square wave for the best performance.

We think charging $500+ (like audio clock who must not be named) for a simple circuitry is ridiculous. Please see some of the impressive features that the Burson  Clock has to offer.

SPECIFICATIONS

Power Requirement: 10 -30 DC
Power Draw: 45mA
Quality Components: Elna Capacitor (For Audio), ERO capacitor, DALE Resistor, LED power up indicator.
Extra thick gold plated PCB
Sophisticated power supply and noise filter (Low noise discrete component power supply)
Small foot print for short signal path and easy to fit installation (67x42mm)
Lower Error: 5-10 ps (in theory)

HOW DOES IT SOUND

The effect of the clock is instant; you don’t need to “Burn In” to hear the difference. However, to burn in the clock will work even better. By reducing the jitter error, you will hear clearer positioning, also details are further refined vocally and instrumentally. Sound stage and positioning will improve noticeably and that includes deeper sound stage and darker background. Some said it also improves the control on the bass.  However our experience told us that may vary depending on the design of the rest of the machine.

HOW DO WE STACK UP

We have done direct comparisons with some of the leading brand names in the market. We can’t disclose the technical results on the Internet for obvious legal concerns. However some of the so-called “2ps, even 1ps” “ Low Jitter” claims, we found to be exaggerated. Our listening test confirmed that we couldn’t detect any differences between our clock and those costing five to six times more. If you can detect any differences, please let us know.

HOW TO INSTALL

1) Open the case
2) Ensure the machine is unplugged and take the cover off
3) The crystal unit it's a shiny metal component on the PC board, as shown below
4) The Crystal unit has a frequency marking, in our illustration above it is showing a frequency of 33.8688 Mhz

Burson  Clock provides in the following frequencies:

11.2896 Mhz
16.9344 Mhz
33.8688 Mhz
27 Mhz

If you require any other frequencies please enquire for availability before purchase.

5) Desolder the Crystal unit from your machine. To do this you may have to remove a PC board, and / or unplug some wire connectors.
6) With some machines two capacitors placed right next to the crystal unit will need to be removed.  they are marked with something like: 10, 12, 15, 100 or 1000. These two parts are placed within a 2 cm / 1" range of the crystal.
7) The point on the PC board, where the two capacitors you just removed, connect together, is the Grounding.
8) Connect the Output to the solder pad where the crystal unit was just unsoldered from the PCB.

9) Connect the life wire to a 12V power supply. Connect the life wire to the right hand (output) pin, when viewing the '7812' text correctly. An 7805 may also be used to connect the life wire, but in this case, use the left hand (input) pin, when viewing the '7805' text right.
The Burson  Clock has it's own on board precision voltage regulator. Therefore any voltage between 10 and 30 Volts is appropriate for running the unit. You could just use a multimeter to locate a power source for it.
10) Power up the machine to see if it’s working.  If not, change the connection to the other crystal solder pad on the CD player PCB. Try again, now it should work right.

Please Note:  Incorrect installation of the clock will risk damaging the CD player.  Each clock is individually tested before dispatch.  The led light indicates the health of the clock.  The instructions given above are with care and in good faith.  However, we do not and cannot afford to be responsible for any damages incurred from the installation of this clock.  More instructions on installing a  clock can be found on the Internet.  If you are not confident, then please get your local electronic repairer do it for you.