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Anyone that is looking to improve the sound from their media pc, be it Windows, Linux, or MAC... (and hasn't spent a ton of money on some other USB to SPDIF solution)... I highly recommend taking a look at the solution from Mutec.
The new MC-3+ USB is 'essentially' the original MC-3+ Master clock with the added functionality of the MC-1.2 USB to SPDIF converter built in.
Now one might think, as I did, that two separate units are much better than one single unit. And about 80% of the time, this is a correct statement... And in the case of the MC-3+ USB... well... fortunately for some and unfortunately for me... this is not the case. I tried and really tried NOT to tell myself that the MC-3+ USB was better...but some times the truth is just so blatant and "staring you in the face" that you just have to forgo any prejudices one might keep and learn to accept.
That's what I did here. I just accepted that the "all in one" solution is in fact better than the combo. So why is that? Well after talking with a couple of people that work for Mutec the main differences (or three of them specifically) that makes things better are as follows...
1) Cleaned up and better power supply. I don't believe the Power supply is a linear power supply (still one step that could make things better)... but it's one heck of a low ripple and quiet power supply. The PSU is much better matched and suited to the clock inside.
2) Better USB receiver. The new version better isolates the unit from the power coming off your computer. This means there's less noise coming through your USB cable and effecting the Master clock.
3) A better reference clock. They didn't change much, but it is a slightly different implementation of the clock and slightly more accurate of a clock used. Sort of like anything where V1 is great, but V2 is slightly better using the same princples... it's one of those types.
I believe it took me less than an hour to realize that the MC-1.2 was out of the picture and the new MC-3+ USB was here to stay.
Now on top of that... I've heard good things with reclocking a signal twice... and could it possibly be that doing this would work? Well since the original MC-3+ was just sitting there, let's put it back into the mix, we'll test things and then I'll pull it out when I don't notice a difference.
Here again... I got fooled into thinking "what's the chances." Well as good as the MC-3+USB is... reclocking the signal coming out with the MC-3+ improved the sound quality again. Maybe not as big of a jump as the MC-3+ USB by itself...but it no less made a much more realistic presentation. It's like adjusting the microscope ever so slightly to bring something more in focus. You can much more easily hear the "micro detail" in instruments. One example is how on many brass instruments, you can much more clearly hear the reed vibrate or valves opening and closing. It's not an annoying level of detail or adding an additional level of brightness... it's more on the level of "if you were sitting there not far from the instrument you'd hear the same thing."
So anyone that thinks you can't increase the quality of your audio by reclocking and reclocking a 2nd time... well I've got some bad news for ya!
And to add to the insanity even further. I did all this without using my iFI Micro USB3 Power and reclocker in-between the computer and the MC-3+ USB. With the Mutec cutting the power coming from the PC... it really shouldn't do anything (even the older iFI Micro USB that I have - without reclocking)... well it cleans things up even a little bit more.
So essentially the best sound I get is doing a triple reclock on the audio signal... Crazy I know... but the benefits are well worth the extra effort!
Hands down, if anyone is looking for a way to improve the sound coming off their media PC... this is NOT a bad way to start!
The new MC-3+ USB is 'essentially' the original MC-3+ Master clock with the added functionality of the MC-1.2 USB to SPDIF converter built in.
Now one might think, as I did, that two separate units are much better than one single unit. And about 80% of the time, this is a correct statement... And in the case of the MC-3+ USB... well... fortunately for some and unfortunately for me... this is not the case. I tried and really tried NOT to tell myself that the MC-3+ USB was better...but some times the truth is just so blatant and "staring you in the face" that you just have to forgo any prejudices one might keep and learn to accept.
That's what I did here. I just accepted that the "all in one" solution is in fact better than the combo. So why is that? Well after talking with a couple of people that work for Mutec the main differences (or three of them specifically) that makes things better are as follows...
1) Cleaned up and better power supply. I don't believe the Power supply is a linear power supply (still one step that could make things better)... but it's one heck of a low ripple and quiet power supply. The PSU is much better matched and suited to the clock inside.
2) Better USB receiver. The new version better isolates the unit from the power coming off your computer. This means there's less noise coming through your USB cable and effecting the Master clock.
3) A better reference clock. They didn't change much, but it is a slightly different implementation of the clock and slightly more accurate of a clock used. Sort of like anything where V1 is great, but V2 is slightly better using the same princples... it's one of those types.
I believe it took me less than an hour to realize that the MC-1.2 was out of the picture and the new MC-3+ USB was here to stay.
Now on top of that... I've heard good things with reclocking a signal twice... and could it possibly be that doing this would work? Well since the original MC-3+ was just sitting there, let's put it back into the mix, we'll test things and then I'll pull it out when I don't notice a difference.
Here again... I got fooled into thinking "what's the chances." Well as good as the MC-3+USB is... reclocking the signal coming out with the MC-3+ improved the sound quality again. Maybe not as big of a jump as the MC-3+ USB by itself...but it no less made a much more realistic presentation. It's like adjusting the microscope ever so slightly to bring something more in focus. You can much more easily hear the "micro detail" in instruments. One example is how on many brass instruments, you can much more clearly hear the reed vibrate or valves opening and closing. It's not an annoying level of detail or adding an additional level of brightness... it's more on the level of "if you were sitting there not far from the instrument you'd hear the same thing."
So anyone that thinks you can't increase the quality of your audio by reclocking and reclocking a 2nd time... well I've got some bad news for ya!
And to add to the insanity even further. I did all this without using my iFI Micro USB3 Power and reclocker in-between the computer and the MC-3+ USB. With the Mutec cutting the power coming from the PC... it really shouldn't do anything (even the older iFI Micro USB that I have - without reclocking)... well it cleans things up even a little bit more.
So essentially the best sound I get is doing a triple reclock on the audio signal... Crazy I know... but the benefits are well worth the extra effort!
Hands down, if anyone is looking for a way to improve the sound coming off their media PC... this is NOT a bad way to start!
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