dcs

Paganini Master Clock

Our design philosophy behind the Paganini range was to build a system as close as possible in performance to Scarlatti, but more accessible.

The Paganini range has a similar feature set to Scarlatti with the main differences being in the chassis, CD/SACD transport mechanism and the remote handset. These differences mean little is lost in the resulting musical performance and we think Paganini has a very special kind of magic.

Clocking is very important in an audio system because any timing errors that occur in the DAC will be converted directly into errors in the analogue output. Our DACs can act as the system master clock, but listening tests have shown that there is no substitute for a high-quality, dedicated master clock.

Paganini Master Clock is based on our professional studio master clocks and the highly successful Verona clock. All dCS Master Clocks are subjected to rigorous in-house testing, the crystal oscillators are pre-aged and selected for long term stability.

dCS equipment is designed to generate and accept industry standard Word Clock on 75 ohm co-axial cable. Other manufacturers' equipment designed to accept standard Word Clock can be used with our clocks. Non-standard clock formats must be assumed to be proprietary to that manufacturer.

All of the Paganini products benefit from our ‘soft' approach to programmable logic, which allows new software to be loaded from a dCS update disc to add new features and adapt to changes in digital formats.

Paganini Master Clock: Front View
  • type
  • Class 1 Master Clock
  • finish options
  • Silver or Black
  • dimensions

  • (W) 460mm x (D) 400mm x (H) 110mm/

    (W) 18.0” x (D) 15.8” x (H) 4.4”

    Allow extra depth for cable connectors.

  • weight
  • 10.5kg/23.1lbs
  • CD mechanism
  • N/A  
  • converter type
  • N/A
  • analogue outputs
  • N/A
  • digital I/O
  • N/A
  • word clock I/O
  • 6 independently buffered outputs on 75Ω BNC connectors, all carry the same clock frequency.
  • clock frequencies
  • 44.1kHz or 48kHz, calibrated within
    +/-1ppm, (typically +/-0.1ppm), temperature compensated.
  • residual noise
  • N/A  
  • spurious responses
  • N/A
  • filters
  • N/A
  • software updates
  • Updates loaded by CD-R.
  • software version
  • 1.00
  • local control
  • Starter IR remote control provided with Paganini Transport or RS232.
  • power supply
  • Factory set for 100, 115, 220 or 230  V  AC, 49 – 62Hz.
  • power consumption
  • 9Watts typical/ 15 Watts maximum.

“Part of the reason the dCS’s are so much more transparent to sources and easy to listen to is that they aren’t thrusting individual details in your face like an overly edge-enhanced DVD; instead details are being subsumed into musical wholes”

Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound 

“They are unquestionably the works of some of the smartest and most innovative thinkers in digital technology”

Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound

Key Features

  • Paganini Clock is a grade 1 master clock, featuring 6 word clock outputs.
  • All dCS products use a sophisticated multi-mode phase locked loop (PLL), which significantly reduces clock jitter.
  • Higher capacity FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) give more logic capacity and increase the scope for additional features and enhancements.
  • Improved power supplies give lower running temperature and increased tolerance to AC supply variations.
  • 16-bit micro-controller for a generally improved control system.
  • High grade aluminium chassis and laminated acoustic damping panels, reduce magnetic effects and vibration.
  • The Paganini range features a low-power LCD display that makes the user interface easier to read, keeps the power requirements down and minimises electrical noise.
  • Our ‘soft' approach to programmable logic allows dCS products to adapt to changes in digital formats and add new features by loading new software from a CD.