EMM Labs DCC2 DIGITAL CONTROL CENTER - Manual (Page 7)

DCC2 User Manual
Clock Master and Clock Slave Modes
The DCC2 provides 2 basic ways for how to connect an audio source to it, such as a CD
transport: clock master and clock slave modes. Master / slave is in reference to who
provides the clock signal to the D/A conversion process and who receives an external
clock as a guide signal to lock to.
In clock master mode the DCC2 generates and provides the clock to the D/A conversion
process and also to the CD transport. Of course, for this the CD transport has to be
equipped with an external clock input. If no such connection is available then the only
way to connect the transport to the DCC2 is in clock slave mode. The clock master mode
will generally provide better sonic performance over the clock slave mode as clock jitter is
minimized.
In clock slave mode the transport provides the main clock and the DCC2 will use it as a
reference to lock to. For best results you should operate the DCC2 in clock master mode
whenever possible.
The following paragraphs explain master and slave setups in detail for every individual
digital source input of the DCC2.
AES/EBU input
In cases where the sample rate is either 44.1kHz or 48kHz there will be only 1 cable with
XLR connectors for the audio data. Connector 1 on the back of the DCC2 has to be used.
In cases where the sample rate is either 88.2kHz or 96kHz there are two possible
topologies depending on how the source operates:
• 1 single cable for 2 channels
• 2 individual cables for 1 channel each
Again, if only 1 cable is used it has to be plugged into connector 1 on the DCC2. For the
2 cable topology both connectors on the DCC2 have to be used. The DCC2 will
automatically detect the correct topology and decode the audio data accordingly.
For master clock operation a cable with BNC connectors needs to be connected
according to below picture. For clock slave operation this cable is not necessary.
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