Esoteric G05

The G-05 is a master clock generator designed by Esoteric to provide an external frequency reference to compatible digital players. It does not reproduce sound itself: it delivers a 10 MHz clock signal intended to replace the internal clock of a Super Audio CD player, a transport or a network streamer fitted with a dedicated clock input, with the aim of improving the timing accuracy of digital-to-analogue conversion.

At the heart of the unit is the "Master Sound Discrete Clock" module, an OCXO (oven-controlled crystal oscillator) developed in-house by Esoteric. It is built around the SXT-03, a large custom crystal oscillator, paired with a thermal regulation system called Master Sound TC, capable of managing 128 heating levels to maintain a uniform oven temperature. Three independent power supplies feed each circuit block separately, and an Esoteric-HCLD buffer circuit generates a pure 10 MHz sine wave thanks to its current transfer capability. The stated output frequency is 10 MHz with an accuracy of ±0.01 ppm, for an output level of 0.5 ±0.1 Vrms into 50 Ω, distributed across four BNC terminals.

This generator is aimed at owners of high-end Esoteric digital players fitted with a 10 MHz clock input: the Grandioso K and K-0x series, the Grandioso P/D and P-0x/D-0x transports and DACs, as well as the N series network streamers and transports. It is intended for systems where the digital player is already a carefully chosen link in the chain and where the user seeks to unlock its playback potential through external synchronisation more stable than the built-in clock.