Atomic Clocks and HiFi

The other day I read an article in a Hi-Fi magazine about using an atomic clock to improve the performance of a very expensive combined  CD player and DAC costing £7,000. The rubidium based atomic clock costs around £5,000 and is supposedly accurate to 1 second in 1000 years.

The performance improvement was subjectively described as stunning. But, hold on a second where were the performance measurements? There were none. There were no peer reviewed double blind  tests which measured the performance of the CD player with or without the connexion of the atomic clock. No double blind and peer reviewed listening tests where performed either. We had to take the word of the reviewer that using an atomic clock provided a stunning improvement to the performance of a Hi-Fi system.

Let us look a little bit deeper into his claims. Most Hi-Fi enthusiasts agree that you cannot improve upon the performance of the original master recording according to the principle of Garbage In then Garbage Out or GIGO. Most enthusiasts agree that a Hi-Fi system can only be as good as the best performing unit of the system.

The reviewer claimed that there was a dramatic improvement to the sound stage of a 1959 Classical Music recording when the atomic clock was added to the system. This statement implies that a 1959 recording could perform with the timing accuracy of an atomic clock. This is is nonsense; in the 1950s all recordings were made using analogue tape recorders or were recorded direct to vinyl. Whichever method was used the analogue recording machines of the time produced significant timing errors which were both measurable and in some cases audible as wow and flutter.

An atomic clock cannot improve upon the performance of the original tape recorder. In this described case all it can really do is improve the standard of a deficient CD player. Even if it could improve the performance of the CD player to a level beyond that of a 1959 tape recorder then it would make no difference to the overall sound.  According to the laws of physics the music coming out of the speakers can perform no better than the performance of the original master recording - GIGO.

If an atomic clock could substantially improve the performance of the CD player then it implies that the player is somehow deficient. The reviewer should be more careful of his words. The original player was already equipped with a very fine quality non-atomic clock which is capable of reducing timing errors or "jitter" to an inaudible level.
 
Perhaps the reviewer's perceived stunning performance improvement could be attributed to "confirmation bias" or even hubris rather than the atomic clock. Extraordinary claims should be verified by double blind ABX listening tests to eliminate subjective impressions which do not have a firm foundation in reality.

Atomic clocks have their uses in the recording and mastering studio and can be used to reduce the accumulative and detrimental effects of jitter when recording from multiple sources. For domestic playback they are simply not needed. Some Hi-Fi enthusiasts are simply unable or unwilling to accept this reality.

An atomic clock looks mighty fine and would be a wonderful talking point. If you truly believe that it can improve the sound of a CD player without scientific proof then who am I to criticise you.

Hi-Fi magazines produce reams of test results for amplifiers, DACs, speakers, turntables and ordinary CD players to help consumers make a buying judgement. They are, however, very reluctant to produce test results for exotic and expensive accessories such as cables, powers supplies and Hi-Fi stands etc. It maybe worth asking yourself the question: why? What is wrong with a little bit of science and some objectivity to prove whether the accessories work or not ?

My advice to young and perhaps impecunious Hi-Fi enthusiasts would be to audition any piece of expensive equipment and honestly ask yourself if it does really improve performance. It  is best to obtain proof by looking at the measurements and seeing the results of peer reviewed double blind listening tests. If the data is not available then you will have to perform the listening tests yourself. You could then easily be deceived by "confirmation bias" or the suggestion of Hi-Fi sales men and internet sales sites. It is easy to waste money  if you are not prepared to be objective.