Hi @ROSEHAN
When I use I2S cable to connect the RS130 and RD160, the external clock function is no long available.
The display shows Src Clk / Lock.
Is it true that I2S connection on RD160 does not allow to use external clock ? and
What is the meaning of Src Clk ?
I2S connection is supposed to convey the clock from the source… If you connect your external clock to your streamer, both will benefit from the (hopefully) better external clock !
Thanks for the note. But it doesn’t allow connecting to the external clock. Nothing changed when pressing the clock button on the RD160.
Do you mean only connect the clock to the RS130, not both ?
Yes ! since the clock IS transmitted through I2S.
Noted and thanks. I’ll do that.
IMHO there is no reason to use I2S with an external clock. If you want to use external clock generator then is much more convinient to use AES. Keep in mind that, if you use external clock generator - all of your digital devices which you use simultaneously must be slaved to that clock. If you have devices which can not follow external clock and you want to listen to them, you must change your clock source to particular input over which you are receiving digital data. Only for USB connenction you may use internal clock of the DAC or it can be slaved to an external clock generator without the need for USB source to follow external clock.
Thanks, Burle.
I have the RS130 linked to an external clock. For the moment, I found I2S sounds better than USB or SFP in my setup. As such, it is logical for me to try to link the same external clock to the RD160 to see if there’s any improvements.
Appreciate very much for your suggestion.
There is no point to link RS130 to an external clock because is an digital only device. So, practically you have RS slaved to ext clock and then this clock transmited to DAC via I2S. It is much better to have both devices follow ext clock and connect them via AES or optical. YOu must keep in mind that regarding digital data transmission all digital connections are the same - all the zeroes and ones will travel intact from source to the destination. Clock makes a difference. But big drawback of an external clock is that you have to manually change sample rate when you are listening to a different sample rate source. External clock is good in pro enviroment, but I can not find a practical use in HiFi enviroment, especially in these days when we have no clear standard sampling rate. I think is much more practical to connect only via I2S, RS130 has an exceptional clock quality.
Thanks and will do without the external clock as suggested for I2S connection 
“big drawback of an external clock is that you have to manually change sample rate when you are listening to a different sample rate source”…
How funny : It simply proves that he never tried… Of course it AUTOMATICALLY adjusts the sample rate !
Furthermore, if the internal OCXO IS indeed better than average, and supposedly ‘good enough’, why wouldn’t a better external clock be even better ???
Simply try it for good (without)… and the BETTER (with the clock you already have… and may be with a better one later on) !
Hello, @ZABOKS
“big drawback of an external clock is that you have to manually change sample rate when you are listening to a different sample rate source”…
In professional world we use external clock which has two base clocks and you have to adjust accordingly to sample rate you are using. Now I can see that this concept changed in HiFi world and that there is only one clock for all sample rates. I can not tell if this is good or bad thing. It should stabilze clocks in the device. But in the devices there are still two clocks - one for 44.1 multiplies and one for 48. How they manage to sync with both clock speeds it is a mystery for me.
@TomT I have the RS130 and am considering adding an external clock. Could you share which external clock you are using? How and to what extent does it improve sound quality? Thank you very much.
Hi Szeto
I’m using LHY’s OCK-2S. With the clock, the sound of RS130 to my previous LAIV Harmony DAC is more pronounced and a little sweeter.
But note the change is subtle. As said, you may forget about its existence. But you will feel something is missing if you disconnect it.
Thank you very much for sharing. This makes me consider adding a higher-quality external clock (such as those by Mutec) to improve sound quality.