AURALiC LEO GX1 - Black

Best of the Year Award 2019 – Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity

A Breakthrough in Digital System Clocking

AURALiC's LEO GX.1 reference master clock provides benchmark levels of performance in digital audio clocking. Offering "beyond-measurement" levels of precision, it delivers a much wider sound stage, pinpoint instrumental accuracy, and dynamic range beyond expectation. By circumventing the DAC’s internal clock, shielding the unit from noise with an internal copper enclosure, and utilizing a new advanced multi-spring suspension system available on all AURALiC G2.1 products, LEO GX.1 will dramatically enhance your listening experience.

"I don’t know how much better digital audio decoding can get. Auralic has achieved a new level of performance with the VEGA G2 DAC and LEO GX MASTER CLOCK," raves John E. Johnson, Jr., Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity, February 13, 2019. "The distortion is so low, it is reaching the limits of my Audio Precision spectrum analyzer. Jitter, which is an important issue to be dealt with, is dealt with superbly. Bottom line: The VEGA G2 is the best DAC I have ever tested. The LEO GX turns it into perfect."

Traditional Clocking

Normally, phase-locked loop circuits (PLL) in a DAC are used to synchronize its internal working signal with the more accurate incoming signal from a reference clock. But they’re noisy. And even though the working signal can be nudged a bit to match up with the reference signal, its frequency — and the precision of the analog waveform that’s based on it — is ultimately limited by the DAC’s own clock circuit.

Direct-to-DAC Design

Thanks to its unique Jitter-Free Operation, when the VEGA G2.1 joins forces with the LEO GX.1 these devices accomplish something extraordinary. Instead of merely synchronizing with the LEO GX.1, the VEGA G2.1 actually uses the exceptionally high frequency incoming clock from the LEO GX.1 directly — as its own working signal. In other words, the LEO GX.1 bypasses the internal VEGA G2.1 clock circuit entirely, and drives waveform creation directly with its signal. No more PLL, and no more limitations.

A New Description of Performance

The LEO GX.1 clock is so precise that existing benchmarks aren’t detailed enough to accurately represent what it can do. Instead, AURALiC uses Allan deviation to describe the resolution of the LEO GX.1, which is like looking at phase noise closely enough to detect shifts of +/-1Hz or even +/-0.1Hz. The Allan deviation of the LEO GX.1 Reference Master Clock comes in at 2E-12 (at 1 second), which is equal to a 10MHz rubidium atomic clock with phase noise of +/-1Hz at -110dBc/Hz, or an amazing 500 times less jitter than an 82fs Femto clock oscillator.

Clock Structure

LEO GX.1 hardware starts with two temperature-controlled rubidium atomic reference clocks. Each is paired with an oscillator using stress compensated cut crystals, for thermal and mechanical resilience and low phase noise performance. The result is the LEO GX.1’s remarkably high signal frequencies: 90.316MHz for 44.1k-based audio signals, and 98.304MHz for 48k-based signals.

Optical Isolation

AURALiC has gone to great lengths to reduce interference and noise in the new LEO GX.1, including the use of optical isolation techniques that keep systems physically separated from each other. Control signals from the processing circuit are sent to the clock circuit via fiber optic cables instead of electrical pathways, so the source of LEO GX.1’s impeccable timing is never disturbed.

Unity Chassis II

The LEO GX.1 chassis has been designed as a double enclosure, where an outer case made from high-grade aluminum is supplemented with an inner layer of copper. A high-mass base and enhanced four-foot multi-spring suspension system complete the quiet, noise defeating performance of the LEO GX.1’s Unity Chassis II.

Perfectly Balanced

LEO GX.1 internal circuits are physically distributed to enhance overall balance and performance. And its specially designed foot spikes dampen and absorb vibrations so the operation of its internal clock always starts with a rock-steady foundation.

Dual Purer-Power Linear Power Supplies

AURALiC gave the LEO GX.1 two of its ultra-quiet Purer-Power linear power supplies, galvanically isolating them from each other in the obsessive quest to reduce noise and create a pristine working environment. One Purer-Power supply feeds the LEO GX.1’s processing system, while the second powers the clock circuit. Interference between the areas is reduced to minimum, so there’s nothing to get in the way of LEO GX.1’s stellar performance.

Realize Full Potential

The LEO GX.1 is such a precise clock, running at very high frequency, you will need the best interconnect cable to realize its full potential. AURALiC created a cable specifically for LEO GX.1, made from 60GHz bandwidth military aerospace-grade material and connectors. Handmade and precisely tuned, it comes with a performance data report so you can be sure its specs are well capable of the task at hand.

An Integrated Family of Devices

Built around cutting-edge transfer protocols, more powerful processing, and enhanced isolation engineering, G2 and G2.1 are a new concept in component integration. AURALiC's flagship series of products provides ultra-fast connectivity, due entirely to Lightning Link. Everything from audio signal, to digital clocking, and control signals are easily handled by Lightning Link. Every G2 and G2.1 product boasts a Lightning Link connection port, allowing them to be connected together as a stack.

Lightning Link

The HDMI-type, 18Gbps high-speed connection provides ultra-fast two-way communication and boasts the only real jitter-free link in the world of high-performance audio. As an added bonus, G2 and G2.1 products can be linked without worry, allowing them to work seamlessly as one contiguous digital source for an astonishing musical experience.