Matrix Audio Silver Copper Hi-Fi Clock Cable

The Matrix Audio Silver Copper Hi-Fi Clock Cable carries a 10 MHz reference signal from a master clock to the components that can lock to it. It is a 50 ohm coaxial cable with a silver-plated OFC center conductor, PTFE insulation, two layers of silver-plated copper shielding mesh, and a crimped BNC connector on each end. Matrix rates it to 12 GHz with 0.125 dB per meter of attenuation at 100 MHz. Two lengths, 0.5 m and 1 m, built for the SC-1 Reference Clock and the four Matrix components with a 10 MHz clock input.

Key Features of the Matrix Audio Silver Copper Hi-Fi Clock Cable

• Silver-plated OFC conductor: A 0.9 mm single-strand, high-purity OFC core with a silver-plated surface. At clock frequencies the current rides the skin of the conductor, so the silver sits where the signal travels.
• 50 ohm characteristic impedance: Matrix specifies its 10 MHz clock inputs at 50 ohms. The cable is built to the same number so the run is matched from output to input.
• 12 GHz bandwidth, 0.125 dB/m at 100 MHz: A 10 MHz clock signal is nowhere near the cable's limit, so the waveform arrives with its edges intact.
• Crimped BNC connectors: Crimped rather than soldered at both ends, which keeps impedance consistent at the cable-to-connector joint.
• PTFE insulation and dual-layer shielding: PTFE around the conductor, two layers of silver-plated copper mesh over it, and a high-resilience PUR jacket outside.
• Semi-flexible body: Holds a route once you set it, still bends around the back of a rack.
• Two lengths: 0.5 m for components on the same or an adjacent shelf, 1 m for a run across the rack.

Why a Clock Cable Is Built Differently From an Interconnect

A 10 MHz clock signal is radio frequency, not audio, and it gets an RF cable. At that frequency current concentrates near the surface of the conductor, so Matrix plates the 0.9 mm OFC core with silver to cut surface conduction loss and keep the amplitude and shape of the clock waveform intact. PTFE insulation and two layers of silver-plated copper mesh keep outside interference off the line. The same company leaves its OCC analog interconnect unsilvered on purpose, because an analog audio signal has different needs. Different job, different metal.

50 Ohms, and Why the Number Matters

The cable has a 50 ohm characteristic impedance held consistent along its length, and Matrix specifies the 10 MHz clock inputs on the MS-1 and ND-1 at 50 ohms. Matching the two is what lets the receiving component lock onto the clock steadily instead of chasing a degraded edge. The bandwidth rating of 12 GHz and attenuation of 0.125 dB per meter at 100 MHz leave a 10 MHz signal with enormous headroom. If you are adding this to a non-Matrix system, check that the clock input you are feeding is 50 ohm, not 75 ohm, before you order.

Crimped BNC Connectors and a Semi-Flexible Body

Both ends are terminated with crimp-type BNC connectors. A solder joint varies a little from cable to cable; a crimp is a mechanical, repeatable termination, so the impedance stays consistent through the connector. The semi-flexible coaxial body is stiff enough to hold the route you give it and pliable enough to turn a corner between shelves, which is what you want when four clock lines leave the back of one SC-1.

Which Matrix Audio Components Use This Cable

Any Matrix component with a 10 MHz BNC clock input, fed from the SC-1 Audio Grade Reference Clock and its four independently buffered outputs. In the current line that is the MS-1 Flagship Music Streamer, the NT-1 Reference Digital Audio Transport, the ND-1 Audio DAC, and the SS-1 PRO Audio Grade Network Switch. One cable per synced component, so a full SC-1 system uses up to four. Matrix also lists it as compatible with third-party units that have a clock input or output.

0.5 m or 1 m

The 0.5 m length reaches a component on the same shelf as the SC-1 or the one directly above or below it. The 1 m length covers a component on the far side of the rack or two shelves away. At 0.125 dB per meter either length is electrically a non-event, so choose by the route, not the spec sheet. Measure the path the cable will take around the back of the rack, not the straight-line distance between the two BNC jacks.

Matrix Audio Silver Copper Hi-Fi Clock Cable Specifications