The Apogee Big Ben is a professional master clock that redefined digital clocking by introducing the company’s most advanced timing technology in a stand-alone unit. For years, engineers had requested that Apogee make their highly respected clock circuits available outside of their converters, and the result was Apogee Big Ben, a revolutionary digital clock designed to deliver unprecedented accuracy, clarity, and flexibility. Its introduction marked a major step forward in the fight against digital jitter, offering improved depth, imaging, and sonic definition across any digital system.
At the heart of Apogee Big Ben lies Apogee’s C777 clock, a custom-engineered design based on Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) and DSP-based digital filtering. Unlike traditional phase-locked loop systems that struggle to balance jitter reduction and flexibility, the C777 provides total digital precision, allowing Big Ben to regenerate and stabilise even severely jittered incoming signals. The result is exceptionally low jitter performance, ensuring tighter transients, enhanced stereo imaging, and overall sonic transparency.
Further innovations include Adaptive Loop Filtering (ALF), an intelligent low-pass filtering system that analyses and optimises any incoming clock signal in real time. This enables Big Ben not only to reduce jitter but also to improve the performance of already stable clocks. The SureLock system provides continuity during signal interruptions by maintaining frequency lock and resynchronising seamlessly once the signal returns.
Apogee Big Ben also stands apart through its versatility. Beyond its role as a master clock, it performs real-time digital format conversion between AES, S/PDIF, and ADAT, allowing flexible routing in complex systems. An optional X-Video expansion card adds video sync capabilities, making Big Ben equally at home in audio post-production as in high-end recording studios. Built-in termination sensing helps users diagnose and correct word-clock line problems instantly, ensuring perfect signal integrity.
Combining Apogee’s proprietary C777 clock technology with intelligent processing and unmatched flexibility, Apogee Big Ben quickly became a benchmark in digital synchronisation. Since its release in 2004, it has been regarded as one of the most accurate and musical master clocks ever built, widely used in professional recording, mastering, and broadcast environments.
Features
- Features Apogee’s C777 ultra-low jitter clocking technology
- Adaptive Loop Filtering (ALF) dynamically optimises incoming clocks
- SureLock dropout protection maintains stability during signal loss
- Real-time digital format conversion (AES, S/PDIF, ADAT)
- Optional X-Video card for PAL/NTSC video sync generation
- Six word clock outputs with individual termination indicators
- Three-stage termination sensing for precise clock distribution
- Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) up to 192 kHz
- Pull up/down operation at 0.1% and 4% from any sample rate
- Universal power supply for global operation
