The Mutec REF 10 Nano is Mutec’s most compact 10 MHz reference master clock, designed to deliver many of the core benefits of the original REF10 at a significantly lower cost and in a smaller format. It offers excellent digital timing performance, precision clocking, and a clear upgrade in sound quality for both audiophile and professional users, making it the ideal entry into Mutec’s reference clock technology without compromising critical audio performance.
At the heart of the Mutec REF 10 Nano is a high-grade German-made OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator) that maintains a fixed, ideal operating temperature within its own heated enclosure. This approach ensures extremely stable frequency output, outperforming lower-cost quartz or TCXO solutions that rely on compensating for ambient temperature changes. While typical digital audio devices such as streamers and DACs use less stable crystal oscillators, the Mutec REF 10 Nano offers far superior timing accuracy, which is key to reducing jitter and improving clarity and spatial detail in digital audio reproduction.
Unlike rubidium or cesium-based atomic clocks, which are designed for long-term frequency stability over days or years, the Mutec REF 10 Nano focuses on short-term stability, precisely the time domain that matters most for digital audio. Jitter and phase noise, which affect sample-to-sample timing, are minimised thanks to the OCXO and ultra-low noise circuitry. For this reason, the Mutec REF 10 Nano is able to outperform atomic clocks in real-world audio applications, where long-term drift is far less relevant than consistent, short-term precision.
The power supply architecture within the Mutec REF 10 Nano has been carefully engineered for maximum signal purity. The OCXO receives its own isolated ultra-low-noise voltage source, while the rest of the circuit is powered by separate, sub-Hz optimised regulators to eliminate interference between sections. The output stage ensures that the clock signal reaches all four BNC outputs without degradation. A rear-panel DC input allows the internal supply to be bypassed for those seeking even finer control with a high-quality external power source.
The Mutec REF 10 Nano outputs a high slew-rate, low-ripple square wave signal. This design is chosen over the more common sine wave output to achieve faster lock-in times and reduced jitter in connected devices. As a result, DACs, streamers, re-clockers and other digital equipment benefit from improved synchronisation and audio performance. The steel chassis provides strong protection from external RF interference, and galvanically isolated outputs help prevent ground loop issues. Each of the four BNC outputs can be switched individually and are grouped into two pairs with different terminations (50 ohms and 75 ohms), ensuring compatibility with a wide range of devices.
In use, the Mutec REF 10 Nano delivers a noticeable improvement in transparency, low-end definition, imaging, and overall musical detail. Whether integrated into a professional studio or a high-end home system, it elevates the performance of D/A converters, streamers, network switches, CD transports, and Mutec’s own MC3+ or MC3+ USB units. With its precise timing, robust build, and refined design, the Mutec REF 10 Nano delivers on Mutec’s core mission: perfecting digital audio.
Features
- Audiophile 10 MHz reference master clock with extra low phase noise
- Improves and enhances compatible D/A-converters, re-clockers, music servers, network switches, streamers, CD players
- Handcrafted extra low phase noise OCXO Made in Germany
- Generates a very high slew-rate square wave signal for superior lock precision
- Four simultaneous usable reference clock outputs with 50 ohms (2x) and 75 ohms (2x) impedance for maximum compatibility
- Galvanic isolation of the independently switchable BNC clock outputs for optimum interference immunity
- Sub-Hz optimized, lowest noise power supplies for every section of the circuitry
- Integrated international power supply
- DC input for finetuning through an external power supply unit
- Self-explanatory user interface
- Optional mounting kit for installation in 19” studio racks (1RU)
- Developed and manufactured in Germany
