I asked this question in another guise and didn't really get responses, so I
will try again because it keeps me up at night.
What is the maximum linear datastream input/output of MD according to Sony
specs? By this I mean, when the signal is decompressed and turned into a
linear PCM output, what is the maximum wordlength of that output? Years ago
(1995) I remember reading that MD had a theoretical dynamic range of 108 dB,
i.e. 18 bit equivalent. Were this the case, it would make sense that you
would want to send the cleanest 18 bit PCM into the MD process. Since any
18 bit converter will at BEST create a clean 17 bit signal, with the last
bit being quantization error, it would seem to follow that putting a nice 20
bit converter (with 18 clean bits) before the MD compressor DSP would take
the maximum advantage of the 18 bit range of the MD process (albeit with
truncation).
But the new Sonys have (so called) 24 bit converters (ADC and DAC I
believe). The first thing I wonder is, since Sony has not changed the MD
standard, why bother with 24 bit converters? Can the MD process actually
work on a larger than 18 bit word length? I know the internal processing
wordlength of some of the MD compressor DSPs is 24 bits, but that does not
at all mean that the final PCM output is true 24 bit capable. Some of the
machines are I/O switchable between 16/20/24, but that could mean that for
output at 24 the last 4 are always zeros, and that is just 20 bit, and a bit
of BS; meanwhile 24 bit in could just truncate at 20 or 18. (The second
thing I wonder is if these 24 bit converters are for real, since stand alone
24 bit ADC units cost thousands of dollars, and the new Sony MDs with 24
start at under US$300. But that's a whole nuther issue.)
In closing: what is the maximum decompressed PCM output wordlength according
to the MD spec? And what is the maximum PCM wordlength that can be fed into
the MD compression DSP stage?
(This matters because if you can indeed get a 24 bit PCM in and out of MD,
then it could truly sound better than a CD of the same hi resolution
recording, if the MD compression has advanced far enough; if so I might buy
a 24 bit ADC to record live shows)
Sorry for the massive technospeak, I hope it was clear. Thanks!
Alex in NYC; lovin' the live MDs
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