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What is the least compressed signal?

Hello everyone.I was wondering what everyone's thoughts might be about what is the least compressed front end signal? A friend of mine recently told me that radio signal is compressed. So I thought maybe a direct connection to a CD player? Or, since CDs are pretty compressed, maybe a record player? Thoughts?
the reason I ask is, my friend recently gave me a fantastic pair of speakers. And I've been listening to the radio through them. He had a disgusted look on his face and told me I was not using these speakers how they were meant to be used, because the radio signal is kind of crappy and compressed. I would love to use the speakers as they were intended. Meadowlark kestrel hot rods hooked up to an Integra receiver w/ kimbers
ddjr
erik_squires
16,058 posts
 
What is dynamic compression if it's not equalizing all of the wave forms to have a uniform amplitude? That's EXACTLY what RIAA equalization is designed to undo.

Hi kosst,
Sorry but the RIAA curve does not alter dynamic range, nor does it attempt to reduce all wave forms to a uniform amplitude.

Look at it this way. If I turn the treble down on my amp, I have not altered the dynamic range, at all. The tweeter now just plays 4 dB softer than it did before, but the range, the delta between softest and loudest, remains up to the music. 

Best,

Erik
erik_squires
16,058 posts
 
Without even going into room acoustics and vibration isolation and rf, the primary culprits are the stray scattered laser light getting into the photodetector and the vibration, wobbling and fluttering of the disc itself. Both of those problems together I estimate to constrain and limit full dynamic range by at least 3 to 6 dB, probably even more.


Hahahahhahaah
erik_squires
16,058 posts
 
FTR: I did not quibble. I anti-quibbled.
Post removed 
erik_squires
16,058 posts
 
If "compression" is defined as adjusting the amplitude of all waveforms so that their amplitudes are all as equal as possible across the spectrum,


Without RIAA, you'd loose 20-40dB of dynamic range.

You have it backwards.


Best,
E
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