analog s/n ratios in high-end gear

[genericperson]

hello,

i was at Avalon's site. And they listed one of their pieces as "low noise" with about a -92db s/n ratio.

this seems not-so-low compared to -114db you can get out of the latest digital.

so what kind of s/n ratios are big-studio SSL type guys working with when they have their board all lit up?

[Jim Williams]

92 db s/n referenced to what level? "A" weighted or not? Specs can be manipulated by either changing the reference or by not listing it. Dynamic range is usually a better spec for analog gear as it takes in usable dynamic range that can still be heard into the noise floor, something digital has a hard time doing.

My console specs at - 105 dbu noise, but harmonics are beneath that. Once you start feeding inputs it will degrade quickly. Add some reverb returns and it really degrades to around -80 db. So, there are specs, there are real world results.

A single outboard piece without massive gain should achieve over -100 dbu s/n with today's technology, it's not that hard to do unless the designer chooses noisy parts like the venerable TL07X parts. Why a top guy like Wynn can't break -100 dbu s/n with his designs is a question only he could answer.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Ruphus]

The one and only high end pre ( with 60 dB gain ) I have has -85 dB noise floor at a 150 ohm source. A weighted, -X 20 Hz to 20 kHz referred to +4 dBm.

Another pre of mine with same gain capacity is listed with - 120 dB EIN s/n ratio with a 1 k mic.

Ruphus