Other Digital Audio Devices
Ian SinclairDigital radio, using Eureka-3 digital audio broadcasting (DAB), is now up and running,
although receiver prices are high, and the emphasis so far has been on in-car units rather
than home units. There are, however, several other digital options that have now opened
out for audiophiles, particularly for those with computing interests. The problem might be
that, with so many options either available or promised, no one can really decide what to
buy until the situation settles.
21.1 Video Recorders ....................................................................................................
At the time when Beta and VHS video recorders where competing for the United
Kingdom market, several makes of Beta recorders, notably Sanyo, offered the option
of sound recording by digitizing an audio input and recording it as if it were a video
signal. These recorders have become prized possessions of some audiophiles because of
their good sound recording quality and low-cost media. That’s assuming they can still
get hold of Beta tapes, which, although now rare in the United Kingdom, are still easily
available in other parts of the world and are still manufactured for the professional grade
of Betamax camcorders.
Looking at more modern equipment, manufacturers such as Hitachi have incorporated
audio facilities (including audio dubbing) into Nicam recorders. The input audio signals
are converted to Nicam stereo digital format, which implies some compression and
recorded. This offers at least 3 h of good-quality music on a standard El 80 tape. One
drawback is that automatic gain control settings often result in rather low-level recording
so that you need to adjust your volume control settings on replay.
CHAPTER 21