Dbx lps

06-12-09: Phasecorrect
Dbx ever make a encode~decode unit 4 playing reg lps that could benefit from nr?

I sold audio when these came out. The dbx LP system was a fixed compression/expansion scheme; I think it was 2:1 compression and then 1:2 expansion. At the store (1975) we got a demo LP and hooked it up. Before the music started there was dead silence at the speakers and we thought we had a disconnect. Then the music came out and it was really lifelike and dynamic.

I always did feel like CDs were unnecessary; if the industry had taken the same care to master and press LPs, especially if the standard had moved on to dbx, we would have solved the noise floor/dynamic range problem without going to a completely new playback system. dbx would have simply required an outboard decoder to switch in for dbx LPs.

At that same store, we often used an adjustable dbx Compander set to 1.4:1 expansion to add dynamics to compressed-sounding LPs.

However did dbx make a unit for non dbx lps?

The DBX encoding scheme for LPs provided superb performance and comparable in every way to CDs. DBX, unlike Dolby, refused to license hardware manufacturers to use its patents. Dolby (in the cassette tape field) encouraged hardware manufacturers with a low fee, and even funded development of chips to make it easy. As a result Dolby got rich on software, and DBX encoding for LPs failed.

While noise reduction is the most obvious benefit of DBX encoding, it also means that the phono cartridge is always operating near its optimum signal level, and this greatly reduces distortion, and completely avoids any mistracking on transients. It also increased playing time/side.

You can play the LPs, but you wouldn't want to listen to them.