dbx 386 - Manual (Page 32)

Type IV™ White Paper
®
24
Appendix C
386
Now you’re probably wondering, “What’s the catch? I can’t get something for nothing so what did I give up?”
You may be worried that your A/D noise floor got 4 dB worse because we borrowed the top 4 dB of your converter.
This is certainly a valid concern. Fortunately, we have the answer! Without going into the confidential technical details,
by using our proprietary analog and digital Type IV™ processing, we reclaim the original A/D noise level! So what you
get is free headroom!
The benefits of the dbx Type IV™ Conversion System can easily be heard by switching it in and out while lis-
tening to signals with high-level peaks captured in the Type IV™ Over Region. You will notice an obvious audible dif-
ference. With Type IV™ bypassed, you can’t help notice the harsh, edgy sound of the A/D converter clipping. With Type
IV™ enabled, those nasty artifacts disappear revealing a more open and natural sound. With Type IV™ enabled, you will
get a more accurate and pure representation of the original wide-dynamic-range signal. You will absolutely agree that
we really do give you “something for nothing.” We give you peace of mind knowing that you never have to worry about
clipping your A/D again! And when you listen to the noise floor of your A/D, you’ll realize that we never compromise
your noise performance with Type IV™!
The dbx Type IV™ Conversion System succeeds in combining the best of the analog and digital worlds to cap-
ture the truest essence and fullest dynamic range of audio signals. Who else but dbx would bring you this technology!
A/D Clip Level
TYPE IV™ Over Region
Figure 3d - Type IV Mapping Preserves High-Frequency Information
Amplitude
Time
}
TYPE IV™ Over Region
}
A/D Clip Level
0 dB FS
0 dB FS
-4
-4
Figure 3c - Disproportionate Loss of High-Frequency Information Due to Clipping
Amplitude
Time
High-Frequency Information Completely Lost
High-Frequency Content
A/D Clip Level
A/D Clip Level
Low-Frequency Content
High-Frequency Information Completely Lost
386 User Manual