[Floyd L. Davidson]

(Ray Fischer) wrote:
Radium wrote:
II. Digital vs. Analog

Sample-rate is a digital entity. In a digital audio device, the sample-
rate must be at least 2x the highest intended frequency of the digital
audio signal. What is the analog-equivalent of sample-rate?

There is no sampling in analog so there is no sampling rate.

But that was not the question. The analog-equivalent is
bandwidth.

In a purely analog channel frequencies higher than the
upper limit of the channel's bandwidth will not be
passed. When using a digital channel no analog signal
frequencies higher than 1/2 the Nyquist rate (i.e., the
sampling rate) will be passed.

Granted, that with an analog channel the limit is never
a sharply defined frequency; hence in practice there is
not a instant cutoff, but rather a number of negative
effects that become more significant as the signal
frequency approaches and goes beyond the arbitrarily set
"upper limit". Generally phase distortion increases and
signal level decreases, for example. The upper limit is
a function of how much distortion is acceptable for the
application.

In a digital channel you cannot pass frequencies higher
1/2 the Nyquist rate, which in theory is a very sharp
cutoff but in practice it becomes very similar to the
gradual analog cutoff. The reason for that the extreme
negative effects associated with distortion of inputs
that are above that frequency virtually always require
analog filters at the input to absolutely avoid any
frequencies above 1/2 the Nyquist rate. (Alias
frequencies are generated at the output rather than a
signal which is the same as the input, and the
distortion is 100%. ) Hence analog filters that have the
exact same effects as would be seen with an analog
channel are used at the input of an analog to digital
conversion.

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)