Category:AN6291

AN6291 

dbx noise reduction integrated circuit
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Instance of	integrated circuit model
Subclass of	dbx linear integrated circuit modulator
Has use	cassette deck (Technics)
Manufacturer	Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Developer	Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Inception	December 1981
Different from	AN6291
Authority file  Q116079282 Reasonator Scholia Wikidocumentaries PetScan statistics WikiMap Locator tool KML file Search depicted

Around 1980, the hi-fi industry was preparing for the introduction of digital audio. To extend the life of analogue cassette, in 1980-1982 companies introduced different, competing noise reduction technologies that would (they hope) surpass the Dolby B system. By 1983, Dolby C has won the market, but in 1981-1982 the various systems competed freely. One of the contenders was the already existing dbx system (all lowercase), adapted for home use. Panasonic was the main supporter of consumer dbx, and developed the AN6291 IC for low-cost, low-voltage applications. The AN6291 was announced in December 1981 as the NRX, production began in the summer of 1982. There were similar but rarer Panasonic dbx ICs, like the AN6294. The latter had REC/PB and ON/OFF internal switches, which were not included in the AN6291. These ICs were used in almost all Technics-branded dbx-equipped decks, all the way to the very top of the range (the very first RS-M270X deck and the RP-9022/9024 add-on processors used the Rohm chipset). The AN6291 is (a) not fully compatible with Blackmer's dbx specification (has a simpler detector arrangement) and (b) its very low operating signal levels limit dynamic range. This was the price of being able to operate at supply voltages as low as 1.8 volts, in portable "personal stereos". On the plus side, as of 2022 the AN6291 is still widely available and it costs pennies. The were better alternatives - the dbx, Inc. custom chips and the NEC μPC1252H2 + μPC1253H2 set - which are now unobtainium.