I was going to respond, but cliveb nailed it... the VU meter relates to output voltage of the attached machine where 0VU = +4dBm @ 600-ohms (.775 volts). Most PRO analog gear was capable of producing an output of +24dBm before clipping, giving you 20dB of theoretical headroom. This is, pretty much, why the broadcast industry settled on -20dBFS as their standard for digital audio (see below).
As far as DIGITAL metering, there are several standards as to what the RMS should be in reference to dBFS (full scale). The standard for television/dolby digital is -20dBFS where the majority of recording studios (ProTools, etc) run at -18dBFS. An earlier 'standard' was -16... so when is a standard truly a standard? -- Eric Seaberg Eric Seaberg - San Diego [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eric Seaberg's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7896 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=35742 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles