In 1987, Sony created the Digital Audio Tape (DAT) format as a recording and playback medium. DAT devices record sounds in a digital signal as opposed to an analog signal. Sony discontinued DAT audio decks by the mid 1990s due to a high price point and industry concerns about digital copying. Sony manufactured the DTC-A7 digital audio tape deck in 1993, which came with a remote and a rack mount stand as accessories.
Quality
A user of the Sony DTC-A7 could hook its inputs to a CD player and record digital to digital sound onto a tape. In addition, the DTC-A7 deck made it easy to copy information on one DAT to another.
Frequency
The DTC-A7 digital audio machine could record or playback music in 48 kilohertz (kHz), 44.1 kHz, and 32 kHz frequencies. The 48 kHz frequencies played analog and digital signals. Users utilized the 44.1 kHz playback for prerecorded DATs and compact discs. It used the 32 kHz frequency for long play of analog signals. Audio signals could be played in a range between 2 and 22,000 Hz.
Capacity
The DTC-A7 digital audio recorder operated on long-play mode for up to four hours with a DT-120 DAT. It could also play DT-15, DT-30, and DT-60 DATs which lasted 15, 30, and 60 minutes respectively.
Speed
A rotary recording head on the Sony DTC-A7 audio player read the DATs at 8.15 mm per second in regular mode and 4.075 mm in long-play mode. The drums operated the tape at 2,000 rotations per minute in standard mode. In addition, the Sony DTC-A7 featured an error correction feature for a consistent quality of sound. Users could record sounds onto a DAT at a rate of 2.46 megabits per second.
Tags: digital audio, DTC-A7 digital, DTC-A7 digital audio, Sony DTC-A7, could record, long-play mode, record sounds