"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Think the best it can do is about 1%.

You're about an order and a half of magnitude off. More than that if
you're
willing to live with restricted dynamic range, which we often are. On
the
other hand, if you want distortion, we have that too.

Distortion is quoted at standard reference levels, typically 185 nWb/m,
and the last time I looked most tape formulations were producing around 1%
3rd harmonic at those levels.

When did you last look? 1958?

By the mid-1970s, when I ran tests, typical professional tape (Scotch 250,
Ampex 456, etc.) were producing about 0.1% HD at 320nW/meter.

Peace,
Paul