You're probably refering to the 100 series of dbx(first gen slow
analog switches) that gave out the old swish and boom.
These units were designed to help boost the quality of LP's a bit.

That's changing the discussion.

The original point made about your Sanyo VCR is that rather aggressive
compression is used to achieve its ratings, particularly with signal-noise.
Digital audio achieves its high ratings without compression.

You have to spend a small fortune to get the equivalent in a digital
setup.

Bull****.

that's why I'm hopeful of the DVD format, it promises a future of
24bit audio super dics. I have yet to see any on the market to date
though.

They are available. However, you have to look for them at larger scale record
stores, hi-fi shops, or electronics stores. They can also be ordered online.
- Reinhart