MRC01
Major Contributor
On further thought, it's even more interesting than that. The intuitive numerical approach that @MusicNBeer and I mentioned puts 6*N as an upper bound on the dynamic range of N bits. That's because the first bit just rises just above the noise - assuming the lowest or LSB is randomized/dither added to the signal, so its value is a signal-weighted or biased random. Since the first bit gives you less than 6 dB, the total is something less than 6*N. Yet @DonH56 's explanation shows that 6*N is a lower bound, saying the dynamic range is slightly greater than that.Your explanation, while more complex, has the advantage of explaining the extra +1.761 dB factor.
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