if something has a modulator in there, it is most definitely a digital component... and afaik Ncore and Purifi (and all of them...?) use modulators these days.
FM (Frequency MODULATION) has been around a lot longer than digital:
(From Wikipedia):
Beginning in 1913 Edwin Howard Armstrong prepared a series of comprehensive demonstrations and papers that carefully documented his research, and in late 1913 applied for patent protection covering the regenerative circuit. On October 6, 1914,
U.S. patent 1,113,149 was issued for his discovery.
Although most early radio receivers used regeneration, Armstrong approached RCA's
David Sarnoff, whom he had known since giving a demonstration of his regeneration receiver in 1913, about the corporation offering superheterodynes as a superior offering to the general public. Superheterodyne sets were initially thought to be prohibitively complicated and expensive as the initial designs required multiple tuning knobs and used nine vacuum tubes. In conjunction with
Harry Houck and RCA engineers, Armstrong developed a simpler, less costly design. RCA introduced its superheterodyne Radiola sets in the US market in early 1924, and they were an immediate success, dramatically increasing the corporation's profits. These sets were considered so valuable that RCA would not license the superheterodyne to other US companies until 1930.
RCA introduced its superheterodyne Radiola sets in the US market in early 1924, and they were an immediate success, dramatically increasing the corporation's profits. These sets were considered so valuable that RCA would not license the superheterodyne to other US companies until 1930.
I worked at and on FM radio stations in the 1970's, We definitely had FM modulators then and they were NOT digital.
And, in 1972 modulation and demodulation was in use with LP's and turntables:
CD-4 or Quadradisc
An RCA Quadradisc record
The third major format for four-channel vinyl LPs, known as
CD-4 or
Quadradisc, was devised by the Japanese
JVC Corporation along with its US counterpart
RCA Records.
This quadraphonic format was first marketed in the United States in May 1972. A fully discrete system, it eschewed matrix technologies in favor of a method similar to the encoding of
stereo FM broadcasts. With stereo records, the system uses 2 main left and right audio channels, and this is what allows CD-4 to maintain compatibility with conventional stereo playback. CD-4 also adds 2 additional
difference audio channels to the main channels. The difference signals are encoded in
ultrasonic carrier frequencies in the range of 30 kHz, which is above the audible range. CD-4 requires a specialized
phono cartridge with a
Shibata stylus to read these additional high frequencies. The combined signals are then sent to a special DEMODULATOR for four-channel decoding. The demodulator converts the ultrasonic signals back into the audible range and uses the difference channels to separate rear audio information from the main channels. Because the CD-4 system maintains four independent signals throughout the process, it can accurately reconstruct the intended four-channel sound field.
And again, in 1976, a different type (for FM broadcasting)
Universal SQ
In 1976, Ben Bauer integrated matrix and discrete systems into
USQ, or
Universal SQ (others had also done this with their quad systems).
It was a hierarchical 4–4–4 discrete matrix which used the SQ matrix as the baseband for discrete quadraphonic FM broadcasts using additional difference signals called T and Q. For a USQ FM broadcast, the additional T MODULATION was placed at 38 kHz in quadrature to the standard stereo difference signal, and the Q MODULATION was placed on a carrier at 76 kHz.
For standard two-channel SQ Matrix broadcasts, CBS recommended that an optional pilot-tone be placed at 19 kHz in quadrature to the regular pilot-tone to indicate SQ encoded signals and activate the listener's logic decoder. CBS argued that the SQ system should be selected as the standard for quadraphonic FM because, in FCC listening tests of the various four-channel broadcast proposals, the 4:2:4 SQ system, decoded with a CBS Paramatrix decoder, outperformed 4:3:4 (without logic) as well as all other 4:2:4 (with logic) systems tested, approaching the performance of a discrete master tape within a very slight margin. At the same time, the SQ "fold" to stereo and mono was preferred to the stereo and mono "fold" of 4:4:4, 4:3:4 and all other 4:2:4 encoding systems.
No need for digital at all for MODULATION and DEMODULATION.
