Page "VHS" Paragraph 34

In the original VHS format, audio was recorded as baseband in a single linear track, at the upper edge of the tape, similar to how an audio compact cassette operates.

The recorded frequency range was dependent on the linear tape speed.

For the VHS SP mode, which already uses a lower tape speed than the compact cassette, this resulted in a mediocre frequency response of roughly 100 Hz to 10 kHz for NTSC ; frequency response for PAL VHS with its lower standard tape speed was somewhat worse.

The signal-to-noise ratio ( SNR ) was an acceptable 42 dB.

Both parameters degraded significantly with VHS's longer play modes, with EP / NTSC frequency response peaking at 4 kHz.