The dynamic range of a signal V is the ratio of the maximum to the minimum, expressed in decibels. The dynamic range expected in a signal is to some extent an expression of the signal quality. It also dictates the number of bits per sample needed in order to reduce the quantization noise down to an acceptable level; e.g., we may like to reduce the noise to at least an order of magnitude below Vmin.

Suppose the dynamic range for a signal is 60 dB. Can we use 10 bits for this signal? Can we use 16 bits?