compander

American  

[kuhm-pan-der] / kəmˈpæn dər /

Or compandor

noun

Electronics.

1. (in a communications path) a combination of a compressor at one point and an expander at another, the compressor reducing the volume of a signal and the expander restoring it.

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compander British  

/ kəmˈpændə /

noun

1. a system for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of a signal at a transmitter or recorder by first compressing the volume range of the signal and then restoring it to its original amplitude level at the receiving or reproducing apparatus

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Etymology

Origin of compander

First recorded in 1965–70; com(press) + (ex)pand + -er ¹