Arrangement for reproducing a digital signal from a track on a magnetic record carrier using a read head with magneto-resistive element and an equalizer filter

Arrangement for reproducing a digital signal from a track on a magnetic record carrier, the arrangement including:

• a magnetic read head having a magneto-resistive (MR) element, the magnetic head having a first side (front) and a second side (back), one of the sides having a magnetic shielding for the MR element which is larger than the magnetic shielding on the other side, whereby the MR element is substantially unshielded against external magnetic fields on said first side of the magnetic read head, and is substantially shielded against external magnetic fields, other than a reproducing magnetic field, on said second side of the magnetic read head;
• an equalizer filter means, having an input coupled to an output of the magnetic read head, and an output, the equalizer filter means being adapted to supply an output signal at its output which has been substantially equalized as regards magnitude and group delay as a function of frequency;
• and
• transport means for moving the magnetic record carrier in a certain direction past the magnetic read head, characterized in that the equalizer filter means includes a series arrangement of digital finite impulse response (FIR) filter means and digital infinite impulse response (IIR) filter means, the IIR filter means having an input an output, and being adapted to substantially equalize magnitude and delay of signal applied to its input in a low frequency region of the signal frequency range as a function of frequency, and to supply an equalized signal to its output, and the FIR filter means having an input and an output, and being adapted to substantially equalize the magnitude of a signal applied to its input in a higher frequency region of the signal frequency range as a function of frequency, and to supply an equalized signal to its output, and the transport means being adapted to transport the magnetic record carrier past the magnetic read head in a direction from the substantially unshielded first side to the substantially shielded second side.