Common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR)

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The common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) of a differential amplifier (or other device)
measures the tendency of the device to reject input signals common to both input leads. A
high CMRR is important in applications where the signal of interest is represented by a
small voltage fluctuation superimposed on a (possibly large) voltage offset, or when
relevant information is contained in the voltage difference between two signals. (An
example is audio transmission over balanced lines.)

Ideally, a differential amplifier takes the voltages V + and V − on its two inputs and
produces an output voltage Vo = Ad(V + − V − ), where Ad is the differential gain.
However, the output of a real differential amplifier is better described as:

where Acm is the common-mode gain, which is typically much smaller than the
differential gain.

The CMRR is defined as the ratio of the powers of the differential gain over the common-
mode gain, measured in positive decibels (thus using the 20 log rule):

As differential gain should exceed common-mode gain, this will be a positive number,
and the higher the better.

The CMRR is a very important specification, as it indicates how much of the common-
mode signal will appear in your measurement. The value of the CMRR often depends on
signal frequency as well, and must be specified as a function thereof.

CMRR is often important in reducing noise on transmission lines. For example, when
measuring the resistance of a thermocouple in a noisy environment, the noise from the
environment appears as an offset on both input leads, making it a common-mode voltage
signal. The CMRR of the measurement instrument determines the attenuation applied to
the offset or noise.