Patent ID: 7394744

Claim:
A reproduction apparatus constructed so as to be capable of reproducing information recorded on information recording media including at least a super RENS recording medium, the reproduction apparatus comprising: an optical head that emits laser light set at a reproduction power onto an information recording medium and then receives the laser light that has been reflected or transmitted by the information recording medium and photoelectrically converts the laser light to an electric signal; a signal processing circuit that carries out signal processing for extracting an AC component included in the electric signal and attenuating the AC component by a predetermined attenuation; an amplitude controlling circuit that controls an amplitude of an electric signal outputted from the signal processing circuit so as to become a predetermined amplitude; a reproduction circuit that reproduces information recorded on the information recording medium based on an electric signal outputted from the amplitude controlling circuit; and a switching circuit that switches between a first signal path where the optical head and the amplitude controlling circuit are connected via the signal processing circuit and a second signal path where the optical head and the amplitude controlling circuit are connected with the signal processing circuit being bypassed, wherein the amplitude controlling circuit carries out control so that respective amplitudes of the electric signal inputted via the first signal path and the electric signal inputted via the second signal path become the predetermined amplitude.