A method and a device for decoding a signal transmitted via at least one transmission line of a data transmission system, in a user of the data transmission system receiving the signal. Instead of at discrete instants, as currently done, sampling at a specific sampling instant does not take place. To this end, a potential-edge position (PEP) for an imminent edge is estimated first. Then, given n-fold oversampling, maximally n sampling values before the PEP and maximally n sampling values after the PEP are determined and compared with previously recorded and stored sampling values. The stored sampling values are preferably stored in an edge-acceptance vector (EAV) and correspond to an edge change of the signal to be decoded at a particular point in time. Preferably not all detected 2n sampling values are compared to the content of the EAVs, but the comparison is limited to a portion, combined to a sensitivity range, of the 2n sampling values of each EAV.