DAB pleasure!

I'm totally in love with BBC7. I have a couple of DAB radios and I bought one of those Dixons/Matsui DA-1 DABs for the Naim. I don't listen to music on the radio so it's fine for me (and it was only £40)

Regards

Stephen

While I agree about the enjoyable programmes available, the issue of sound quality is a real problem. I live in a good signal-strength area, and have recently fitted a dedicated roof aerial for DAB with quality cabling, but the sound on FM is still so much better. DAB is fine in a portable "kitchen" radio, where the sound quality is limited by the receiver's amp and speakers, but connecting it to a real hi-fi is likely to disappoint. I honestly wouldn't bother making the effort.

DAB is like mp3 - useful for access to quantity - not quality.

A bit like satellite television and supermarkets.

"DAB is like mp3 - useful for access to quantity - not quality."

Absolutely. Just installed a 4 element FM aerial feeding an old MF tuner - excellent quality. My DAB Arcam will shortly be on e-bay, nuff said.

It may be my imagination, but the strength and bit rates on DAB's more recent stations seem worse than ever.

I was using a DAB aerial but only Radio 3 seemed listenable other than for background noise.

So the MF stays until I can get hold of a NAT 02, that is.

Content wise, it's disappointing that even a main FM transmitter like Wrotham, seems to carry so few channels though. (Just Rads 1-4, Classic FM and a couple of Alan Partridge type local stations).

Interesting points. The bonus for us is that Classic FM (my wife's default 'kitchen' choice) and 5Live (mine) are both very shoddy reception on analogue here, so DAB gives a better quality by far.

Bruce

Digital radio (preferably not DAB IMO) has some extra channels e.g. BBCR7 which I like using occcasionally.

quote:

Originally posted by Adam Meredith:
DAB is like mp3 - useful for access to quantity - not quality.

A bit like satellite television and supermarkets.

Adam - quality on BBC7 is fine - the material is very high quality. Whereas even on the top naim system Phil Collins still sounds dire (GIGO as they say). Even the best system is dependent on the programme available.

Though I understand your point - music is much better on my naim system. Though I'm suprised just how much better my Pure DAB sounds through a nait 5i / nSats than it did through my old system.

The DAB radio stations are also available on Freeview (DVB).

Apparently, they also have a higher bitrate on there, too.

cheers, Martin

PS it's not just bitrate. DVB (and I think DAB) are broadcast using MP2 format, which I understand is inferior to MP3 at the same bitrate.

quote:

Originally posted by Martin Payne:
The DAB radio stations are also available on Freeview (DVB).

Apparently, they also have a higher bitrate on there, too.

cheers, Martin

PS it's not just bitrate. DVB (and I think DAB) are broadcast using MP2 format, which I understand is inferior to MP3 at the same bitrate.

Martin

All you say is true, but I prefer DAB radio for the following reasons

a) DVB is not very portable

b) DVB, in my experience, is less than reliable. I'm on my third DVB Freeview box, which has just locked up and won't reset (Nokia), looks like I need to change it again - had similar problems with Panasonic. Maybe I'm just unlucky, but Pure DAB radios seem a lot more dependable. Even when working I found the DVB tuners I've used lock up frequently and need to be power cycled to work again - the tuners own on-off switch being ineffective. A reliable DVB would be nice, but I've yet to find one.

Best regards, Rotf

...and some of us cannot get Freeview anyway

The best thing about DAB for me is the good, clear reception of the BBC World Service 24/7

It is nice that e.g. for our current £126.50 annually tax that BBC can give us so much choice.

I agree that many users love DAB - I have a friend who is genuinely thrilled by all of his execrable sounding portables.

Not having heard good DAB, I prefer usually FM from any source, then 'Freeview' cheap equipment type of broadcasting.

I am sure that some people have heard great DAB.

quote:

Originally posted by Chumpy:

I am sure that some people have heard great DAB.

Having clambered onto my roof in mid-winter to fit a DAB aerial, to no avail, I'd like to know how.

I find for small radios like the Tivoli, etc.. that DAB is a lot better. It's clear with no hiss and although there is the smallest amount of compression, it's not noticable. For your Naim set-up, FM is better.

Dear Bruce

We have a Pure in the kitchen and like you get a lot out of it, even in the non-reception area in which we apparently live (according to the website).

However I would back up Rockingdoc and Count.d - don't rush out and buy a digital tuner just yet. I got one for Xmas - admittedly I haven't put a proper aerial on it yet, but the reception at present does not allow sane listening (I am not nit-picking either - in my case, we are not talking about slightly worse than FM -rather it is not even possible to listen on DAB!). Lucky it's FM/AM as well otherwise it wouldn't be worth its space on the rack. Conversely, apart from the odd bit of interference, the Pure in the kitchen which boasts only a telescopic type aerial offers good listening quality.

Radio 5 Live on my Pure DAB tuner beats Radio 5 Live on AM for clarity. I had the tuner before I had a nait 5i and used to hear a sort of uncomfortable bass thump; but since the advent of the nait the thump went and I now enjoy Radio Five Live and BBC7. I do have a roof mounted DAB aerial.

I prefer FM when the stations are available on it.

I also have a Pure DAB Tempo, which is fine too - but the DAB tuner through my naim system does sound better.

I didn't mean to sound so negative about the whole DAB thing, just its suitability for hi-fi reproduction.

I bought my wife the Pure Legato ( on recommendation here) for the kitchen, and she loves it (thanks). I don't mind it on FM, but DAB still sounds worse, even on this kitchen radio.
I also have a portable "walkman" type Pure DAB, which I bought for jobs like washing the car etc. It is utterly useless, as any head movement causes horrible squelch noises when the headphone-wire aerial moves. I bought a (much cheaper) Sony FM "walkman" radio in its place which gives far better reception with its headphone-wire aerial.