View Full Version : DAB Advice/Recommendations
Hi,
I have just started to think about adding a DAB tuner to my AV setup and have a few questions: -
1) What are peoples experience with DAB? Is it worth the outlay? What is the quality like?
2) What tuners do people use? Prices and links would be useful.
3) What do people think of this (http://www.richersounds.co.uk/index.php?f=itemdetl.php&p=300016) tuner? Any owners out there?
Any further info would be appriciated?
Regards
Lippy
nathan_silly
27-02-2003, 7:19 PM
Stick to FM.
DAB SQ is just gonna get worse. It's already lower SQ than FM, and they're gonna try and squeeze more stations in the multiplex.
KJ_Palmer
28-02-2003, 2:11 PM
Well, I've got the Pure 701ES (http://www.avland.co.uk/pure/drx701es/index.htm) (in black), and I'm very happy with its performance. I always get a good signal, even with the supplied wire aerial, though I've now hooked up a longer indoors (FM) aerial, just in case. I get clearer (if not necessarily better) reception than I ever got with FM. In fact I don't really use FM at all now.
I don't think I'd really recommend AVLand as I had a long wait with them for the tuner and also a Minidisk deck, but it's now appearing on the high street at around £200, so that may be a better bet if you're interested.
The quality is very good (to my ears), I listen and record mainly from Radio 3. I just hope they don't drop the bitrate as they're threatening, but so far it's very much worth the outlay.
Uncle Dicky
08-03-2003, 1:31 AM
Lippy,
I am not too taken by your choice of DAB tuner from Richer Sounds and I'd recommend a Pure DAB tuner instead. You may have difficulty getting hold of the aforementioned at the moment however.
There has been much debate about reduction of bit rates. Keep in mind that even though the bit rate was cut some time ago, DAB is not subjected to the compression of FM output. Even a very good FM tuner cannot compensate for the compression of FM output, particularly that of many commercial stations and Radio 1 for example. DAB will deliver a much more dynamic sound with better imaging than FM can allow.
Set up your DAB tuner with a good quality aerial, preferably a roof mounted one for a "clean signal". If you can do this the digital to analogue conversion process is more reliable and you'll end up with a better audio output to your amp.
I hope this is of some help! Good luck!
sounddog
08-03-2003, 2:19 AM
Note: this is conjuncture not experience.
Can also be worth connecting the DAB to an external DAC.
nathan_silly
08-03-2003, 2:21 AM
Originally posted by sounddog
Note: this is conjuncture not experience.
Can also be worth connecting the DAB to an external DAC.
Yeah- I thought about that- buy a cheap DAB radio, and use the digital out- therefore why pay for a DAB radio with expensive DAC's?
Another reason to buy a Tag DAC20 SD! :grin:
sounddog
08-03-2003, 2:26 AM
Because the cheep ones look **** ugly??
Oh and cause they have better DAB chipset in them too.
nathan_silly
08-03-2003, 2:32 AM
I don't mean a REALLY cheap DAB tuner SD!- obviously find one that looks nice, and decent decoder, build quality etc, but the internal DAC's are of less importance when using off-board DAC.
sounddog
08-03-2003, 2:37 AM
Basically though the best DAB tuners are the Pure 701 (and the 601 that proceeded it) at £250 than from what I've read you're not really worth spending anything more unless you're going up to the TAG one which is around £1200 I think. THe only thing in the middle is around £600 for a Sony one which is DAB + FM/AM ... but better sound can be had from the Pure plus a Denon £160 FM/AM tuner.
BTW ... the cat suited you more!!
Matt Horne
12-03-2003, 3:18 PM
Or there is the Arcam DT81 at £650..I love it.. (I love it even more as I did not pay £650)
Matt
iwatkins
12-03-2003, 4:25 PM
The Pure DRX-702ES tuner also contains FM+AM as well as DAB. For around £300 IIRC.
Cheers
Ian
Now that the BBC have moved Radios 1-5 over to Freeview as well, surely that's got to be the cheapest way into digital radio ??
most nokia set top boxes have/had a digi co-ax output on them ...
Not sure what the bandwidth constraints are on the 'tv' side but would be an interesting test to do I would have thought ...