Converting a hi-fi to DAB

Is it possible to buy something that you plug into your hi-fi so that you can recieve digital radio?

 

Yes, you can buy a DAB tuner, widely available, and probably cheapest at Richer Sounds.

Cheers,

Martin.

 

I recently had Sky Freesat installed and that includes 80 radio channels. I have connected the digibox to my Hi Fi system with a phono to phono lead.

Geoff.

 

Many of the radio stations on satellite are unencrypted, which means you can use a cheap non-Sky receiver with a spdif out socket for really good quality audio (assuming your hifi can handle this). The only Sky boxes that have this are Sky+ units and old Sony ones. The phono output on most Sky boxes is adequate but won't get the absolute best from the signal. The same can go for your hifi, btw, if it has cheap converters to handle a digital input.

The disadvantage is that you can need a tv to change channels (unless you memorise channel numbers) and if its main use is for a TV, then it limits use for radio while the TV is on. That's where one of these is handy: http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=793017 but there are many other DAB tuners which will work with a hifi. As has been pointed out, Richer Sounds is a good place to find something cheap.

John

 

yes its called a matsui da-1, its just a tuner box with its own transformer power supply and a pair of audio out leads(no speakers). i use mine on top of a ghetto blaster in the bedroom and it works ok. the only drawback is the short aerial, but iget 30 channels and i live on the fringe of dab reception in s. wales. exclusive to currys i think about£40.

 

I use an Acoustic Solutions SP111 - which you can pick up for under £100 from places like Richer Sounds and Argos. It also has an FM tuner so you can participate in the FM is better than DAB arguements or just pick the one that sounds better to your ears for the stations where you have a choice.

It has digital out which runs when the unit is in standby (lights and display off) and also works with the FM tuner - I plug it into my AV amp which does a better job of decoding the sound than the onboard DAC.

There's a remote as well and it's easy to use but most of the buttons are for other AS units.

The internals are (apparently) the same as some of the Cambridge Audio units - Frontier Silicon, an offshoot of the Imagination Technologies (VideoLogic/Pure).
Review of it's predecessor the SP110 which lacked the FM tuner
http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_read.asp?ID=2736

I couldn't see any reason to spend more than this given all the complaints about bitrates. It sounds fine to me - YMMV

 

You have the option of the tuners that have been listed above but there are other options available to you.

Genus do a device, the DU-1 which it describes as a DAB upgrade for hifi's. It plugs into hi-fi separates, micro systems, 5.1 surround sound systems or anything else with an AUX IN or an SP/DIF IN. basically all it is is a DAB reciever with line out but its a sexy looking device.

Alterante options are why not get a standard DAB radio and using the line out, plug it into a hifi input? The Perstel BlueNote is one of the cheapest DAB's around at the moment and you can take a cable from the headphone socket into your hifi input. Not the best quality sound and no remote control but it does that job relatively cheaply!

 

Has anyone used this, or the one linked from Curry's above? Good sound quality/reliable? Much more convenient than a dedicated portable.