Whatever happened to DAB?

[BillShatnersToupee]

Except in cars... 

Not sure we've ever owned a car radio with DAB. If we have then I never noticed, and certainly never used it.

 

[MartinC]

Not sure we've ever owned a car radio with DAB. If we have then I never noticed, and certainly never used it.

I haven't either but about 40% of the cars currently listed for sale on Autotrader have one, and plenty of new cars do. Quite possibly the majority.

 

[Old Git]

Our car has a DAB radio. Great for choice, but has a tendency to drop-out, and not that fussed about the SQ.

I have DAB radio in the home, Marantz MCR 502, prefer the FM for SQ.

 

[Dave Brown]

I have DAB in the motah, not that you can hear it above all the mechanical noise and supercharger whine. I switch to R4LW when on t'other side of the English/French pond.

I set mum up with a crapola Sansui WLD201L at home many years ago (that's the Sansui reboot - not the original firm - the one that was bought by mitchell and webb - or is that a firm of solicitors - I lose track.... anyhoos). I have to admit it's been a corking bit of kit. FM Tuna ;-)  DAB / Streaming / Internet Radio. Wireless and Wired ethernet. The black ones fade from black to bronze really quickly in the conservatory, but bar that it's been rock solid and controllable from her phone via a free app so she can see my NAS etc. Tis a full size hifi separate, and I would imagine could be picked up fairly cheaply on auction sites. (But don't hold me to that !).

 

[HectorHughMunro]

Ignoring for a moment the tranmsission quality and the program material, I am still dubious over the alleged technological advantages of DAB. I still have a marginal DAB signal in my house, although FM is fine, and I was pondering the issues recently as my new car has been without a radio aerial for the last week. As a result FM was very patchy and hissy, and would drop out briefly on occasions, but it was just about listenable. However, DAB would have been completely silent in these conditions, in the same way that digital TV in our old house completely vanished if it rained, whereas the old analogue signal was always there, just a bit 'snowy'.

DAB to me is not an example of technical progress and, as an engineer, this irritates me. The word "digital" is not a synonym for "better", but too many people automatically think it is.

You just need to use it how it’s meant to be used. It’s for kitchen radios and cars when you’re supposed to be concentrating on the road.  You switch it on, it works and it’s great.  This is actually how most people listen to radio.  

We have the internet for serious listening.  Good internet radio is close to being the best we have.

Radio is as good as it has ever been. It’s just a shame the BBC is so alienating it’s Radio 4 listeners at the moment with such heavy handed political bias. 

 

[Gaffer]

I agree, DAB+ is brilliant in the car - good enough SQ for the compromised listening area and so far error free with a decent signal.

Tried to switch on the DAB clock radio upstairs today .......lasted 3min before switching it off again  :| .