DAB radio in-car?

I have DAB in fitted in my BMW from new and I'm not that impressed with it. The sound quality is barely any better than FM if any and as soon as it gets near a built up area where the signal isn't perfect it starts to drop out before switching to FM. Probably alright if you sit on the motorway all the time but otherwise fairly annoying. In fact the radio is only set to FM now.
 
Dandle said:
I have DAB in fitted in my BMW from new and I'm not that impressed with it. The sound quality is barely any better than FM if any and as soon as it gets near a built up area where the signal isn't perfect it starts to drop out before switching to FM. Probably alright if you sit on the motorway all the time but otherwise fairly annoying. In fact the radio is only set to FM now.
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Exactly the same for me. However I only switch it to DAB if I want to see what the track playing is.
However I read somewhere in the papers over the weekend, that all the new cars now will have obsolete radios in a couple of years as they switch to DAB completely so if you can get a unit that does both then you will be okay.
 
I had a Revo unit in the M3, great in good receptions areas, unfortunately I don't live on one so it's now sat in a box in the garage :p
 
We've got factory fitted DAB in the LCI 5-Series. It's main use is 5-Live Extra so can't really give any FM vs DAB comparisons :)
It's good when you're in reception but coverage isn't that great..... eg as soon as you go down from our house into Bath it loses reception.
 
Can't comment on reception issues as I've never had one in the car, but in terms of audio quality they are very poor. DAB radio (normally) sounds like a badly compressed MP3 due to the low bitrate the stations transmit at, and as such FM currently sounds much better.

However as the govt are planning to turn off FM in a few years time (not sure if this will actually happen) then it is likely that the DAB bitrates will go up and quality will improve, in a similar fashion to Freeview HD being rolled out after analogue broadcasts get turned off.
 
Origin said:
I read somewhere in the papers over the weekend, that all the new cars now will have obsolete radios in a couple of years as they switch to DAB completely so if you can get a unit that does both then you will be okay.
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Found this Government "recommendation":
All the UK's national radio stations and many local services will stop broadcasting on analogue by the end of 2015, according to ambitious switch-off targets unveiled by the government today.
...
The absence of in-car digital radio has hampered further takeup of the new technology, but the government has today recommended that all new car radios sold in the UK by the end of 2013 should be digital.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/16/digital-britain-analogue-radio-switchoff
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It sounds like another half-baked Government stitch-up:
"The switchover will be announced two years in advance and not until digital accounts for 50% of all radio listening."
"DAB must reach 90% of all the population and all major roads before the upgrade timetable can begin."​
Better yet, there a fly in the ointment in that DAB is eventually due to be superceded by the superior but incompatible DAB+ :rolleyes:
 
Amoeba said:
It's daft isn't it?? What is it with this current govt and their digital obsession. FM is superior and more popular than DAB, yet they want to turn it off and force us to use digital??
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FM is only superior for as long as the digital signal is so weak

once FM is switched off, they can ramp it up and DAB will be loads easier to receive.

And my vectra has a DAB setup from the factory. Have to say it works very well, and means i can listen to talk sport in tunnels !
 
MrLOL said:
FM is only superior for as long as the digital signal is so weak

once FM is switched off, they can ramp it up and DAB will be loads easier to receive.
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Reception as I mentioned before I cannot comment on, but DAB will never become 'superior' than FM in terms of audio quality.

DAB+ however is another matter although it is arguable that like vinyl, FM will always be the 'best' as it is analogue. Having said that it is probable that the real world differences will be minimal (like CD vs vinyl).
 
who gives a damn about music ?

I use the radio usually to listen to the news, or talk sport, or radio 4 or similar. Very rarely do i use it to listen to music as you're subjected to somebody else's idea of what sounds good. Even if you do find a radio station playing good music, like radio 1 or whatever. The playlist is so hit and miss you spend more time turning over than you do listenning to songs you like

much easier to use the CD player for music and you can listen to what you want to.

And for stuff like radio 4, i cant tell any difference between DAB and FM. Talksport is actually loads better as its not an FM station, its an AM station. Same with 5 live.

DAB definately has its advantages.
 
Err well not using the radio for music is very much your own choice. I am sure there are many many people who do use it for music.

And the difference between radio 4 on DAB and FM is actually quite noticable, not that it matters so much on speech (it still annoys me though!).
 
stockhausen said:
Better yet, there a fly in the ointment in that DAB is eventually due to be superceded by the superior but incompatible DAB+ :rolleyes:
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incompatible with older players - newer players *should* be reprogrammable to receive DAB+. Then again you are right, the situation is fairly ridiculous - why have effectively 2 rollouts.
 
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