DAB Radio Reception


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nottipiglet

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Apr 20, 2006
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Does anyone here use a DAB radio? I am thinking of getting one sometime in the future, but I am worried that I won't get good reception at my house. In which case, it would be a waste of money. Anyone has such a radio? Maybe can share your experience.
 

Does anyone here use a DAB radio? I am thinking of getting one sometime in the future, but I am worried that I won't get good reception at my house. In which case, it would be a waste of money. Anyone has such a radio? Maybe can share your experience.

I'm presently using 1 with my hifi. So far... results are good. Just that wish some channels like Lush 995 was encoded at a higher bit rate.

I'm staying in the east and reception so far has not been a problem

Which DAB radio are you looking at?
 

I'm presently using 1 with my hifi. So far... results are good. Just that wish some channels like Lush 995 was encoded at a higher bit rate.

I'm staying in the east and reception so far has not been a problem

Which DAB radio are you looking at?

I'm looking at the Denon TU-1800 Digital Tuner. :)
I think some stations like Symphony is streamed at 192 bits/sec.
Some others like Yes 933 and Class 95 are streamed at 160 bits/sec.
160 bits/sec should be decent right? I read that those being streamed at 128 bits/sec are no better than FM radio, maybe even worse. Is this right?
 

I'm looking at the Denon TU-1800 Digital Tuner. :)
I think some stations like Symphony is streamed at 192 bits/sec.
Some others like Yes 933 and Class 95 are streamed at 160 bits/sec.
160 bits/sec should be decent right? I read that those being streamed at 128 bits/sec are no better than FM radio, maybe even worse. Is this right?

You're in luck

I own the tuner :bsmilie:

192 is definitely the best. 160 is the limit - 128 is pushing the limits...

128 still ok depending on content. 987 sounds really bad in my POV. Lush should be streamed at 160 .. but sadly its 128, then again, it doesn't sound that bad.

The supplied DAB antenna with the unit is only good near windows.

Have recorded OTA content to my MD deck, pretty good i dare to say.

FM reception wise is depending on antenna already. I'm using a Magnum Dynalabs antenna.
So no issues with that. Both my FM and DAB reception are crystal clear.

Have to admit, only 987 sounds bad compared to FM.
 

You're in luck

I own the tuner :bsmilie:

192 is definitely the best. 160 is the limit - 128 is pushing the limits...

128 still ok depending on content. 987 sounds really bad in my POV. Lush should be streamed at 160 .. but sadly its 128, then again, it doesn't sound that bad.

The supplied DAB antenna with the unit is only good near windows.

Have recorded OTA content to my MD deck, pretty good i dare to say.

FM reception wise is depending on antenna already. I'm using a Magnum Dynalabs antenna.
So no issues with that. Both my FM and DAB reception are crystal clear.

Have to admit, only 987 sounds bad compared to FM.

Wow... what luck!

If the supplied antenna is no good, then I would need to buy another one? If so, which is a good one to consider?

Your Magnum Dynalabs is for FM? Or does it work with DAB as well? If your DAB works fine, why are you going back to FM for? Is there any particular reason?
 

I think the Denon TU-1800 will compliment my current setup nicely.

I am using the Marantz PM7200 amp, the Marantz CD7300 CD player and a set of Energy C-500 speakers. Using Audioquest Diamondback interconnects and a set of very old (but wonderful) Furukawa Electric PCOCC speaker cables. :)
 

Wow... what luck!

If the supplied antenna is no good, then I would need to buy another one? If so, which is a good one to consider?

Your Magnum Dynalabs is for FM? Or does it work with DAB as well? If your DAB works fine, why are you going back to FM for? Is there any particular reason?

Just have it close to a window - it'll work - DAB is delivered over UHF. The base of the antenna has a magnet so you can stick it onto any metal surface.

My MD antenna is purely for FM. Not all channels are DAB. Only mediacorp channels FYI.

I hope you're aware of this.
 

I think the Denon TU-1800 will compliment my current setup nicely.

I am using the Marantz PM7200 amp, the Marantz CD7300 CD player and a set of Energy C-500 speakers. Using Audioquest Diamondback interconnects and a set of very old (but wonderful) Furukawa Electric PCOCC speaker cables. :)

:bsmilie: .. mine's quite an old setup. Comprising of an Adcom preamp (can't remember model) .. looking around for a Audiolab 8000C preamp, with a QSC audio power amp, AMC CD6b CDP & Sony MD-JB940 MD deck with a pair of Soundcraft Absolute Zero studio monitors. Interconnects using mainly XLO Pro and cable talk 3.1 cables... :sweat:
 

Just have it close to a window - it'll work - DAB is delivered over UHF. The base of the antenna has a magnet so you can stick it onto any metal surface.

My MD antenna is purely for FM. Not all channels are DAB. Only mediacorp channels FYI.

I hope you're aware of this.


Yah... I know. But I only listen to mediacorp channels when I'm in Singapore. Mainly because I cannot get acceptable reception for other stations... so I don't know what I'm missing. :)
 

:bsmilie: .. mine's quite an old setup. Comprising of an Adcom preamp (can't remember model) .. looking around for a Audiolab 8000C preamp, with a QSC audio power amp, AMC CD6b CDP & Sony MD-JB940 MD deck with a pair of Soundcraft Absolute Zero studio monitors. Interconnects using mainly XLO Pro and cable talk 3.1 cables... :sweat:

You have some serious sounding gear. Must have cost quite a bid. These things are a bit personal. Just need to tweak the system to your own liking. :)

I just upgraded my system. I was using an old Marantz PM55SE with an old Eclipse CD Player. They were very old, but there were not too bad. I was using a pair of TDL Nucleus 1 bookshelves. However, these did not have enough bass for my living room because I moved to a new place. Hence an upgrade was necessary (excuse for shopping). That's why I put a new system in place. Quite happy with it. :)

All I am missing now is a tuner. But I'm in no hurry. I like to shop slowly for these things.
 

btw, how much did the Tuner set you back by? ;)
 

Yah... I know. But I only listen to mediacorp channels when I'm in Singapore. Mainly because I cannot get acceptable reception for other stations... so I don't know what I'm missing. :)

Maybe just try upgrading to a powered antenna instead?

You have some serious sounding gear. Must have cost quite a bid. These things are a bit personal. Just need to tweak the system to your own liking. :)

I just upgraded my system. I was using an old Marantz PM55SE with an old Eclipse CD Player. They were very old, but there were not too bad. I was using a pair of TDL Nucleus 1 bookshelves. However, these did not have enough bass for my living room because I moved to a new place. Hence an upgrade was necessary (excuse for shopping). That's why I put a new system in place. Quite happy with it. :)

All I am missing now is a tuner. But I'm in no hurry. I like to shop slowly for these things.

Pre/Power setups are quite common. Yes i paid quite alot for it, since most components were new at that time. Now all obsolete :bsmilie: ... but not touching it already since its sounding the way i want it. Tweaked the setup to be flexible and neutral sounding. Hence playing any type of genre on it would sound good.

TDL has sadly gone bust. The nucleus if i'm not wrong are pretty small bookshelves.
btw, how much did the Tuner set you back by? ;)

DAB tuners here are price controlled sadly. Only a few dealers are allowed to retail these.

You can check out Alpha audio and Merdeka @ SLS. Alpha audio - carrying the widest range from Marantz, PURE, NAD, Denon and Cambridge Audio. Prices not really negotiable.

You can try Merdeka ... where prices are slightly negotiable... the last i asked, it was still priced at $380.
 

Thanks for all the answers. I really appreciate them.

Yes, those TDLs are small. But before I got married, I used them in my room. So, they were adequate. But not anymore...

Sadly, TDL has gone bust. They really sound wonderful. When I was shopping for a bookshelf, the TDL was clearly a good choice, with really wonderful mids and treble. Base was lacking, but it's enough for a small room. I have moved the TDLs to a small room now, and they sound great again.

I opted for an integrated amp because I am lazy to set up a pre-amp and an amp... then I need to worry about interconnects again. Anyway, I have worked with integrated amps so far and they are adequate for me. These audio stuff are bad for your finances if not kept in check. I set a $2K budget for the upgrade, and I have kept within. The Tuner will push it above, so maybe I should wait a bit.

Anyway, prices of these things will always go down, even though technology does not change much. For example, I am still using my Furukawa Electric PCOCC cables because they used to make them OEM. So they were cheap. Then the HiFi cable makers got hold of them and made them into these high-end HiFi stuff that cost more than heroin. :)
 

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