Tim S Kemp wrote:
DAB sounds worse than FM wrote:

Nope, I use the digital output to my MD player. This is partly
because comparing DAB with Freeview I route the Freeview via digital
output to the MD player, so it's the fairest comparison.

Your MD player has good DACs? Mine (albeit portable) always seems a
bit gritty.


Yeah, mine sound fine.


My DAB and Freeview run to the optical ins on my AV amp
(DVD player is on analogue 6 ch in). Most stations sound similar with
the exception of R4 which is always better on Freeview.


All the BBC stations apart from Radio 3 and the World Service use higher
bit rates on Freeview than on DAB, and therefore sound better. Radios 1,
2 and 4, 6 Music, 1Xtra, BBC7 and Asian Network always sound better on
Freeview than on DAB due to the difference in bit rates. Radio 5 and
Radio 5 Sports Extra sound pretty much the same. See:

http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/in...bit_rate_table

and

http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/bi...vs_quality.htm

The codec used on DAB and Freeview is MPEG Layer 2 (or MP2), which is
labelled as LII on that graph. Note that MP3 kicks MP2's arse at
128kbps, and 98% of DAB stereo stations in the UK use 128kbps MP2. No
wonder DAB sounds so ****.


--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

DAB sounds worse than FM, Freeview, digital satellite, cable and
broadband internet radio