DAB Radio buying guide
Before you buy a digital radio make sure you can receive digital broadcasts at www.getdigitalradio.com
Then stick with your FM radio and all this DAB nonsense will go away. Unless over 50 percent of the populace take the digital option by 2015, FM will continue. See the Category Overview for why this will be a good thing.
If you must jump on the DAB bandwagon the brands to look out for are: Pure, Roberts, Vita Audio, Monitor Audio, Tivoli, Bose and Revo. There are other brands, but stick with these and there’s less chance you’ll buy nasty tat.
How much to spend?
No decent digital radio is cheap, especially when set against a comparable FM radio. Pay anywhere between £80 and £450 (for Bose).
Will a DAB radio receive FM and AM broadcasts too?
Usually they do, but check.
Can DAB radio do anything that an FM set can’t?
Some, more expensive, DAB radios have extra features such as an electronic programme guide (EPG) which you can scroll through to find a channel. Others let you record, usually onto a secure digital (SD) card. Any that can record will also have a pause/rewind live radio option. With all the ‘listen/watch again’ options such as BBC iPlayer the facility to record radio must be of limited appeal.
How about Internet radio?
Another kettle of worms, fish and tripe. If you have a PC you may be aware that the Internet allows you to listen, in real time, to many thousands of radio stations from around the globe. Some digital radio sets can be plugged in to your router to achieve the same thing. Still others are wi-fi enabled, so if you have a wireless router these sets can latch on to said cornucopia of international radio waffle without having anything to do with your computer. Isn’t technology fab?
