Dab Radio Question

[Cotswold Pete]

Just come across a device call Celsus DAB1001.

Sounds intriguing, and reckons it can work with any FM head end, and stream text etc to your in car display.

http://www.carcommunications.co.uk/car-accessories/dab-digital-car-radio/land-rover_3553/dabmotion-dab1001-universal-in-car-dab-radio-tuner-with-aerial-aux-ipod-iphone-connection

Has anyone tried this with LS. I have Mk4 with the touch screen, and sceptical that this would work.

I am getting fed up with the quality of FM in some areas (sure the BBC are trying to force us to use DAB).

I do not want to go the huge expense of actually fitting a new head unit so any comments or ideas appreciated.

[Ruud]

There's a facebook page for these guys, called - justCONNECT DAB for cars - they add dab in almost every car. Ask them, I'm sure they can help you out

[cleverdick]

What do you mean by "the quality of FM in some areas"? Presumably you are referring to the coverage.

Take it from me that coverage on DAB is unlikely to be any better.

You mentioned in another thread that you are an audio enthusiast. So no doubt you are familiar with the real shortcomings of DAB in terms of coding, bit-rate and hence audio quality. Also, the DRACULA option has not been taken up by broadcasters; dynamics processing (e.g. Optimod) is still applied at source.

I can't imagine many stations I'd listen to that are DAB only, with the possible exception of 6music. But if you were to buy this on the pretext of improved reception and/or fidelity, then I fear that you'd be disappointed.

[Cotswold Pete]

What do you mean by "the quality of FM in some areas"? Presumably you are referring to the coverage.

Take it from me that coverage on DAB is unlikely to be any better.

You mentioned in another thread that you are an audio enthusiast. So no doubt you are familiar with the real shortcomings of DAB in terms of coding, bit-rate and hence audio quality. Also, the DRACULA option has not been taken up by broadcasters; dynamics processing (e.g. Optimod) is still applied at source.

I can't imagine many stations I'd listen to that are DAB only, with the possible exception of 6music. But if you were to buy this on the pretext of improved reception and/or fidelity, then I fear that you'd be disappointed.

I am well aware that DAB is actually a naff system compared to good FM. I have a 5 element FM ariel on roof to make sure I get a good feed on FM.

However of recent I just find that Radio 4 and Radio 3 on my 25 minute drive to work are not any good. At first I though it was some problem with the radio, but even when I am 30 miles north of Bath it can still pull in traffic reports for that area.

So I assume either their is some really long term atmospheric issue or BBC are doing something they are not mentioning on their transmitter web pages.

I know that DAB sound like a rat singing underwater when the signal drops so do not expect DAB to be the total answer, but just wondered if a cheapie plug in DAB would do the trick.

At the end of the day it might be a balance between FM with spitting bacon sound effects or DAB with underwater rats.

The other option is to download the programs, and having get_iplayer meaning I can download any program as a podcast (even when not a podcast) at least I can listen to plays and radio documentaries with no problems.

By the way if any one wants to use get_iplayer, a great piece of software for downloading any TV or radio program that is available via the 'normal' iPlayer

[graham8370]

I know absolutely nothing about the workings of DAB. Cotswold Pete and Cleverdick may as well be talking in a foreign language.

What I do know is that I've had DAB fitted in my last 2 cars by JustConnect and the quality and reception on TalkSport, 5Live and quite a few others is brilliant.

[cleverdick]

The fact is that with so many channels crammed into a finite space, something has to give - and that's bitrate and hence audio quality. DAB uses a perceptual coding scheme (of a type that is obsolete and inefficient to start with), based on a crude analysis of human hearing. This means that it throws away what it thinks you can't hear in order to make it fit. The trouble is, it doesn't do a very good job of it. Some stations run at 64kb/S (or even lower); by contrast an audio CD (or 16-bit linear wav file) is about 1400kb/S. I think Radio 3 has the highest at 192kb/S at certain times of the day. So you will see that DAB is nothing like the "CD-quality" it was purported to be.

[bilmac]

The fact is that with so many channels crammed into a finite space, something has to give - and that's bitrate and hence audio quality. DAB uses a perceptual coding scheme (of a type that is obsolete and inefficient to start with), based on a crude analysis of human hearing. This means that it throws away what it thinks you can't hear in order to make it fit. The trouble is, it doesn't do a very good job of it. Some stations run at 64kb/S (or even lower); by contrast an audio CD (or 16-bit linear wav file) is about 1400kb/S. I think Radio 3 has the highest at 192kb/S at certain times of the day. So you will see that DAB is nothing like the "CD-quality" it was purported to be.

bitrate, perceptual coding, 16-bit linear wav files, You really are a cleverdick. cleverdick. William

[steve2006]

Bring back PAL system I analogue television ( which was the best system in the world) and retain band II FM radio,it's all about bandwidth,selling off bandwidth is easy money to the government the fact we end up with poor quality TV and radio systems is not an issue to them.

[Zotto]

The main issue is that actually it is a repeater of DAB radio to FM, so the quality of audio is downgraded to FM: if you don' t care of this it seems interesting, else it is not a good choice.

Maybe a better solution is to buy a DAB receiver and connect the audio output to aux input of your car radio, and if you hate to connect plugs you can do it wireless trought a BT interface permanently connected to aux in, so you can try also internet radio sent by a smartphone ot tablet

[cleverdick]

The main issue is that actually it is a repeater of DAB radio to FM, so the quality of audio is downgraded to FM:

Let's be clear about this. It's the coding for DAB which does the downgrading. The degradation due to an in-car FM transmitter link will be negligible in comparison.

[Zotto]

DAB itself it's no so bad, probably it becomes awful if band is so narrow to fit more channels in few fequencies. I don't live in GB so I can' t know the quality of DAB broadcasting there, anyway, at this point you can have a better sound from internet radio with high rate, like LINN radio (just to name one) trought internet.

[cleverdick]

bitrate, perceptual coding, 16-bit linear wav files, You really are a cleverdick. cleverdick. William

Not really, Bill. Nowadays these are everyday terms for everyday technologies. By definition we, on this forum are computer users - and as such should at least know what a .wav file is. As we would a .doc, .jpg, .xls and so on. I wasn't trying to blind anyone with science here (or pseudoscience like the adverts)!

[steve2006]

JPEG,MPEG and next week we are discussing the theory of Reed Soloman decoding beginning with Forward Error Correction :)

[bilmac]

Not really, Bill. Nowadays these are everyday terms for everyday technologies. By definition we, on this forum are computer users - and as such should at least know what a .wav file is. As we would a .doc, .jpg, .xls and so on. I wasn't trying to blind anyone with science here (or pseudoscience like the adverts)!

Thanks very much cleverdick. Now I have to study to learn what the above mean.
Until last week when My grand daughter, explained it to me.
I thought a mega byte was what you got from a large dog. :D

[Bluesman]

JPEG,MPEG and next week we are discussing the theory of Reed Soloman decoding beginning with Forward Error Correction :)

Cant wait to miss it. Mike

[Cotswold Pete]

Maybe I'll just fit a vinyl record deck onto passenger seat, that way no digital thingyamy-jigs.

Reminds me of my teen years when my best mates brother fitted a Revox A77 reel to reel tape recorder in place of passenger seat in a 2CV. Completely bonkers, and the reel to reel would have been worth more than the 2 CV.

[cleverdick]

Maybe I'll just fit a vinyl record deck onto passenger seat, that way no digital thingyamy-jigs.

Reminds me of my teen years when my best mates brother fitted a Revox A77 reel to reel tape recorder in place of passenger seat in a 2CV. Completely bonkers, and the reel to reel would have been worth more than the 2 CV.

What?!!!

Mind you, there were some Renault 5s with roadwheels that looked like Revox 10.5" NAB spools...

This thread is getting sillier by the day. Fine by me... :)

[39buss]

AAAHH happy days!!!! I bought a Revox 77 about 1974 for £250 and sold it 23 years later for £250. I always think I should have kept it. You could even karoake with then, long before we'd heard of karoake.

[Cotswold Pete]

AAAHH happy days!!!! I bought a Revox 77 about 1974 for £250 and sold it 23 years later for £250. I always think I should have kept it. You could even karoake with then, long before we'd heard of karoake.

I always wanted a Revox B77 but could not afford one, ended up with Teac X10, which I still have but needs a ruddy good service, which will cost about twice what I paid for it back in 1983.

Good to know there are some audio nutters on the LS forum, and ones that appreciate quality audio.

[39buss]

All the R's in those days........Revox....Rover...and a Rolex. Only got the Rolex now. Revox..Naim amp..Linn Sondek. These days down to an Arcam Solo 5.1 movie one box system.

[bilmac]

I genuinely admire and respect anyone who understands audio and radio, I never could give time to learning about it.

I like to listen to all kinds of music, but know I do not get the best out of my equipment, because of my lack of knowledge. William

[bigjap]

i seem to have accidently logged on to a foreign language website,the pure dab works fine for me,

[Derek870]

DAB is that one of those new fangled wireless thingys?

Now where does my 8 track cassette go?

[cruisermark]

some of the above is alien to me but I still use my cassette player in the 430 sometimes