08/05/2009 Digital Radio (DAB+) Starting in May

Tagged under Add new tag, DAB+, Digital Radio, Networking, Pure
Posted by Geoff Forgie | 3 Comments

 

 

After a couple of extra years waiting for the new standard to be set, Australia is about to become the first country in the world to introduce DAB+  (Digital Audio Broadcast-Plus). The new standard for signal compression is AAC+, which allows for more stations to be accommodated with the allocated bandwidth. Overcrowding of the broadcast spectrum is one of the reasons digital TV and digital radio have been introduced. More stations and better availability of them all around the country will be the main benefit, but improved audio quality (in stereo) compared to mono AM (medium wave) will be another.

 

 

 

 

The official site is http://www.digitalradioplus.com.au/, and start dates are Perth 4/5/09, Melbourne 11/5/09, Adelaide 15/5/09, Brisbane 25/5/09 and Sydney 30/5/09. ABC and SBS will get going during June.

 

DAB+ radios will range from very small personal or pocket models right up to full width separate component tuners to add to your hifi stack, or mantle radios of various sizes. Four of the early entrants into this market are Tivoli, Arcam, Sangean and Pure of the UK. Pure have quite a few models. There are several major groups: (i) the Evoke range of mono or stereo models, medium sized, usually wooden cased radios with DAB+ and FM; (ii) Siesta and Chronos – bedside  Clock Radios with DAB+ and FM, (iii)portables such as the Highway, which can go anywhere; (iv) the compact “One” series, small portable and mantle models in basic black or white.

The Evoke-2S ($699) is a stereo DAB+ and FM radio, 30W RMS from custom tuned mid-range speakers and separate tweeters driven by quality Class D amplifiers and digital audio shaping technology; includes ReVu™ to pause and rewind live DAB radio, Intellitext® and textSCAN™, alarms and sleep timer functions, presets, ChargePAK technology, OLED display, input for iPod/MP3 player, a kitchen countdown timer, USB upgradability and real maple veneer casework.

The Evoke-Flow ($699) adds wireless internet capability to the DAB+ and FM, making this a very attractive portable that does it all. Listen to any internet radio station or podcast via  your broadband wireless connection. The self-dimming OLED display and touch sensitive controls add to the smart styling of this totally modern radio. There’s a second speaker option for $99, and Pure have an iPod dock for just $99 to go with any of their radios.

The Avanti-Flow ($999) combines DAB+, Internet Radio, FM and iPod dock into a very attractive mantle radio unit. The small, portable Highway ($299) DAB+ can be installed in your car, using a windscreen mounted or external antenna. It re-broadcasts to your car system via FM. If you like, connect earphones and use it as a portable too. The Pure One range are neat, no fuss DAB+ and FM radios which will be popular at $249 for the Classic or $299 for the Elite (stereo).  

For those who want a full size hifi component, Arcam have the high end T32 at $1899, while Sangean have the very affordable WFT-1D whch has DAB+, FM and WiFi for streaming hard drive music or Internet Radio – price just $599.

Tivoli are right in there too, with the Networks radio. This comes in several variants, only one having DAB+ (as well as Internet Radio and FM) at $999.

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