Digital radio dilemma

[Kevin Stephens]

Musical Fidelity upsampling A5 DAB tuner (attached to existing high quality fm roof mounted ariel) second hand on ebay, or M1 DAC taking digital input from Virgin HD cable box?

Two options not too far apart on price but how about the sound quality, particularly R3?

Anyone done a direct comparison?

 

[noogle]

I'd go for neither option. Best choice is to use the R3 HD internet feed via a laptop or PC driving a DAC.

 

[Kevin Stephens]

Thanks Noogle

You need to humour me; a luddite who likes to switch off the computer to make time for music, hence I'm restricting myself to the two options

Kevin

 

[noogle]

Radio 3 DAB is broadcast at 192 kbit/s MP2 - basically ancient technology. The Radio 3 HD internet feed is broadcast at 320kbit/s AAC - a huge improvement both in bandwidth and codec (compression/decompression) technology. No idea what the Virgin box puts out but I doubt it is as good as the HD feed
If you're serious about quality, there is only one way to go.

 

[Kevin Stephens]

Yes you're right; I'll stick to my FM analogue tuner

 

[noogle]

 

[noogle]

BTW - rest assured you are actually listening to a digital signal as the BBC uses 728kbit/s NICAM links to the FM transmitters...

 

[Kevin Stephens]

And I believe Radio 3 sometimes play CDs as well as LPs

 

[noogle]

Have you hooked your laptop up to your DAC yet?

 

[chebby]

And I believe Radio 3 sometimes play CDs as well as LPs

Neither.

It's all digital files now...

http://www.bbcradioresources.com/programme/index.html

http://www.bbcradioresources.com/programme/Delivery_Requirements_Nov_08.doc (Word document).

 

[nopiano]

And I believe Radio 3 sometimes play CDs as well as LPs

Neither.

It's all digital files now...

http://www.bbcradioresources.com/programme/index.html

http://www.bbcradioresources.com/programme/Delivery_Requirements_Nov_08.doc (Word document).

I know this thread is a bit old now, chebby, but does that mean that when CDs are played 'live' (and I know they are because they sometimes get the wrong track) they are downsampled/compressed to WAV? And what about Proms broadcasts, or anything else 'live'.

I am pretty sure that years ago, LPs were taped before broadcast, in programmes like Record Review on Radio 3 (now CD Review). But I thought that was mainly to avoid mistakes on air.