DAB Guide

Buy our people's choice Top 10 DAB Radios

Clear signal

DAB (digital audio broadcasting) gives you crystal clear audio without any hiss or interference. Whereas FM reception can be good, average, poor, very poor or anything in between, the digital signal is either present or absent. If you lose the signal, you get a few seconds of burbling as it breaks up and then it's gone. As long as you've got a signal, however, the audio is always good. Most music stations are broadcast at 128Kbps, making the audio quality comparable to a standard MP3 file. Talk radio stations may broadcast at the lower bit rate, because speech requires less data. Classical music requires more, so BBC Radio 3 broadcasts at 192Kbps.

More stations

Digital stations are broadcast in groups known as ensembles or multiplexes. There are two national multiplexes: BBC Digital Radio with 12 stations, and Digital One with eight commercial stations. Most areas also have one or two local multiplexes broadcasting additional stations (London has three). Depending on your location, you may be able to receive up to 60 stations, including some that are only available on digital radio. Digital One provides coverage to more than 85 per cent of the UK population, and the BBC reaches about 75 per cent.

Easy setup and tuning

Digital radios are self-tuning: when you turn them on, they automatically find all the digital stations in your area. You select stations by name, rather than frequency, and most radios automatically sort the list of station names into alphabetical order. Many digital radios also have preset buttons that let you go straight to your favourite stations.

Extra information

In addition to music and speech, digital radio stations can also broadcast additional text that is displayed on a small screen. Depending on the station, this text may include programme titles, song names, artist information and/or contact details for competitions or phoning in. The BBC is currently testing an electronic programme guide (EPG).

Recording

The compressed nature of the digital signal makes it easy to add recording features to digital radios. Pause/rewind radios hold 10-20 minutes of the current broadcast in their memory, enabling you to hit Rewind and listen to a news item or competition again. If the phone rings or the doorbell chimes, you can also press Pause to interrupt the broadcast for the same period of time. When you return, you can pick up listening where you left off. Recording radios take this further, enabling you to record broadcasts on to a memory card or an external device such as a MiniDisc player. This enables you to listen to your favourite programmes at your convenience, or in locations where you can't get a DAB signal, such as London's Underground.

Pocket radios

If you want digital radio on the move, you'll need a pocket radio. Most are about the size of a pack of cards and run off AA batteries -- either standard alkaline ones or rechargeables. Be aware that processing the digital signal requires more power than playing FM radio, so battery life is typically 5 to 10 hours. Most pocket radios use the headphone cable as the aerial. The supplied headphones are designed with this in mind, so you may have problems if you switch to an alternative pair. You'll get good reception when you're outdoors, but you may struggle to find a signal when you're in a train (too much metal) or deep within a building.

Standard mains-only radios

This is the most common type of digital radio. Some models are designed for the living room or kitchen; others are intended for the bedroom. Living room/kitchen radios come in a range of styles to match your decor, be it traditional or high-tech modern. More expensive models have recording features that enable you to pause and rewind live radio, and sometimes to record entire programmes. If you're in an area with a weak DAB signal, look for a model with a detachable aerial that can be upgraded. Most digital radios can display the time (it's broadcast in the DAB signal). Bedroom radios also have built-in alarms to wake you up in the morning. The more sophisticated models have more than one alarm, enabling you to have different alarm times for weekdays and weekends, or to set alarms for more than one person. Make sure the alarm has a tone back-up in case your station isn't broadcasting when you're due to wake up.

Other digital radios

There are several other types of digital radios, although you may have to look beyond the High Street to find them.

• Hi-fi systems combine a digital radio with a CD player and possibly a tape deck. They're available as bookshelf systems or boom boxes.
• Hi-fi separates enable you to add a digital radio tuner to your existing hi-fi setup.
• Car radios give you digital radio on the move. Some work with your existing FM aerial; others require an additional aerial.
• There have been a couple of products that connect to your PC's USB port, giving you digital radio via your computer. They're hard to find at the moment, but we may see more such devices in the future.

Finding the right radio

Once you've decided what type of radio you want, you need to zero in on a particular model. That's where our top 10 DAB radios selection can help you decide and buy.

Top 10 DAB Radios