Digital Radio Buying Guide

We're here to help you buy a new digital radio. We've got advice and information about all the latest digital radios (DAB radios). We discuss the features and specifications you need to look for, including features and specifications.

But new digital radios still cost money, so it's worth making sure you spend wisely. To make it easier, we answer the questions you should ask yourself before you buy:

• What's my budget?
• Where am I going to use my new digital radio?
• How often will I use it?
• What sound quality do I want?
• What else should I care about?

Click on any of these links to get some valuable advice, and tips on how you can use PriceRunner to find the perfect digital radio.

Alternatively, go straight to any of these to read more:

• What is DAB digital radio?
• Multiplexes
• What stations will I receive in my area?
• Preset stations
• Pause and rewind
• Electronic programme guide (EPG)
• Timer recording
• Analogue reception
• Aerials
• Display

What's my budget?

You can buy digital radios from around £30 and that entry-level price may well fall further. This is a great reduction from the first digital radios which were very expensive luxury items. Even so, it's worth working out what your budget is before you start looking, as this will help you to narrow down your choice. The very cheapest models will have fewer features, and sound quality and output power are unlikely to be as good as mid-range and top-end products.

The good news is that you are unlikely to need to spend any of your budget on accessories to go with your new radio, apart perhaps from better headphones on a portable or separate speakers if you want them. In some cases, you may benefit from a separate aerial, but this is unusual.

What is DAB digital radio?

Traditional medium wave (AM), short wave (SW) and FM stereo radio use analogue signals which are fluctuating radio waves. Digital radio, on the other hand, transmits audio information as a series of 1s and 0s. Digital radio broadcasts are less prone to interference, so you don't get the crackles, hisses and fading that can affect analogue radio. It is generally considered to be more efficient, so that more stations can be broadcast in a similar amount of bandwidth, offering listeners more choice.

DAB

DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting, which is the standard for digital radio in the UK. Any radio that conforms to this standard should carry one of the DAB logos.

Simply having a digital display on your radio does not mean it is a DAB digital radio, and the digital radio stations that you can listen to via your PC over the Internet and through your television using satellite, cable or Freeview services are not DAB digital radio channels. Although the content may be the same, sometimes broadcasters offer different schedules or different versions of the same programme. You can buy plug-in DAB digital radio adapters for your PC or Hi-Fi that will let you listen to DAB digital radio broadcasts.

Multiplexes

Each individual digital radio station does not have its own frequency, so you don't have to tune your radio carefully to get the best sound. Instead, stations are broadcast in groups, called multiplexes. Some of these are broadcast nationally (including the main BBC channels on one multiplex and the major nationwide commercial stations on another), and then every region has one, two or three local multiplexes that include local commercial and BBC stations.

Wherever you live, you will usually have a wider choice of digital channels than analogue. Some may only be broadcast in mono, though, while others will be in stereo.

What stations will I receive in my area?

Digital radio is broadcast to over 85% of the UK. To check whether you are in the coverage area and what stations you can receive, see the Digital Radio Now website (www.digitalradionow.com) which has a postcode checker and details of how to find out by sending a text message through your mobile phone.

Tuning

Your radio will pick up all the signals broadcast in your area and you then choose the station you want to listen to by name from the list shown on your radio – these are usually in alphabetical order. If your radio picks up the signal then you can hear the station properly; if not, it simply won't be listed. There may be occasional tiny blips in the sound, but these are generally minor and noticeably different from the fading and hiss you may get with analogue stations.

Text

One of the great things about digital radio is that, as well as the audio signal, each station can broadcast enhanced text services. You'll see the name of the radio station on the display, and you may also see scrolling information about the current programme, the track that is playing (on a music channel), and possibly the next track, relevant phone numbers, travel information, news, and so on.

Where am I going to use my new digital radio?

Inside

If you are going to use your digital radio indoors, then the first thing to look for is one that is mains powered. Digital radios use more power than analogue radios, partially because they almost always have a display which may be backlit, and also because of the way they process the information.

Single Room

If you are only going to use the radio in one room, then weight won't be much of an issue. You may, though, want to check the dimensions to make sure it fits where you want it to go. You can check these in the specifications on PriceRunner. You can also see what they look like, in case you are worried about them matching the décor in your room: you can get a variety of designs, including very modern-looking radios and retro models.

Bedroom

If you are going to use your new radio in the bedroom, look for clock and alarm functions. Some will let you set alarms for more than one time and you can find various snooze and sleep timer options.

Large rooms

If you are going to use your radio in a large room, be sure to check the power output. Almost all radios will be fine in small- to medium-sized rooms, but if you want more than this, you'll need to check what you're getting. This applies if you want to drive external speakers too.

Outside

If you want to use your digital radio outside you will need to look for a model that can run on batteries. These won't last for as long as they would with an analogue radio, though, so you might want to look for the option to turn off the backlight on the display. Some radios will work with rechargeable batteries, but always check this before using them.

On the move

Some digital radios are small enough to use on the move with a suitable pair of headphones. These headphones act as the aerial, so if you want to swap them for a better pair (which may be advisable for cheaper digital radios), make sure that the combination will still work.

Portable digital radios may have an MP3 player function, using either internal memory or a memory card.

Again, check the battery life and consider buying a model that will work with rechargeable batteries to save money and to avoid having to throw them away, which isn't very environmentally friendly.

How often will I use it?

If you only use your radio occasionally, it's not really worth paying extra for functions you won't use. If, though, you do listen to the radio a lot, or listen to a variety of channels, then here are a few features to look for:

• Preset
• Pause
• Rewind
• Electronic programme guide
• Timer record

Preset

Preset lets you assign numbers to your favourite stations so that you can switch quickly between them, rather than having to scroll through the list of available stations.

Pause and rewind

One of the benefits of digital transmission is that incoming radio signals can be stored in the radio's memory. How much you can store depends on the amount of memory in the radio and the type of station you are listening to (as a music station will typically use more bits to transmit a minute of radio play than a talk station, for example).

A radio with a pause feature will let you interrupt its output briefly while you answer the door, for example, and then you can carry on listening to the programme from where you left off. Rewind is similar: if you want to listen again to a phone number or song, use rewind and then you can listen to the programme again from that point. Sometimes the same button is used for both features, with a single click used for pause and a double click used for rewind.

Electronic programme guide (EPG)

Electronic programme guides on radio are similar to those on digital television: you can call up a schedule for a specific channel so that you can check programme times and decide what to listen to later on. These aren't widely broadcast yet but this will become more common.

Timer recording

If your radio has enough memory and a timer function (using EPG data), you can set it to record a specific programme, and then listen to it later on. Some will only let you keep one programme which is then overwritten by the next recording, while others let you record as many as will fit in the memory. As a guide, a station broadcast at 128Kbps (which is a reasonable average) will use 1MB for every minute you record.

What sound quality do I want?

The best way to find out what sound quality you are likely to get from any radio is to read reviews, which you can link to from PriceRunner. Even then, for audio products there will always be an element of personal preference involved, so you may want to try to get a demonstration of any radio you are considering buying.

Other than that, there are a few features you can look for to give you more scope in setting up the system how you want it.

Mono vs Stereo

Some digital radio stations are transmitted in mono and some in stereo. If, however, you buy a mono radio (with one speaker) mono is what you will always get. Of course, radio speakers are generally close together, so you won't get the true stereo effect, but some people still notice the difference.

Sockets

If you want to improve on the output you get from your radio speakers, consider getting a set of external speakers. You will need to make sure your new radio has either a headphone socket or audio line-out sockets to match your speakers or hi-fi system.

Output power

Very low-powered radios won't reproduce sound well at top volume, so if you are using one in a large room or with substantial external speakers, get a radio with decent output power. However, output power alone isn't the only thing to look for, as loud music through poor speakers will sound dreadful.

Total harmonic distortion (THD) is a measure of the ‘noise' within a system, and should be as low as possible to get a clean sound. If you can find the power output quoted for a very low THD level (such as 1%) then this gives a better indication that you'll get a nice, clean sound at high volumes. Otherwise, you'll need to check the reviews or try to hear the radio in a salesroom before you buy.

Equaliser settings

Some radios give you the option to change the equaliser settings to match the kind of music or other output you are listening to (for example jazz, rock or classical). You may also find a bass boost option. The only way to know which setting is best in your room is to try them out, but this feature does give you a little more flexibility in tweaking the output to your liking.

Analogue reception

Some people argue that digital radio does not sound as good as analogue, either in general (particularly for FM stations) or for specific radio stations. The latter may be true where a station is only broadcast in mono on digital radio and/or has a limited bandwidth (number of digital bits) over which to transmit its signal, but it is a matter of personal preference. If you are a music lover, you may want to look for a radio that also receives FM stereo signals, so that you can swap to this when it suits you.

Some stations are only broadcast on digital and others only on analogue radio, so the more channels your radio can receive (including FM, SW and AM), the more options you have.

What else should I care about?

Aerials

A digital radio will work in most places with the aerial that's built in to it. However, occasionally you may find that they can't pick up the signals, even if you are supposedly in an area where they are broadcast. This might be because of the construction of your building, as thick concrete walls or metal shielding can affect reception.

If reception is a problem and you only want to use the radio in one place, try moving the radio close to a window or consider getting a separate aerial that can be mounted internally or externally. You need to specify that this is for a digital radio, though, as these are different from TV and FM radio aerials. You also need to check whether the aerial can be detached and replaced with an alternative one.

DAB+

Digital radio stations in the UK are broadcast using the DAB standard, which uses the MP2 audio codec to code and decode the digital signals. The new DAB+ specification uses a different audio codec called AAC+ (which is based on MP4 compression). This is a more efficient way of coding the signal so broadcasters can either output higher quality audio using the same bandwidth or lets more radio stations be broadcast in one multiplex (that is, in one group as explained earlier). Eventually digital radio stations in the UK may be broadcast using DAB+ instead of DAB, and gradually we may see digital radios appearing that support both standards, but the fact is that currently DAB is what we have in the UK and DAB stations should continue to be broadcast for many years.

Display

The size and clarity of the display on any digital radio can vary, but whether this is important for you is a matter of personal preference. It is worth checking to see if the display is backlit if you may use it in low lighting, and that you can turn the backlight off to save power when it isn't wanted or needed.

Broadcast delay

Digital radio signals can be out of synch with analogue radio signals, so if you listen to a programme on FM in one room and digital radio in another, they may be out of time with each other. This can be irritating but is not a reason to avoid digital.

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