Digital Radios

There is now a space-age radio called The Bug. It has digital 'out' and much, much more.

http://www.radio-now.co.uk/images/m_thebug2.jpg

Sideline: John Lewis warranty depends on the type of equipment and doesn't seem to cover portable stuff like iPods. You'd have to check though. Staff much smarter than Dixons.

!!!

http://www.radio-now.co.uk/welcome.htm

Also, if you have a closing down Dixons nearby you might get lucky (although they'd been pretty emptied earlier in the week).

Gaydar radio lasted about two minutes before the banging techno got on my nerves. Current top stations = 5 live, 5 live sports extra, BBCLondon and strangely last night we were listening to Capital Gold (good proper 60s stuff), also Radio 2 got a look in until Maconie went all prog, he played two tracks and I thought it was all one long noodle

There is a nice demo station too, the birdsong occasionally interrupted by gunfire!!

Pausing live radio is a natty trick, not sure when I'll use it, but being able to record to an SD card is ver ver good

My bug is lovely, and looks great next to the bed

I bought a JVC UXHB4 (from Electrical Discount) after the AM radio finally stopped working on my fifteen year old stereo with one working speaker, broken turntable and two busted tape decks.

The new thing is pretty good. Though I can't pick up Xfm or LBC through DAB for some reason, and the clock, which is set via RDS, seems to think that it's Saturday and I have no idea how to change it. And the silly bugger who designed it saw fit to put the AUX output on the front, not that I currently have any use for it.

i still have the prob that digital broadcasts (at least when i listen to them on my PC) are compressed at a lower quality (and since national coverage isn’t yet total) so FM is still the audiophile option... or maybe i just miss that FM sound and hate the clinical sterile dAB sound.

you have a DAB tuner in your PC?

i listen to radio from (bbc/lbc etc) websites.

are DAB radios able to access stuff that you would get online, like last weeks show of such and such DJ for example?

No. There are some expensive ones that let you tune into internet streamed radio though.

no, they're just radios; they receive signals over the airwaves, but the signals are digital - it's basically freeview, but on the radio

xpost

i see.

im going to get this one -
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Panasonic_RFD3__6491694

its cheap on ebay.

for anyone interested, this site might be handy -

http://www.radio-now.co.uk

as well as the panasonic, they recommend this one (which i did consider but it looks really cheap) - http://www.radio-now.co.uk/pure_one_dab_radio_review.htm

Streaming radio doesn't have anything to do with DAB, Titchy. I just tried Late Junction on R3's Listen Again facility and it was running at about 90k - sounded fairly terrible. I think R3 DAB still broadcasts at 192k MP2 (not fantastic but better than online).

the pure DABs are nicely made and feel very solid. i have one.

woops not that one, though. i have this one, which looks like it's available at half price from morgan's - http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/shop/detail.asp?ProductID=3691&CategoryID=201&SubCategoryID=215&adnetwork=af

This is the kind of expensive box that can play streamed radio. Didn't realise it can also do Listen Again stuff.

what i worry about with things like that is that as streams change, and tech changes, this thing will be left behind. with something like a radio i like to at least pretend to myself that it's possibly a purchase for life.

> Streaming radio doesn't have anything to do with DAB, Titchy.

otm

> I just tried Late Junction on R3's Listen Again facility and it was running at about 90k - sounded fairly terrible.

luxury. the other bbc streams, radio1 and 2 certainly, are roughly 32kbps. but these are realaudio 10 (aac with sbr? ps? dunno) and so are several times better that mp3.

that said, it's fine, i listen to it all day and it doesn't bother me.

this can record shows too but its about 90.00-100.00 -
http://www.radio-now.co.uk/evoke_3.htm

one thing i dont like too much about the pure radios made from wood is that theyre trying to look like old traditional radios. i much prefer that 100% plastic look when it comes to DABs.

plus they are mono. so 1960s.

what i worry about with things like that is that as streams change, and tech changes, this thing will be left behind. with something like a radio i like to at least pretend to myself that it's possibly a purchase for life.

Yeah, me too, but remember some things can get firmware updates. Not sure if that applies to the AE box.