Another DAB "put-down" !!
The writer said "The multiple transmitters in DAB networks are synchronized by GPS. All that technology and still it sounds awful."
This is perhaps only true where specific circumstances are met: (1) The people in charge make limited bandwidth available for DAB (due to not encouraging multiple ensembles to exist. (2) the commercial cost of carrying a DAB signal is higher than it needs to be and given the case in (1) so it forces broadcasters to limit their bandwidth (in order to save money) and hence lower the quality heard by listeners :(
Issue (1) can be resolved if Ofcom (or whatever their name is now) licensed all 37 ensembles (instead of the 2 national and upto 4 regional MUX's currently) that could be used on the DAB network. This then provides far greater bandwidth and broadcasters could then transmit at 256kb, even 384kb and then DAB would sound much better and hence it would stifle any further criticisms.
Even at 192kb, BBC Radio 3 can sound exceptionally good. So please stop tarnishing DAB with the "same old, same old" argument and lets push Ofcom to release new ensembles and get Arqiva to reduce their rates.
PS: The 2nd commercial national multiplex is likely to be on air by 2016, and one of the applicants, Listen2Digital is proposing to broadcast 4 DAB+ stations. http://www.wohnort.org/DAB/uknat.html