On the back is a pair of analogue phono plugs out and another pair
in, for connecting an analogue tuner, which will pass through when
the DAB tuner is off
Paul SmithPrice: £299.99
But it has decided to take on the hi-fi big boys with a Digital
Audio Broadcasting (DAB) tuner that is remarkable above all for its
low price of £300.
DAB is the new format for delivering CD-quality radio to homes
and cars. Unfortunately, the cost of receivers has, to date, been
so expensive that everyone in the industry is a little bit
embarrassed about the whole thing - hence the minimal
publicity.
But there is a small revolution going on. There are almost twice
as many national radio stations available on DAB as there are on
analogue radio and some 40 local stations in London alone, many of
which are not available on analogue.
The DRX-601E is a hi-fi component tuner that lets you receive
(depending on location) all DAB stations. It comes with a fairly
ineffective "shoelace" aerial and I got no coverage in my
ground-floor, central London location. But the addition of an
indoor aerial and a signal booster did the trick.
The tuner itself is low, black and plain. It comes with a tiny
remote that lets you navigate through the channels and store and
access up to nine preset stations. The unit itself has a few
buttons but the main control is a dial with which you select the
channels.
On the back is a pair of analogue phono plugs out and another
pair in, for connecting an analogue tuner, which will pass through
when the DAB tuner is off. There are also coaxial and optical
outputs to either your amp's S/PDif-in or your MD or Dat
recorder.
Sound quality is excellent. The only concession to budgetary
considerations is the two-line matrix display, but it is a small
price to pay.
Videologic hopes to shave another £100 off the price by the end
of this year, but it has already got a product that any serious
radiophile should consider.