As Classic Rock launched first on DAB+, and the FM stations in Melbourne and Sydney were at the time more modern rock-skewed.
Thought Iâd do an audio comparison between three of the oldies digital stations in Melbourne,
http://www.mediafire.com/download/uqkkbt1csf4uuun/f.flac
Spoiler for the order:
Stations are 3MP, Magic and Stardust respectively
Was that on dab or online stream? I assume dab given its dab thread, think magic sounds better in Melbourne than Sydney
I assume that itâs DAB+, since 3MP hasnât streamed online since 2013 or 14.
Yep, DAB.
2sm is now 64k still mono though even though its a stereo station. Sounds slightly better.
1 Like
Yeah, I think that 2SM upgrading to 64kbps is old news now.
Despite the increased bitrate, 2SMâs audio quality still sounds awful (sounds like itâs coming though a telephone line) and dare I say that the SRN/BOG digital stations at a lower bitrate (I think theyâre all 48kbps) and proper stereo sound better! 
Yeah only just noticed :). Yeah the audio is horrible. They should donate the bits to fun superdigi.
1 Like
SBS Arabic 24 has started in Sydney at 48kbps
Youâre a bit late, the station started on Monday! 
A straight replacement of PopAraby.
1 Like
Sydney only SRN/BOG digital station Fun appears to be off the air at the moment (no audio being heard, even the online stream is just dead air), although some text data is still being transmitted. I wonder what the go is there?
For the record, 2SM, Dance, Gorilla and Zoo are running audio as normal.
Supposed to be the first mobile phone with DAB+ built in.
LG offers digital radio on your phoneâŚif thatâs what you were looking for
LGâs Stylus 2 is the first phone to support DAB+ radio
LG releases first smart phone with inbuilt DAB+ Radio at #RDE16
1 Like
Nice phoneâŚshame about the disgracefully poor screen resolution.
The âPure Gold 80sâ branding seems to have disappeared on the DAB+ stationâŚ
It seems to have been replaced with âiHeart Radioâ branding, with a lot of promos for iHeart radio shows (sound like they must be online programs eg. thereâs no mention of terrestrial stations like KIIS).
Though the station is still playing pretty much the same 80s music and the placeholder name on DAB+ is still âPure Gold 80sâ.
same as pure 90âs. i heard promos for the asia chart show for example.
The first DAB+ Digital Radio Report for 2016 has been released: http://www.gfk.com/fileadmin/user_upload/dyna_content/AU/Documents/Resources/2016/GfK_DAB__Digital_Radio_Report_-_1_2016.pdf
Triple M Classic Rock Digital is the #1 DAB+ commercial station nationally, followed by Coles Radio, Pure Gold 80s, Edge Digital & Buddha, rounding out the Top 5. Triple M Classic Rock is in the Top 3 in Melbourne (#2), Brisbane (#1) & Perth (#3), likewise for Pure Gold 80s in Sydney (#3), Melbourne (#1) & Brisbane (#3), whilst Pure Gold 90s is #2 in Adelaide. Edge Digital is #1 in Sydney, where the station is also available on 96.1FM, which of course is not included in the normal Sydney radio ratings. In Melbourne, 3MP is #3, which the station is also available on 1377AM, but is also not included in the normal Melbourne radio ratings. In Perth, My Perth Digital is #1, followed by Smooth at #2, proving that Easy Listening/Soft AC is popular on among DAB+ listeners there, followed closely by Classic Rock, none of which are offered on among the commercial FM/AM stations.
Meanwhile, new data released by CRA revealed that during 2015, more than 307,500 cars were sold with DAB+ car radios, which is up from 98,400 in 2014, an increase of a whopping 212.5% over the year! 
See article for more: http://www.radiotoday.com.au/news/whats-new/8701-cars-put-dab-in-drivers-seat.html
Interesting results. I still donât get the Coles radio results lol. The only stations I hear out and about in Brisbane shops and cafes are Triple M Classic Rock, Smooth, Pure 80s and Buddha.
Speaking of Pure Gold 80s itâs now showing iheart radio The 80s.
1 Like
The Edge Digital (although really, itâs just a straight simulcast of 96.1 the last time I bothered to check) being the #1 digital only-station in Sydney make you wonder about two things.
*Do people in Sydney listen to The Edge Digital because of average 96.1 reception or did the survey recipients just tick âThe Edge Digitalâ in the survey purely because they have heard of the station before?
*Should ARN really try and get The Edge 96.1 as part of the Sydney radio ratings surveys? Although I do think that it realistically wonât ever happen because if The Edge was to be included in Sydneyâs radio surveys, other fringe stations (especially C91.3) would probably argue that they should be allowed to take part as well.
1 Like
Yes, The Edge Digital is direct simulcast of 96.1, the same as how all the other commercials on digital are difect simulcasts of their FM/AM frequencies.
The problem here is really that in Sydney, the Edge is classified as a DAB+ only station, rather than a similcast station. Simulcast stations (those also broadcast on FM/AM) make up 72% of all DAB+ listening in Sydney, so overall that means that The Edge probably isnât the number 1 DAB+ station - stations such as KIIS, 2GB etc. quite possibly have more listeners on DAB+, however because of their simulcast classification arenât specifically listed in this survey.
The more questionable result I see there is MyMP in Melbourne - this is now branded as 3MP, and is a direct simulcast of 1377AM. I suspect this may still be because:
a) 3MP donât participate in ratings
b) MyMP was a DAB+ only station back in the MTR days.
1 Like