I’m not sure if SCA owns Kinderling, but I’m pretty sure that Kinderilng at least uses some of the SCA bandwidth.
no it’s not owned by SCA, but its digital space is leased out from memory.
Kinderling was founded by a group of parents with a desire to introduce their children to a broad universe of music, stories and creative expression. The Kinderling founders have backgrounds in the music industry, community and commercial radio and are believers in the power of radio to foster imagination and sense of adventure.
Has anyone noticed the quality on Pure Gold 80s and 90s has taken a dive towards AM radio quality? It sounds horrendous!
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Well, it’s never been great…
I can’t tell any difference right now compared to say a week or two ago (on DAB Sydney). I listen to it quite regularly.
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Yeah, the audio quality of Pure Gold 80s/90s has never been great however I still think that 2SM (with not only having a low bitrate, but also having the right stereo channel louder than the left) wins the award for the worst audio quality of any station on Sydney DAB+!
not just in Sydney, but yes, 2SM probably has THE worst sound quality on any digital radio platform in any country - including HD radio in the US. If I were a 2SM listener, I reckon it would be enough to make me switch back to AM, that’s how bad it is…
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LOL, I’d actually have to agree.
But unfortunately, you can even hear digital compression of 2SM’s audio on 1269AM if you’ve got a good enough signal! 
It must be my car’s digital radio, because I noticed yesterday that the audio quality dropped quite noticeably, while the bitrate remained the same (@ 32kbps which I think it’s been for the past few months?).
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Ah yes, I remember you saying that about 1269…
On a more positive note, Triple J on DAB (Sydney at least) now has the ‘Now Playing’ info that they added to it’s FM signal a few weeks ago.
Are other cities now getting the ‘Now Playing’ info on JJJ Digital?
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Or maybe the amount of bandwidth allocated to the audio has been dropped?
I don’t think it’s EVER been higher than 32 kbps.
I do like Pure Gold 80s - the sound quality is the worst aspect - but partially compensated by no chatterbox DJs and no ads…
I would like to see an increase in bitrate plus ‘Now Playing’ info added… but I ain’t holding my breath for either.
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Yes - Brissy has song and artist
According to DAB Player on my PC, the Pure Gold 80s/90s’ audio bitrate is at 28.3kbps.
Meanwhile, I’ve just noticed that the SRN DAB+ stations (Zoo, Fun, Gorilla, Dance) has upped its bitrate from 40kbps to 48kbps, with an audio bitrate hovering between 41.4 & 41.6kbps. 2SM has also doubled its bitrate from 32kbps to 64kbps, with an audio bitrate of between 55.3 & 55.6kbps.
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I haven’t noticed any change to the Pure Gold Sound.
Award for worst sound goes to Coles CBD, Coles TAS and Coles WA each unlistenable running 16lbit/s - “in the toilet” quality sound - no idea what their purpose is.
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It sounds like the stereo channel issue on 2SM has been fixed as well, but the audio quality still isn’t anything to write home about. Infact, I’d almost say that the SRN/BOG DAB+ only stations sound a bit better (and true stereo, as opposed to the upconverted mono on 2SM) despite having a lower bitrate.
Considering the main purpose is to be played on crappy roof speakers in supermarkets it’s not surprising that they aren’t concerned about quality.
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As an aside - anyone know what the Signal Noise Ratio meter in the DAB software represents - how high does it go?
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I don’t know why they waste the bits broadcasting them to Brisbane though. The Coles Radio stream is at 40kb/s
Was there any reason why in Brisbane on DAB+ there’s multiple Coles stations?
I think how high it goes would depend on the signal you get in your area. I can get as high as 25dBs or more at times, but it usually averages around the 22-23dBs mark or so here.