Digital radios: How we test
Sound quality
Tuning digital radios
As well as putting our radios through a multitude of technical tests we use an independent, expert listening panel to assess sound quality under the same conditions for each radio in a sound proofed room.
Benchmark samples from previous tests are also used to ensure continuity.
When we test digital radios we transmit our own DAB signal, effectively creating our own radio station for the period of our testing.
We broadcast a range of specially selected audio tracks to test the capabilities of the radios.
Music
Classical music, including Tchaikovsky's piano trio, tests how the radios cope with music from a full orchestra. We check for clarity and if individual instruments sound real and natural.
A jazz track by Jacques Loussier demands clear bass and highlights a range of frequencies and also the balance between bass and treble. A Rickie Lee Jones song tests how a female vocal sounds.
And U2’s ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’ checks the radios ability to cope with dynamic energy, synthetic sounds and give a sense of space.
Speech
Both music and speech sound quality are tested
Not everyone likes music, and if you're a Radio 4 fan or someone that enjoys sport you’ll be more interested to hear that we put each radio through its paces by listening to both male and female voice recordings.
We look out for problems such as sibilance (an over emphasis of the ‘s’ sound that can result in a hiss), which give a good indication of too much treble.
Sound quality accounts for 40% of the overall test score for both tabletop radios and pocket models.
Ease of use
There’s no point having a radio that sounds brilliant if you have to open the instruction booklet every time you want to change to a different station.
Two lab experts assess the radios for everything from initial set up, the clarity and size of the screen, how easy it is to record to the internal memory or pause live radio, and even how suitable the radio is for use at night.
Ease of use accounts for 30% of the overall test score for table-top models and 20% for pocket radios.
Battery life
If you plan to use your digital radio in the garden then you need one with a good battery life – a radio which scores the top mark in this test will allow you to listen to at least 60 hours of DAB radio, whereas a radio with our lowest score will give you less than 5 hours.
Listening to DAB radio can use a lot more power than analogue radio – one product we tested could run for 40 hours when we listened to a station on FM but just 16 hours when it came to digital.
Battery life accounts for 15% of the overall test score for table-top models, and 20% for pocket radios.