DAB DA-1

The DAB DA-1 for lack of a better means of explaining it, is kind of like a freeview box for your hi-fi or radio. It converts an analogue radio into a digital, although the sound you receive will ultimately be in analogue.

You get this tiny little rectangular contraption roughly the size of a long, thin mobile phone, that comes with a remote and antenna. You then take an audio hi-fi cable (the two-pronged thing with one red and one white jack on one end) and attach it to the back of your mini hi-fi, amp, radio, etc. Anything with a proper auxiliary input can be used. You tune it in and you can receive all the digital stations available in your area, in analogue.

We've hooked it up to our amp on our high quality hi-fi in place of our tuner and so far the reception has been brilliant, so long as we use the antenna. In fact, the reception is as good as on our Pure Evoke-2 portable DAB radio. Unless you're really picky, the quality difference between an analogue feed and a digital feed won't make a difference as it is only radio after all. It takes up next to no space (although at the moment it's atop the turntable making it a pain to play records, but that's our own lack of space, not a design fault), is lightweight and inobtrusive, yet big enough for the DAB display that tells you what songs are on, etc.

Overall, at £60 (less if you get it with a hi-fi from Dixons) it's a snip, and a lot cheaper than buying a proper DAB tuner for your hi-fi. If you can't afford the actual thing, buy this because it's worth it for the extra selection of stations (I couldn't live without BBC 6 Music and XFM anymore).