What Hi Fi Sound and Vision 13 SEP 2003

Cambridge Audio DAB500

£ 150 5

* * * * *

Another success for the Richer Sounds brand. This upgraded tuner sounds very good indeed – excellent value

For
Fine sound quality with good bass and crisp treble; very easy to set up
Against
Often let down by the quality of transmissions, but that's all

The DAB500 builds on the success of Cambridge Audio's first digital radio tuner, the DAB300, which was reduced by £30 from its original price to make way for this one. That model is now £120, while the DAB500 is £150 and justifies its cost by the use of improved components all the way through the sound-critical sections of the signal path.

The basic digital radio module is the same Frontier Silicon FS2020 unit found in the DAB300 – and indeed many other tuners of this kind – but downstream of this is enhanced digital-to-analogue conversion, again sourced from Wolfson, but surrounded with enhanced DAC and analogue circuitry of Cambridge Audio's own design.

This uses surface-mount technology, higher quality components and a split power supply, with a separate section for the analogue audio output, all in the quest for better sound quality.

Another bit of in-house thinking comes in the form of a facility you'd probably never know was there unless someone told you. The tuner offers Cambridge's own Natural Contour Technology (NCT), which is designed to enhance the sound of digital broadcasts, and perhaps even address some of the reservations expressed by some listeners about a slightly mechanical sound of DAB.

In fact, the basic quality of the broadcasts themselves is often more of a problem than the sound of the reception equipment, what with the low bit-rates on some stations, and excessive compression on what are considered to be the more popular services.

A warm, clear presentation
Anyway, rant mode off, and back to NCT: the flat setting is standard, while 'Lo' adds warmth and 'Hi' gives a more upfront presentation. But the fact that the facility is accessed via a rear-panel switch suggests Cambridge views this as something with which you should tinker at set-up, then leave well alone.

We found the DAB500 sounds best in the standard position, with a presentation that's both warm and clear: listen to a good Radio 3 concert relay and the ambience is superb. It's only so-so with some of the pop stations – but then that's hardly the tuner's fault – and offers a bit of bite the DAB300 opposite lacks. It's another excellent budget buy.