DAB - Sound Values?

We said - Hello Ian,
As a DAB early-adopter, I’m sad to note how the sound quality falls with every innovation on the DAB platform. I note the BBC are working on an EPG that has reduced the audio quality of Radio 3 to a point where I no longer listen.
I’m concerned what BT Movio will do to Planet Rock, already a lo-fi listen. Just try Oneword or LBC. Is it me?
Bob Ellis

The Digital Radio Development Bureau said - Dear Bob,
Thanks for your note. All the market feedback we receive clearly demonstrates that consumers like DAB because of the increased choice and interactivity it offers when compared to analogue radio.
Of course, there is a relationship between the number of services offered, the data levels that support them and the bit rate level at which they are delivered. Ofcom have clear guidelines on this to ensure that the radio industry deliver to an agreed minimum standard.
More than 20,000 DAB owners have completed a survey where they rate the benefit of being able to receive new stations with a score of 87% in either the ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ category. When asked about sound quality, the same owners gave a score of 88% in the same categories.
All this has lead to Rajar (the company who monitor radio listening figures) confirming that DAB owners regularly listen to 16% more radio than they did from an analogue set. And to back that fact up, we are seeing clear sales trends that illustrate buyers are purchasing their second, third or even fourth DAB set for the home.
As the market develops further, more spectrum is released and chip technology moves on to new generations, rest assured that the radio industry will ensure that the balance between new radio services, data and digital sound quality will all compliment each other.
Best regards,
Ian Dickens
Then Chief Executive
Digital Radio Development Bureau
77, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 5DU

We said - Hello Ian,
I bought a DAB radio to listen to. Choice can be seen as "more of the same", so when you come back to the major networks, they sound poor compared to FM.
Bob Ellis