Objections to 'distortion-free' Switchdigital DAB radio ad upheld

One listener said that the claim "distortion free" was misleading. He believed that DAB digital radio distorted the sound by compressing audio information of CD quality and removing some of the original data before attempting to recreate the original sound.

The other listener said that although the DAB digital radio was free from "hiss" or "crackle", he believed that a "gurgling noise" permeated the sound.

The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre said that the ad did not claim that DAB digital radio duplicated the original sound of recordings. The Advertising Standards Authority agreed and the complaint was not upheld.

Switchdigital said that the assessment of audio quality was a subjective issue, which came down to individual listener choice.

It also added that may analogue radio stations compressed the sound they transmitted to produce a "richer" sound, which some listeners preferred.

An ASA statement said: "We noted that Switchdigital acknowledged that 'individual listening environments' and the presence of 'artefacts' on some radio stations could lead to problems with sound quality.

"We also noted that a signal which was too 'high' or too 'low' could lead to the sort of 'bubbly' or 'gurgling' problem highlighted by the complainant."

The ASA did however find that the radio ad was misleading, with the conclusion that not all DAB digital radio listeners would receive "distortion free" and "crystal clear" sound.

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