En principio las radios DAB no son compatibles con DAB+, salvo que: tengan un chip compatible con ambos estándares, y/o sean actualizables mediante USB/wifi.

En cuanto a la calidad DAB/DAB+/FM, echa un vistazo a estas reflexiones acerca del sistema en UK, en concreto a raíz del (supuesto) apagón analógico en el Reino Unido:

98% of stereo stations on DAB in the UK are broadcast at lower audio quality than on FM. As the BBC’s stations account for such a large proportion of all radio listening, the following table is provided to show the problems with the audio quality of the BBC’s stations.
the BBC’s national DAB multiplex is completely full, so the BBC is unable to improve the audio quality of its stations, and the only way for the BBC to provide its stations at similar quality to than on FM is if the stations switch to using DAB+.

DAB is outdated and inefficient
The DAB system was designed 20 years ago. Due to the age of the technologies it uses, DAB has numerous drawbacks:

Lower sound quality than FM
• Extremely inefficient system by modern digital broadcasting system standards
• Unable to deliver a wide choice of stations to listeners
• Reception quality is often unreliable
• Transmission costs are far higher than on modern digital broadcasting systems
• FM transmission costs are far lower
• 120 smaller UK local stations won’t be able to broadcast on DAB due to insufficient capacity
• Smaller stations can’t afford the transmission costs on DAB
• DAB receivers are far less energy-efficient than FM receivers
• DAB transmission powers are far higher than would be required by modern digital broadcasting systems

Ventajas y diferencias DAB/DAB+

The key difference between DAB and DAB+ is that DAB+ is three times more "efficient" than DAB (see Appendices). This means that broadcasters can deliver the following via DAB+:
  1. DAB+ can deliver 3 times as many stations as DAB, or
  2. DAB+ can deliver the same number of stations at far higher audio quality than DAB is able to, or
  3. DAB+ can deliver more stations than DAB and all stations can be delivered at higher audio quality than on DAB


The final option, where DAB+ delivers a combination of more stations and at higher audio quality than DAB, is expected to be by far the most common way that DAB+ will be implemented.
DAB+ offers the following advantages over DAB:
  1. High audio quality can be delivered affordably
  2. 2 – 3 times as many radio stations can be carried on a multiplex, thus providing greater choice for listeners
  3. Transmission costs per station are 3 – 5 times lower
  4. Reception quality is far more robust
  5. Less spectrum is required
  6. Stations can deliver surround sound at low additional cost
  7. Small local radio stations would be able to afford the cost of transmitting digitally when previously they couldn’t

DAB+ delivers superior performance due to its adoption of modern technologies to replace DAB’s outdated ones:
  1. The AAC and AAC+ audio codecs – AAC is used to deliver high audio quality at higher bit rate levels (80 kbps and above), whereas AAC+ is the most efficient audio codec available today when used at low bit rate levels
  2. Reed-Solomon error correction coding – much stronger error correction than DAB’s, which leads to far more robust reception quality
  3. MPEG Surround format – added to allow broadcasters to deliver multi-channel audio efficiently and cheaply


Fuente: Plans for digital radio switchover are against the interest of consumers (Steven Green)


En España:

Resolución de 13 de julio de 2011, de la Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información, por la que se publica el Acuerdo de Consejo de Ministros de 10 de junio de 2011 por el que se aprueba el plan de digitalización del servicio de radiodifusión sonora terrestre.

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