Best car radio tuner.

[kenrayc]

I have a question , does Pioneer or anybody have a receiver that has HD radio. I checked with Radioshack they say not yet. I do mean for the car.

[BobOnTheJob]

I have a question , does Pioneer or anybody have a receiver that has HD radio. I checked with Radioshack they say not yet. I do mean for the car.

Built-in HD radio is rare, but from the research I've done, most of the new Pioneers have an HD radio option. I had it (not on a Pioneer though), but sent it back. It's not ready for prime time yet, but then, I live about 30 miles from the nearest city with HD. The full power Indy FM's HD dies about 25-30 miles out...about 1/2 the range of analog. If you spend almost all your driving time in a large city, it might please you. Note that stations without HD-2 signals sound slightly better than analog. Those with HD-2 signals sound worse than analog. This is a flawed technology IMHO.

[ddsparxx]

JVC and Dual have head units with built-in HD radios. (I never did used them since I live too far from the major HD markets). You may want to look at Crutchfield.com

[Tom Wells]

Not surprised by the Volkswagen having a good AM.   I bought the last of the analog tuned Blaupunkts in the early 80's
( Richmond) because it had such an amazingly pleasing bandwidth/selectivity compromise with high sensitivity that can only come from
an RF amplifier stage and really sharp IF "skirts".  It tunes and "hears" quite a bit like the 1936 Philco top-of-line models, which I have two of.  Sharp enough for center tuning to avoid the 10 khz whistle, yet passing 12-3 khz audio if you side tuned properly.

I'm keeping this in the car it "goes with" now, which hasn't been driven in 10 years but will be going back to the bodyshop this year.

All the other cars have Motorola or Bendix 60s/70/s AM-FM, so they have really good AMs.

I am frequently shocked at the poor performance of modern AM receivers, both car and consumer gear.
They can sound OK (even wideband hifi in some cases) with a scorching signal, but lack gain to do anything for weak signals.
They also can't pick out adjacents from a stronger "unwanted" since they haven't any real superheterodyne stage anymore,
they're more like an early 1930's autodyne.  One of the major reasons for truly downconverting the incoming signal to an IF frequency
(like 455khz) is that it's easeir to design sharper bandpass response into a "nicer" curve for selectivity at 455 khz than it is at the incoming
frequency.  Actually is easier AND sharper at even lower fx, but we won't go into why 455 got picked here.
Very seldom will I buy a radio with poor AM section.

[KyDXIn]

I have a question , does Pioneer or anybody have a receiver that has HD radio. I checked with Radioshack they say not yet. I do mean for the car.

Built-in HD radio is rare, but from the research I've done, most of the new Pioneers have an HD radio option. I had it (not on a Pioneer though), but sent it back. It's not ready for prime time yet, but then, I live about 30 miles from the nearest city with HD. The full power Indy FM's HD dies about 25-30 miles out...about 1/2 the range of analog. If you spend almost all your driving time in a large city, it might please you. Note that stations without HD-2 signals sound slightly better than analog. Those with HD-2 signals sound worse than analog. This is a flawed technology IMHO.

Check out these reviews.  Personally, I was going with the JVC, until I decided why did I want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a horrible system that may not last?

http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-3425_7-6599910.html

[austingrace]

Hey guys. I wanted to bring this one back. I may be wrong here but I remember my friend's 2001 honda accord killing on reception. It made WVLG sound like a local here in Altamonte. A 2003 toyota rav4 was almost as equal. Both stereos had the cassette decks in them. I have used a pioneer super tuner 3d and was amazed as well.

[crainbebo]

For FM, probably the stock radio used in a 2010 Toyota Corolla, while renting it to go to Yakima in late August 2010. Here's a picture
http://image.motortrend.com/f/2010_toyota_corolla/2305892479134536533+ppromo_mt_large/radio.jpg

This radio COMPETES with the Grundig G8 as best FM radio I've ever owned. Without IBOC, all I can hear on 101.7 (next to strong 101.5) is NOTHING. I've heard KBLD 91.7 Kennewick, and a weak KUMA 92.1 Pilot Rock, OR in Yakima right next to KDNA 91.9, 10 mi away! It's also brought me 92.7 KNCW Omak, and various Seattle's on the Manastash Ridge near Ellensburg, and KMNT 104.3 (fadey but there) right next to KMCQ in Bothell. No other radio beats that one!

-crainbebo

[ddsparxx]

The stock stereo in my Civic is as good as the one in that Corolla.

[radiorob2.0]

Since this topic has come back to life.....

The car I'm driving now, a 2000 Toyota Camry, has an amazing AM section.  It the factory radio utilizing a windshield antenna and the performance is impressive.  The added bonus is something resembling bandwidth.  It isn't wideband but far better than most receivers. 

[borderblaster]

I had an aftermarket Kenwood Super Tuner II in a used Kia that worked well on both AM and FM. Wished I could have taken it with me when the car died. Have a very old but in good shape 1994 Mercury Sable with a good enough AM and FM section, but it's set to where you have to push a button that only lets you tune, rather than scan, for a few seconds. Our 2004 Dodge Caravan's radio is pretty deaf.