Bought an Accurian HD Radio today!

[BruceS8852]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

 

[jras20]

Does it have a coaxal out for a external antenna?

 

[700WLW]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

It will be interesting, if you get your $25 rebate back from iBiquity; rebates are a pain, and there is no guarantee you will get your money back. I do hope you enjoy your radio, but I sure could think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on. It will be interesting, if my review of HD Radio is published for the Accurian, as my review of the Receptor HD on the RS site took a month to get published (just like Crutchfield, they must not like publishing negative reviews). I doubt, if many consumers are going to be drawn to table-top models, especially when they require external dipole/T and loop antennas.

 

[hipporadio1]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

It will be interesting, if you get your $25 rebate back from iBiquity; rebates are a pain, and there is no guarantee you will get your money back. I do hope you enjoy your radio, but I sure could think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on. It will be interesting, if my review of HD Radio is published for the Accurian, as my review of the Receptor HD on the RS site took a month to get published (just like Crutchfield, they must not like publishing negative reviews). I doubt, if many consumers are going to be drawn to table-top models, especially when they require external dipole/T and loop antennas.

I did review the Recepor HD (from Boston Acoustics) on Amazon where I am a frequent customer and "positive" reviewer. I gave it a BIG TIME THUMB DOWN--with a definate "anti-IBOC" slant. Unlike other reviewers--mine was NOT removed in a few days (aMAZON MUST "LIKE ME").

 

[hipporadio1]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

It will be interesting, if you get your $25 rebate back from iBiquity; rebates are a pain, and there is no guarantee you will get your money back. I do hope you enjoy your radio, but I sure could think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on. It will be interesting, if my review of HD Radio is published for the Accurian, as my review of the Receptor HD on the RS site took a month to get published (just like Crutchfield, they must not like publishing negative reviews). I doubt, if many consumers are going to be drawn to table-top models, especially when they require external dipole/T and loop antennas.

I recently reviewed the RECEPTOR HD from Boston Acoustics on Amazon. Since I am a frequent customer there, and generally a "positive" and "appreciated" reviewer--my "THUMBS DOWN" review of this product was NOT removed a few days later (as was the case with a few other negative reviewers). I own the "original" monaural version of this radio. It is AWESOME--in "sound" and in both AM and FM reception--the HD IBOC version is ANYTHING BUT!

As my review (candid as it my be) has "survived" the politics of this latest corporate "experiment in broadcasting" at Amazon may reflect--this is a product diminished ONLY by its attempt to comply with the sad technical realities of IBOC. The original product was awesome--and one most broadcasters on AM and FM would dream of becoming a "best buy" with listeners of radio. The HD version is SAD (as I said in the overwhelmingly-accepted review), and DOES NOT reflect well on the heritage of the well-intentioned Boston Acoustics company--who has established a GREAT REPUTATION for designing and marketing well-above-the-norm audio products at a good price point. As I said in my Amazon review: "I don't know why BA bothered..."

I'd invite you to check it out at Amazon... Let me know what you think in their "comment" section... I already know what you iBiquity "brass" are plotting--so just "SAVE IT"... I'm a "retired Indie" so you really CAN'T affect my place on this planet... Thank God!

Just give me an old GE SuperRadio or Radio Shack STA-65B (from 1970) to tune AM and FM (assuming I'd even LIKE what you guys are dishing out these days) and I'll be more than happy. If you think IBOC is your "salvation from the iPod"--you need to return to nightschool hipporadio1

 

[700WLW]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

It will be interesting, if you get your $25 rebate back from iBiquity; rebates are a pain, and there is no guarantee you will get your money back. I do hope you enjoy your radio, but I sure could think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on. It will be interesting, if my review of HD Radio is published for the Accurian, as my review of the Receptor HD on the RS site took a month to get published (just like Crutchfield, they must not like publishing negative reviews). I doubt, if many consumers are going to be drawn to table-top models, especially when they require external dipole/T and loop antennas.

I did review the Recepor HD (from Boston Acoustics) on Amazon where I am a frequent customer and "positive" reviewer. I gave it a BIG TIME THUMB DOWN--with a definate "anti-IBOC" slant. Unlike other reviewers--mine was NOT removed in a few days (aMAZON MUST "LIKE ME").

I have managed to get my negative review of the Receptor HD, also with a big anti-IBOC slant, on Amazon, Radio Shack, and Circuit City; Crutchfield outright refused to publish my review. It is interesting, that on Amazon, Hippo Radio's review has only about 60 of 65 votes, since August 20th - if only one in ten vote, which I am sure is way low, that is only 600 people looking at the Receptor HD in two months. Taking that into account, noting that the Receptor HD is ranked 8,000 on Amazon electronics, along with searches on Google Trends for HD Radio compared to Satellite Radio, HD Radio may be in trouble, and I bet the folks at iBiquity are squirming, as their make-or-break point approaches !

My initial review on Amazon was mysteriously removed, but then I posted a less insulting one under a different name, and it has been there for a while. So, YOU are HippoRadio ! I thought I saw you signed on here, as such, a while back ? BTW, your Amazon review was outstanding, and I was the first and only one to put a comment in for you. I initially wrote, "Terrestrial Radio's Desperate Attempt to Save Itself !", but it got removed, so I toned it down with, "Don't Buy Into This !".

 

[BruceS8852]

Does it have a coaxal out for a external antenna?

Yes it does. I live in Queens only about 8 miles from the transmitter at the Empire State Building so I don't need an outdoor antenna. It does come with an inexpensive copper wire FM antenna.

 

[BruceS8852]

Radiosophy lost me as a customer. I have been looking at their site since last November and their HD radio is still not on the market. There will be several models on the market for the Christmas season. Radiosophy would have cashed in if their model was available in early 2006 just after Clear Channel started their HD-2 stations.

 

[hipporadio1]

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

It will be interesting, if you get your $25 rebate back from iBiquity; rebates are a pain, and there is no guarantee you will get your money back. I do hope you enjoy your radio, but I sure could think of a lot of other things to spend $200 on. It will be interesting, if my review of HD Radio is published for the Accurian, as my review of the Receptor HD on the RS site took a month to get published (just like Crutchfield, they must not like publishing negative reviews). I doubt, if many consumers are going to be drawn to table-top models, especially when they require external dipole/T and loop antennas.

I did review the Recepor HD (from Boston Acoustics) on Amazon where I am a frequent customer and "positive" reviewer. I gave it a BIG TIME THUMB DOWN--with a definate "anti-IBOC" slant. Unlike other reviewers--mine was NOT removed in a few days (aMAZON MUST "LIKE ME").

I have managed to get my negative review of the Receptor HD, also with a big anti-IBOC slant, on Amazon, Radio Shack, and Circuit City; Crutchfield outright refused to publish my review. It is interesting, that on Amazon, Hippo Radio's review has only about 60 of 65 votes, since August 20th - if only one in ten vote, which I am sure is way low, that is only 600 people looking at the Receptor HD in two months. Taking that into account, noting that the Receptor HD is ranked 8,000 on Amazon electronics, along with searches on Google Trends for HD Radio compared to Satellite Radio, HD Radio may be in trouble, and I bet the folks at iBiquity are squirming, as their make-or-break point approaches !

My initial review on Amazon was mysteriously removed, but then I posted a less insulting one under a different name, and it has been there for a while. So, YOU are HippoRadio ! I thought I saw you signed on here, as such, a while back ? BTW, your Amazon review was outstanding, and I was the first and only one to put a comment in for you. I initially wrote, "Terrestrial Radio's Desperate Attempt to Save Itself !", but it got removed, so I toned it down with, "Don't Buy Into This !".

THANKS "700"... And I liked your "original" (and MORE insulting) review at Amazon... I guess when you've purchased 500+ CDs from them over the years, and said really nice stuff about folks who ship you stuff from their Marketplace--they are LESS concerned with the "politics" of IBOC. Fact is--Amazon will get along just fine if no additional Receptor HD is sold again ever--they'll just cash in on a SAT sale!

I have a close friend who works for Crutch, and I've just pulled a cut 'n paste on some of this with some "turse" words about your experience. Crutch usually "prides themselves" in admitting to genuine customer feedback on a product. Interesting, that they get "their panties up the crack" on an IBOC HD-Radio "issue"--I'd think that they have A LOT more at stake with an LCD vs PLASMA HDTV debate! :

 

[700WLW]

Tom,

This is what I sent Crutchfield:

I tried this radio at an electronics dealer and could only get a few FM stations - the stations sounded exactly like analog AM/FM radio, but the analog AM/FM boom-boxes were able to get many stations. The Receptor HD had the supplied long-wire antenna attached, but is now being shipped with a 7-foot dipole antenna, which needs to be mounted high up and preferably outside; AM/FM analog radios just need the supplied internal ferrite-bar and whip antennas. In the case of HD Radio, the HD does not stand for high-definition, but hybrid-digital; HD Radio implements something called digital IBOC, which has only 60% the coverage of regular analog radio, poor signal penetration into structures, and causes adjacent-channel interference. When an HD receiver goes out of range of the digital IBOC signal, there may be a delay, as it switches back and forth to analog. HD Radio has extra HD channels, which evidentually, are just extra channels of low-bitrate streams of repetitive terrestrial radio. Save your money and get Satellite Radio, Wi-Fi Radio, or iRadio (iRadio will be appearing in Rokr E2 cellular phones), which have hundreds of stations; HD Radio just carries local stations. Wi-Max, or wide-area wireless access, will bring Internet Radio to portable devices, including automobile radios, by 2008. Sirius has just come out with the Stiletto, which receives Internet Radio via Wi-Fi hotspots, as Wi-Max will eventually allow for reception everywhere. Cingular and Sprint Wireless have 50 radio channels, available through their cellular phones, for a small fee. As a matter of fact, over 200 XM Satellite Radio and HD Radio stations are free on AOL Radio, so there is no need to buy expensive HD Radio receivers.

And, this is the load I got back from them, whether true, or not:

Thanks for contacting Crutchfield. I researched the reason your review was not posted. This review was rejected because it did not fall within several of our guidelines, one of which is a requirement that the reviewer own the product being reviewed. The review in question states that you “tried” the radio at a local store, but trying it (particularly in a “store” environment, which typically is a radio frequency interference nightmare because of all the electronics in operation) does not meet our standard.

Thanks again. I hope this information helps.
Hannah
Customer Service
800-955-9091 ext 4092

 

[xmradiopro]

Hi Bruce,
I live not too far from Bruce as we know each other..we had been monitoring Radiosophy but as Bruce as mentioned they are taking much longer then expected. I hope you enjoy the Accurian HD radio. I own a Boston Recepter HD radio, I never gave it a bad review. I felt the radio within city limits for reception does a good job for HD and HD 2 & 3 reception. The radio has a great deep sound. Though I use a external antenna for HD reception due to building interference its a remarkable radio. I might decide to purchase the Accurian HD radio as a second HD radio with good reviews.

I have been wanting to buy an HD radio for sometime now. I have been waiting for the prices to come down from $300. The Accurian model at Radio Shack costs $175 after the rebate. I lives in Queens, NY about 8 miles from the Empire State Building, so I get terrific reception on the NYC HD2 stations. I can not pull in WALK from Long Island. So far I am happy with the radio and would recommend it.

 

[hipporadio1]

Tom, This is what I sent Crutchfield:

--the stations sounded exactly like analog AM/FM radio
--now being shipped with a 7-foot dipole antenna, which needs to be mounted high up and preferably outside
--only 60% the coverage of regular analog radio, poor signal penetration into structures, and causes adjacent-channel interference
--HD Radio has extra HD channels, which evidentually, are just extra channels of low-bitrate streams

And, this is the load I got back from them, whether true, or not:
Thanks for contacting Crutchfield. I researched the reason your review was not posted. This review was rejected because it did not fall within several of our guidelines, one of which is a requirement that the reviewer own the product being reviewed. The review in question states that you “tried” the radio at a local store, but trying it (particularly in a “store” environment, which typically is a radio frequency interference nightmare because of all the electronics in operation) does not meet our standard.

OK "700"... I have "quoted" all the points you made in the review submitted to Cruch (dashed above)... ALL are FACTUAL and CORRECT... And all relevant to what an informed customer is entitled to know about a $300 product BEFORE they get out their credit card. I have not published a review there (at Crutch) before, but their statement that to do so requires that you own a product purchased from them is BOGUS! I have seen MANY reviews there (in which) the reviewer states that the product commented on was NOT purchased--rather (he) is functioning as an ombudsman, of sorts, and on behalf of the interest of those reading--and considering--the purchase of the reviewed product. That was CLEARLY the case in my Amazon review of the BA Receptor-HD. I confessed that I did not buy one from them, but was offering commentary IMHO (from a unit destined for return by an unsatisfied customer)... Appears that was just fine with Amazon--and I have MANY TIMES seen the same at Crutch.

Crutch is a very fine company... I'm about to buy a Denon DVD from them. Their customer review program is a wonderful asset. I can't imagine them wanting to market a "lackluster" product. SO MUCH of their mere survival depends on customers that have a good value-centric experience with them. So what goes with this IBOC swill? Should that REALLY be something that causes them to "dance a certain step"?... One never knows. IBOC is a failure that even a mongloid could have predicted... While Crutch's arbitrary view of your legitimate opinion on a product may be questioned--it doesn't shock me considering the players involved--and their actions that may be approaching "desperate". Well... I'm off to listen to "The 60s on Six" on XM 'cause the "corporates" consider this 50-yr-old to have no "purchasing power"! ???

 

[hipporadio1]

I have managed to get my negative review of the Receptor HD, also with a big anti-IBOC slant, on Amazon, Radio Shack, and Circuit City; Crutchfield outright refused to publish my review.

Another point... Do you really believe we'd be enduring all these gymnastics if the year was 1966--and our debate was over the benefits of a 12 versus 9-transistor AM radio??? SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT! But then, either radio would do a better job of recovering an AM signal than the current $300 HD-Radio receiver we are discussing--and some choose to edit! :-*

 

[hipporadio1]

deleted

 

[hipporadio1]

NO MORE Receptor "discount" @Amazon

Amazon has been "discounting" the Boston Acoustics Receptor "HD-Radio" (approx-$300) down to a few cents shy of $200 since last June in an effort to spur sales. As of 10/22--the entire "discount" is gone--nada--no deal--back to the full $300 list. Even the celebrated "IBOC rebate" is missing from the screen. No "definative" here as to Boston Acoutic's policy on "free trade" issues, but sources say Amazon's attempt (bolstered by BA) to "blow out the radio" met with "VERY POOR response"... So (basically, "sell the remaining product to the stupid") seems to be the latest marketing angle.

This product is a flop--more sadly because its original (the Receptor mono at a commonly discounted $100) was a celebrated leader in its consumer class--a great product that every owner appreciated and rejoiced in its value. This was NOT the case with the HD version that added but one speaker and DOUBLED the $150 list cost while delivering an unreasonable facsimile of the mono-version's AM-FM reception agility.

GREAT to see this go down! Seems the "marketplace" the "corporates" commonly use to justify their misbehavior is rendering its very judgement back on them!

 

[700WLW]

Re: NO MORE Receptor "discount" @Amazon

Amazon has been "discounting" the Boston Acoustics Receptor "HD-Radio" (approx-$300) down to a few cents shy of $200 since last June in an effort to spur sales. As of 10/22--the entire "discount" is gone--nada--no deal--back to the full $300 list. Even the celebrated "IBOC rebate" is missing from the screen. No "definative" here as to Boston Acoutic's policy on "free trade" issues, but sources say Amazon's attempt (bolstered by BA) to "blow out the radio" met with "VERY POOR response"... So (basically, "sell the remaining product to the stupid") seems to be the latest marketing angle.

This product is a flop--more sadly because its original (the Receptor mono at a commonly discounted $100) was a celebrated leader in its consumer class--a great product that every owner appreciated and rejoiced in its value. This was NOT the case with the HD version that added but one speaker and DOUBLED the $150 list cost while delivering an unreasonable facsimile of the mono-version's AM-FM reception agility.

GREAT to see this go down! Seems the "marketplace" the "corporates" commonly use to justify their misbehavior is rendering its very judgement back on them!

Tom,

Thanks, for resubmitting my review - I smell iBiquity ! Yea, Amazon had the price down to $230, but the very poor sales rankings did not change ! I think it is interesting, that iBiquity is processing the rebates, and that the Receptor on Amazon has stayed firm at $300 - I bet, iBiquity is getting real desperate and wants a "head count" of the number of HD radios sold !