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Choosing between 2 portable HD radios

A

austingrace

Hello everyone. I sold my HDR16 earlier this year. I found it way too big for my needs. So 2 hd radios have been brought to my attention. The Sangean HDR14 and the spark portable HD radio. So what is the better radio? Reception is my biggest concern. My radio nerd side tells me to stick with Sangean but my curious side tells me to get the spark. Any of you all have experiences with these radios? I know Sangean is the master of reception in small packages but the spark seems good as well. I don't want to buy both. The Sangean is a bit more expensive. Is the extra $20 or $30 that worth it or is the spark good at $50? Thank you guys so much for the help. You all have opened my eyes to the CC EP pro and so many good radios. :) So I really appreciate you all's help.
 
Well guys. I'm leaning the sangean HDR14 direction. Hoping to be able to pick one up soon.
 
Sangean is generally a good choice for anything.

I don't think I've had a Sangean radio that didn't do a good job -- be it MW DX, FM sound or performance, SW listening, etc. They are the best radio out there for the money.

Nothing against the other makers, like CCrane, who make excellent radios. Just my observation.
 
Well guys, I did a thing and I will have an hdr14 in a few hours. :) I'm very excited to play with this radio and put it through it's paces. Amazon kept selling out but I finally grabbed one. lOL I'm a radio nerd and not a shamed. :) Also I'm starting a new youtube channel where I review this stuff. Thinking of setting up a donate link. If you guys like my reviews maybe I can do that. I'd like to hear what you all think of my radio reviews. I will review the hdr14 first and then review the other radios listed in my signature.
 
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I use my Sangean HDR-14 nearly 8 hours a day at work and would buy it again in a heart beat.

Looking forward to viewing your YouTube review also.



austingrace said:
Well guys, I did a thing and I will have an hdr14 in a few hours. :) I'm very excited to play with this radio and put it through it's paces. Amazon kept selling out but I finally grabbed one. lOL I'm a radio nerd and not a shamed. :) Also I'm starting a new youtube channel where I review this stuff. Thinking of setting up a donate link. If you guys like my reviews maybe I can do that. I'd like to hear what you all think of my radio reviews. I will review the hdr14 first and then review the other radios listed in my signature.
Click to expand...
 
I have both the Sangean and Sparc portable HD radios and both are very good. I think the Sangean is better for FM reception and sound quality, but surprisingly, in my AM DX tests, the Sparc performs slightly better and is able to pull some of those distant stations out of the clutter. So if you want good FM HD reception, go with Sangean. If you want better AM reception, try the Sparc.

Even better, IMHO, is my tabletop Sony XDR-S3HD, built at the same time with the same components as the coveted Sony XDR-F1HD. If you are looking for the best in FM reception all around, you need to get one of those. Only problem is, it’s not portable.
 
Man this is an awesome radio!!!!!!! The fm on this thing reminds me of my old prd9 and the hdr16 and a few other sangean radios I have had and I miss it. The EP is good as well but really enjoy DXing with these sangeans for some reason. The AM is decent but it could be better for sure. But I have the srf59 for a good portable AM radio. The FM is like car radio quality. I was up until 3 last night messing with it. LOL
 
Hello. Have had the hdr14 for 2 weeks. I'm finding the AM on mine is actually better than I thought. If you move the radio around a lot it does tend to drop a lot but keep it still after finding the right spot and it is quite good. Not CC 2e or EP quality but not as bad as people make it out to be. FM is still the best I have seen except for the 2e of course. Still kicking myself for selling that thing. But don't worry, I'll have my 2e back soon enough. :p :) Only reason I sold it I had very little room in my friend's apartment back in 2015 to work with so it had to go.... if any of you are looking to part with one in good condition let me know. I would gladly take it off your hands. LOL :) Anyway if you are on the fence about this radio please pick it up. I would say it's better than the spark. I don't like how the spark performs and operates.
 
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