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Eric Rhoads' Mighty Red HD vs. the Insignia

KOOL Listener Lauren

KOOL Listener Lauren

Hi, my name is Lauren, (and I've never had either the 1.] pleasure, or 2.] time to waste ;D ) experiencing HD radio yet, but...

I've ordered Radio Ink's Eric Rhoads' "Mighty Red HD"-- as his goal is for everybody in this business to experience it-- and at the $35 price, I took a bite.

Reading his column about how he came about making this happen was actually a fun read, and I was impressed. But I was under the impression he developed/designed it. Then I started looking at others to see what the next cheapest price would be for a portable HD Radio. I found the Insignia.

If it were red, it'd look just like the Mighty Red. So, aren't they actually the same, other than color and price? Or would Insignia be worth the few extra bucks?
 
This is from Eric Rhoads himself, Lauren: the radios are identical. The Mighty Red IS the Insignia. So buy Eric's and a good glass of wine for yourself for the same dough as BB's version.
 
Savage said:
This is from Eric Rhoads himself, Lauren: the radios are identical. The Mighty Red IS the Insignia. So buy Eric's and a good glass of wine for yourself for the same dough as BB's version.
Click to expand...

The thing I liked about Rhoads' column is that it reminded me of the old DAK catalog...
 
EXACTLY!!! I meant to post a comment to that effect, hub. Rhoads' e-blast sounded exactly like those windy Drew Kaplan DAK catalogs of the 1980s.....the home of 4-pound cordless home phones and "premium quality" bulk cassettes that had a failure rate of about 25%.

And always at the forefront in the DAK Catalog as well as Rhoads' "Mighty Red" pitch - the PERSONAL narrative: "My friends told me I'd NEVER hold my own, singing lead for The Limeliters with my DAK Shure-Like Cardioid Mic! But sure enough....I started singing 'Since I Don't Have You' holding my NOT-SM7 and before long the whole lounge was singing and clapping along! By the end of the night I had more girls hitting on me than Tiger Woods!"

Rhoads' pitch began, characteristically, with something like: "Now, don't get me wrong. I've always been an HD Radio skeptic...." and concluding with how he's convinced HD will "save" the radio industry (which really doesn't need saving, thanks.)

(Don't these HD-pushers, protesting they don't believe in IBOC while frantically promoting it, remind you of some guy emerging onto the street from a porno movie theater? Head down, collar up, avoiding eye contact....hoping nobody recognizes them. Trying to pull off the legerdemain of stumping for HD while stridently proclaiming their skepticism.)
 
Maybe it's just me but there's something nonsensical about Eric Rhoad's idea of making cheap HD Radios available to industry folks in the hopes that they will get excited about HD Radio and, in turn, magically radiate that excitement outward into the community. It has a kind of fanciful perpetual motion machine ring to it.

I would think, if anything, that it would make more sense to offer a consignment of cheap HD Radios to radio stations for use as giveaways and that the offer should come, not from Eric Rhoads, but from Ibiquity and the HD Alliance.

I was also a little mystified by Eric's comparison of HD Radio's rollout to that of the Mini Cooper since it only served to highlight just how much a failure HD Radio is in the marketplace. Here's the problem: The Mini Cooper is exciting and cool to the same degree that HD Radio is cynical and uncool. Consumers seem to know the difference.

But I'm glad KOOL Listener Lauren got a cheap radio and is enjoying it. What else could one ask for in life (I mean, besides good health, loving family and friends and a lot of money).

c5
 
What could I ask for? Well, I avoided "Santa's Magic Lap" but I did ask him, from the safe distance of an e-mail, for a REAL radio - a Retro R601P with wood case, a speaker with a magnet that weighs more than a postage stamp (like most of today's cheesy radios) plus a backlit dial and glowing vacuum tubes inside.

Now THAT's the ticket. I'm excited about Christmas morning. I've been VERY good all year.
 
Savage said:
What could I ask for? Well, I avoided "Santa's Magic Lap" but I did ask him, from the safe distance of an e-mail, for a REAL radio - a Retro R601P with wood case, a speaker with a magnet that weighs more than a postage stamp (like most of today's cheesy radios) plus a backlit dial and glowing vacuum tubes inside.

Now THAT's the ticket. I'm excited about Christmas morning. I've been VERY good all year.
Click to expand...

Wow! Now that's a cool radio and is destined to be a collectable. No 'stinkin' expanded band AM need apply as it only tunes up to 1610. But I'll bet you it sounds super sweet. I love magic eye tuning. Reminds me of my old Grundig.

Maybe I can talk the 'missus' into buying one. "Honey, just think of the money we'll save on heating bills." If you get it I will be envious, Bob.

http://www.aspenaudio.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AA&Product_Code=CR-R601P

c5
 
hubcity said:
The thing I liked about Rhoads' column is that it reminded me of the old DAK catalog...
Click to expand...

Problem is, HD Radio is not a "bread" machine. We prefer to invest in equipment that helps to produce an actual ROI, not a fantasy.
 
Savage, that is a cool looking set! With a 9 WATT audio stage to boot!

But it doesn't appear to be able to receive HD Radio. Won't that be a drawback in a couple of years when analog radio goes away?

;D
 
It is the Insignia????
I just ordered this piece of crap for Christmas! I had 2 Insignias and returned them both to B.B. because of the fact they are crap and couldn't hold the signal...OH BOY!
 
The NS HD02 in red... 8)

I got an NS HD01 for $22 on eBay for a few channels. It does the job, mind you, with an 8-foot Y-adapter connected to an FM transmitter.
 
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