HD Radio For Home

[radiolives]

I was looking into purchasing a HD Radio for the home but not sure what one to buy. I don't want to pay to much. So I'd like to have some advice in which one I should buy.

 

[radiogooroo]

Looking for a radio with built in speakers or just a tuner to connect to a home audio setup of some sort? If you're looking for just an HD tuner, I've heard good things about the Sony XDR-F1HD. Not as pricey as the Sangean tuner, but it's a solid radio. Lacks some of the geek features the Sangean has like split mode (analog in one channel, digital in the other.)

I have a Sony XDR-S3HD in my office and it works like a champ. Decent audio and looks too. Shame the lump in the line power supply cord isn't detachable. That limits placement a bit. I think this radio has been discontinued in favor of a model with an iPod dock though.

 

[Chuck]

I have a Sony XDR-S3HD in my office and it works like a champ. Decent audio and looks too. Shame the lump in the line power supply cord isn't detachable. That limits placement a bit. I think this radio has been discontinued in favor of a model with an iPod dock though.

I believe you are right. I had one of each for a while. The new one has noticeably poorer sounding speakers. That's real progress.

 

[radiogooroo]

I believe you are right. I had one of each for a while. The new one has noticeably poorer sounding speakers. That's real progress.

Disappointing!

In terms of audio quality, my favorite HD table radio has been the Boston Acoustics Recepter HD. Unfortunately, the tuner in the one I had was quite poor both analog and HD. I've heard that was fixed in later versions with more shielding around the HD chipset.

Of course, it's discontinued.

 

[ddsparxx]

I have the same Sony HD table radio, not sure why there is the "lump" there, my guess is a transformer inside it. Probably has to do with keeping any noise and interference to the radio down.

 

[Chuck]

I have the same Sony HD table radio, not sure why there is the "lump" there, my guess is a transformer inside it. Probably has to do with keeping any noise and interference to the radio down.

It is the power supply, but its presence probably has more to do with getting UL and CSA approval than eliminating noise. It is easier and cheaper to just buy an already approved third party power supply than it is to submit a radio for the certification process. That's why so much stuff we buy runs off of "Wall Warts." It is an inexpensive way to handling the problem.

To complicate matters, HD radios use a lot of power. The Sony tuner-only version has two supplies; A 5 volt that supplies about 1.5 amps and a 12-13 volt supply that runs another 0.5 amp or so (at least). The stand-alone radio version would need even more current, since it is expected to drive loudspeakers at a reasonable volume. You couldn't get that kind of power out of a standard size "wall-wart,” so the "lump in the line" is the next choice. I'll grant you that it is pretty hard to hide behind most furniture.

 

[radiolives]

Looking for a radio with built in speakers or just a tuner to connect to a home audio setup of some sort? If you're looking for just an HD tuner, I've heard good things about the Sony XDR-F1HD. Not as pricey as the Sangean tuner, but it's a solid radio. Lacks some of the geek features the Sangean has like split mode (analog in one channel, digital in the other.)

I have a Sony XDR-S3HD in my office and it works like a champ. Decent audio and looks too. Shame the lump in the line power supply cord isn't detachable. That limits placement a bit. I think this radio has been discontinued in favor of a model with an iPod dock though.

I was thinking about the Sony XDR-S3HD as I don't have reciever to hook the Sony XDR-F1HD. But the Sony XDR-F1HD looks nicer but its only a turner. Could hook it up to my LCD input on the TV but I don't want to do that.

Any other HD Radios that aren't Sony but are still a great choice to get?

 

[fybush]

You don't need a receiver for the F1...get a decent pair of powered speakers (computer speakers are the easiest solution here), and you're good to go.

The F1 is head-and-shoulders above pretty much anything else out there, analog or digital. I've nearly retired my Carver TX11b (tricked out with narrow filters for FM) for which I paid an arm and a leg years ago; the Sony, right out of the box, is that much better, and for just a hundred bucks.

 

[radiolives]

You don't need a receiver for the F1...get a decent pair of powered speakers (computer speakers are the easiest solution here), and you're good to go.

The F1 is head-and-shoulders above pretty much anything else out there, analog or digital. I've nearly retired my Carver TX11b (tricked out with narrow filters for FM) for which I paid an arm and a leg years ago; the Sony, right out of the box, is that much better, and for just a hundred bucks.

Thanks. I didn't think the computer speakers would be able to connect. But I'll give it a try.

 

[Play Freebird]

You don't need a receiver for the F1...get a decent pair of powered speakers (computer speakers are the easiest solution here), and you're good to go.

The F1 is head-and-shoulders above pretty much anything else out there, analog or digital. I've nearly retired my Carver TX11b (tricked out with narrow filters for FM) for which I paid an arm and a leg years ago; the Sony, right out of the box, is that much better, and for just a hundred bucks.

Thanks. I didn't think the computer speakers would be able to connect. But I'll give it a try.

Another option -- if you enjoy listening on headphones:

http://amppuzzles.com/

A friend of mine bought one of these through eBay (see the link at bottom of the page -- asking price is only $65 including shipping from Hong Kong) which I'm currently borrowing for evaluation. With a 12AU7 dual triode for voltage gain and a pair of MOSFET source followers (to provide ample current for the low impedance load) it sounds very nice and does help to "warm up" the slightly "digital" sound of the Sony tuner. With only 24 volts on the plate, the 12AU7 is so linear that it requires no negative feedback. However, the supplied Chinese tube is a bit microphonic. I need to swap it for something better like an Amperex and see if that helps.

If AmpPuzzles marketing has left you skeptical, let me just say "Hearing is Believing".

For those who enjoy homebrewing, here's the basic circuit:

http://diyaudioprojects.com/Solid/12AU7-IRF510-LM317-Headamp/

 

[KB1OKL]

You don't need a receiver for the F1...get a decent pair of powered speakers (computer speakers are the easiest solution here), and you're good to go.

The F1 is head-and-shoulders above pretty much anything else out there, analog or digital. I've nearly retired my Carver TX11b (tricked out with narrow filters for FM) for which I paid an arm and a leg years ago; the Sony, right out of the box, is that much better, and for just a hundred bucks.

Thanks. I didn't think the computer speakers would be able to connect. But I'll give it a try.

Another option -- if you enjoy listening on headphones:

http://amppuzzles.com/

A friend of mine bought one of these through eBay (see the link at bottom of the page -- asking price is only $65 including shipping from Hong Kong) which I'm currently borrowing for evaluation. With a 12AU7 dual triode for voltage gain and a pair of MOSFET source followers (to provide ample current for the low impedance load) it sounds very nice and does help to "warm up" the slightly "digital" sound of the Sony tuner. With only 24 volts on the plate, the 12AU7 is so linear that it requires no negative feedback. However, the supplied Chinese tube is a bit microphonic. I need to swap it for something better like an Amperex and see if that helps.

If AmpPuzzles marketing has left you skeptical, let me just say "Hearing is Believing".

For those who enjoy homebrewing, here's the basic circuit:

http://diyaudioprojects.com/Solid/12AU7-IRF510-LM317-Headamp/

I'd like to buy one just to have it.