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New Car Radios....a sorry state.
- Thread starter BruceB
- Start date
Can you explain in more detail what an SDR is? sounds interesting
I'm the OP. Took a road trip to my old stomping grounds in Cincinnati yesterday and found that the reception down there is better. interesting.Seems like the Shark Fin antenna might be a little more terrain sensitive than the old style whip antennas.
Sound quality is still disappointing though.
Sound quality is still disappointing though.
Base level radios in most vehicles have sounded like garbage for decades, it's nothing new. If you want decent sound, get the upgraded trim with the premium speakers which typically includes a better amp, HD Radio tuner, etc. too.
I don't think you read my original post. I said that the music from my phone and from the USB drive sounds great, so it's not the speakers as for H. D,in this market, there's very little worth listening to. That's why I didn't pay the extra $2000.
Which is basically just 2 more speakers..from the Honda forum they say the amp is the same in all trims.
OEM car radios have had terrible sound quality for decades now. They know dealers get more complaints from customers about the reception being staticky than about the sound quality being poor, so even on FM, they drastically roll off the high end and you basically get no stereo separation unless you're parked right underneath the tower -- most don't even have a stereo indicator anymore.
Nissan radios are particularly bad because on FM they automatically narrow the IF bandwidth on weak signals to such an extent that the audio becomes badly distorted.
Also it's disappointing how radios equipped with HD Radio, which means they have a synchronous detector for AM, don't use it on analog AM signals, where it could eliminate selective fading distortion and make the audio sound a lot cleaner.
Nissan radios are particularly bad because on FM they automatically narrow the IF bandwidth on weak signals to such an extent that the audio becomes badly distorted.
Also it's disappointing how radios equipped with HD Radio, which means they have a synchronous detector for AM, don't use it on analog AM signals, where it could eliminate selective fading distortion and make the audio sound a lot cleaner.
I agree.I just went to Cincinnati to visit an old friend and he has a new Nissan Rogue and the FM radio in the Rogue sounds worse than in my Honda.
I read it, but usually premium sound systems are much better than base. Even if you don't have any HD Radio stations in your area, the tuner chip that includes HD is probably better than the base radio chip all around. I would be surprised if the premium Honda speakers are identical to the base speakers, that would make no sense. But I don't own one so I don't know. In most vehicle brands the premium sound package is a significant upgrade.
First I don't have the base model I have the middle of the three trims. According to the fanboys on the Honda forum the only difference between top trim and mine is HD and two extra speakers in the back.
And again, the music through my phone or the USB drive sounds great, so it is not the speakers.
The post from Kevtronics sounds right to ne.
Software-Defined Radio (SDR) - Definition | Trend Micro (US)
A software-defined radio (SDR) system is a radio communication system that uses software to process various signals (modulation, demodulation, decoding, etc.) in lieu of the traditional hardware components that are generally made for those dedicated tasks.
Typically they are DSP receivers similar to what you see in new portable radios like many Tecsun models. They have some options configurable in software like AM bandwidth and soft muting weak signals. Unfortunately most car radios have these features all locked down so you can't change them.
The 100% OEM stereo in my '94 GMC pickup, while on the tinny side even with a pair of upgraded speakers, actually sounds pretty good, even on AM. Much clearer and easier to hear than my newer cars (2014 Prius v and 2017 Subaru Outback). I was quite surprised, actually. And it supports AM Stereo. Speaking of, I found that in the presence of a very strong signal, it actually automatically widens the bandwidth and sounds remarkably like FM.
Agreed.
The 2017 Outback is about as new as I want to go, but since it seems to have a habit of eating transmissions (original was replaced about 2 years ago, about 2 years after we bought the car certified pre-owned, and now that 2 year old replacement is beginning to fail), so I'm not too excited, and I kind of regret buying it.
I'm kind of split on what I want my next car to be. It will probably be either a late 90s or early 2000s Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V (both cars came standard with AM/FM and I think cassette; I believe CD players were optional for the most part, but standard on the highest trims, especially after 2000).
It's about time someone changes that! It seems like it would be doable for one with the ability to access and hack the radio's firmware (in some cases, updates to the head units' firmware exist and are publicly available, so it may be a simple matter of deciphering whatever firmware bits are relevant to the radio, adjusting them to our liking, and then fooling the head unit into installing the "update").
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It works for me in most cases except when my wife and/or daughter are with me.
Why doesn't it work w/them?
Just bought a newer car radio for $450, looking forward to putting it in and having better navigation and HD stations that don't stream or have translators.
Just a difference in what they listen to. My wife usually scans the radio until she finds a song she likes, usually AC, rock, country or CCM, and switches when they go to ads or talk. My daughter usually wants to hear music from Spotify. I usually listen to classic Christian rock or podcasts that I've downloaded to a flash drive when I'm by myself in the car since that usually turns out to be when I can hear what I want.
I can always get better speakers, but if I end up getting rid of the old '02 Hyundai Santa Fe, strong FM reception and selectivity are a must.
The shark-fin antenna on my old '07 Hyundai Elantra (in a junkyard now) was better than the Santa Fe. The fringe FM capabilities were about as good as my TEF6686.
The shark-fin antenna on my old '07 Hyundai Elantra (in a junkyard now) was better than the Santa Fe. The fringe FM capabilities were about as good as my TEF6686.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered ad free subscriptions too, like Netflix does.
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