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Which of the new tabletop hybrid digital HD radios have the best audio quality?

If you can find one to buy, come back here and let's discuss it.

I'm not trashing you, I'm just saying this stuff is NOT on the market in any quantity whatsoever.
 
Voxx is an umbrella group that owns Jensen, RCA and other brand rights in the US, I think.

I don't think any of these product makers have anything close to Tivoli or Bose "quality" except maybe Acoustic Research, and I honestly don't know jack about them and shouldn't even be saying one way or the other.
 
I know NOTHING about the models mentioned. What I do know is that Sony had a *fair* HD Radio "table model" [wood cabinet, above-one-watt-amp, and good speaker], and it was discontinued about the same time they dropped their commendable component HD-capable AM-FM component tuner.
Sony appears to have exited HD Radio—as have most marquee consumer brands. Interesting, that they remained dedicated to "AM Stereo" for a FAR LONGER period of time than they were willing to tolerate HD Radio!
Honestly, unless HD [in]capability is hiding in a mobile sound dashboard unit, I CAN'T FIND ONE in ANY consumer electronics retailer I visit these days! :D
 
You can't find any HD Radios in any consumer retailer any more....because there aren't any. They've all been withdrawn. The sole survivor is the little ersatz-iPod-looking Insignia portable at Best Buy. Anything else having to do with HD is a car aftermarket unit. iBiquity appears to have surrendered in the consumer radio market and they're focusing on getting into car radios via stealth and forcing the cellphone manufacturers to include it in handsets by legislative action.

Predictions (I know they're dangerous): if HD makes it way into car radios in any quantity, that will simply result in listeners driving around with HD defeated so they can listen to the reliable analog product which sounds just as good (better in many cases.) And expect major, major pushback from cell providers.

For broadcasters: the sole interest will be in using HD to leverage analog FM translators. Not even the much-vaunted "multicasting" is successful in the real-world marketplace.
 
Savage said:
And expect major, major pushback from cell providers.
Click to expand...

Nailed it, sir!

I can assure you that AT&T, smarting after the defeat during the TMobile merger debacle, will throw around so much money on this one that iBiquity will come out of this with its head on a circular blue platter! ;D
 
Yepper, call it the Struble Blue Plate Special. ;) :D All the typical wishful-thinking Press-Agentry being tossed about by iBiquity and the perennially-hapless NAB about "strategic partnership" with cell providers is pathetic. What incentive is there for cell companies to include local radio coverage on phones? The only thing that might accomplish would be reduction in data useage, which is contrary to the best interests of cell companies. Why would they partner with broadcasters just so they can sell less of one of the products from which they derive revenue?

Besides, it's hard for me to picture consumers walking around listening to the radio on their phones, especially given the homogenized pablum offered by most format radio these days. I don't know about you guys but during all the hours I'm vertical, I'm constantly using the phone for communication and conducting business. It doesn't have any spare time to play radio programming.
 
HD radio in a cell simply won't perform very well due to an insufficient antenna. Besides that, why risk running the battery down listening to the radio?

I take along my SONY SRF-59 Walkman when I want pocket-sized radio listening on the go and enjoy long listening periods with no fear of running the phone battery out and the enjoyment of reliable high-fidelity analog audio.
 
Savage, your phone must be special. My "smart" phone does a hundred things and none of them well, including the simple task of making a phone call. :D

One thing I do know though is people whose phones work reasonably well, they use the streaming radio on them. A lot, if they have good service and unlimited data. I do most of my online streaming (of a commercial radio station) on my own home wifi network because the 3G CDMA is just utter crap. I don't even care to specify my own network. All of them are so limited compared to GSM HSDPA/HSDPA+ or whatever it's called.

And believe me, streaming Pandora sucks the battery down a lot more than a built-in (analog) radio chip would. My phone's FM is disabled, but my old Sony Walkman's radio is great. I can get a whole day's worth of radio, internet and the occasional phone call with it.

I've long argued that having HD on a phone, if it doesn't aversely affect battery life, would be a good thing if the technology wasn't so flawed. I'd much rather listen to my preferred station OTA on the go than waste bandwidth or hit a data cap.
 
"You can't find any Ibiquity System receivers in any consumer retailer any more, because there aren't any."
Click to expand...

You're absolutely positive of that? You have absolute 100% proof of that allegation, having personally visited every single consumer electronics retailler in the entire nation?

Oooookay, then. If you say so.....

*tauntingly* .......I know something you don't knowwwwww...........
 
Well, Darth, I obviously don't have access to the POS retail systems at each electronics retailer nationwide. You're torturing logic here. What I was trying to say is, nobody is actively marketing and stocking new HD Radio stock that I'm aware of, save the Insignia portable. We all know that BA, Rat Shack, SONY, COBY, Jensen et all have "left the HD building." The reasons have been amply discussed here. The few radios that do sell are generally returned because of unsatisfactory performance. We all predicted that was going to happen starting as early as 2008. Nobody is going to stick with selling return-prone items; it's the kiss of death.

I'm sure anyone can find closeouts, disco's, and returned units in the dusty "clearance" sections of any given retailer. I don't think they count as generally "available."

Okay, so you're taunting. Precisely what DO you know about this "that I don't know?" Care to share your insight with the rest of the class??
 
Last time I was in a Best Buy I couldn't find much of anything for HD Radio. In the home radio section all of the store signage was advertising iPod docks and internet radio as the selling points. There were no HD capable units for sale here except for the Insignia portable one and even then there wasn't any signage promoting HD radio near it.

Over in the car radio section, satellite radio was the main feature being advertised. There were several HD capable car radios for sale but I only knew that from seeing the HD logo on the display model or box.

There was nothing advertising HD radio, or showcase it to new customers. Maybe its not this way everywhere, we only have 1 HD station.
 
"Okay, so you're taunting. Precisely what DO you know about this "that I don't know?" Care to share your insight with the rest of the class?"
Click to expand...

Only glad to.

Built-in:
http://cartoys.com/products/product.cfm/Alpine/Alpine-CDE-HD138BT-CD-Receiver-with-built-in-HD-Radio
http://cartoys.com/products/product.cfm/Pioneer/Pioneer-AVHP-8400BH-DVD-HD-Receiver-w-iPod-BT

Ibiquity backends (for other rigs)
http://cartoys.com/products/product.cfm/Alpine/TUA_T550HD
http://cartoys.com/products/product.cfm/Pioneer/Pioneer_GEX_P20HD_HD_Radio_Tuner

They have a couple other models with it built in, but you get the idea. They sell brand-new rigs, not refurbs, closeout or Coby junk. Car Toys are currently very actively marketing Ibiquity receivers on their radio and television spots. They are a local company incorporated in Vancouver/Portland since about the early 1980s; top-notch and professional. They know what they are talking about, so it'd do a brother well to listen to them.

Spin it however you will.

[size=8pt]_________________________________
* A logical fallacy this particular board is unfortunately rife with.
 
Or I could just point out that's ONE retailer in Vancouver/Portland.

Kinda hard for Those Who Thirst For HD Wonderfulness to drive to Car Toys from New York. Or Dallas. Or Tucson. Yeah, I know, they'll probably sell stuff online, but my point was about retail. You can still buy AM C-Quam receivers online, but you'll never find one in a store.

If this post amounts to "spin" in your book - so be it.

I almost forgot: the two links you posted are for CAR AUDIO systems. Just sayin'..... ;)
 
"I almost forgot: the two links you posted are for CAR AUDIO systems."
Click to expand...

I realise that, however, your statement was that one couldn't find any receivers in any consumer electronics retailler, period. You didn't indicate preference for any specific form factor.
 
Heads up, Darth! Gotta keep up. ;D ;) Check reply #5. This discussion is about standalone receivers, not car audio.

But I will also respond to that challenge. Aftermarket car audio is a tiny and disappearing segment of receiver sales. Factory car receivers are no longer the cheapo dreck Detroit was slapping into 1970s Mustang IIs. They're sophisticated high-power multispeaker systems fully integrated with Nav/Com electronics, steering wheel controls, and on-board computers. Notwithstanding the silly allegations of HD boosters there is no evidence that because people are keeping their cars longer, that they'll be yanking factory radios and that will "ensure" future acceptance of HD Radio. As usual the HD-types are piling fallacy on fallacy.

25 years ago sure, drywall installers were swapping Kraco cassette AM-FMs for Kraco CD players in their rusty pickups, and I suppose they're still willing to do so today. Is that a lucrative market for HD today?? Class? Anyone??
 
Savage said:
Heads up, Darth! Gotta keep up. ;D ;) Check reply #5. This discussion is about standalone receivers, not car audio.

But I will also respond to that challenge. Aftermarket car audio is a tiny and disappearing segment of receiver sales. Factory car receivers are no longer the cheapo dreck Detroit was slapping into 1970s Mustang IIs. They're sophisticated high-power multispeaker systems fully integrated with Nav/Com electronics, steering wheel controls, and on-board computers. Notwithstanding the silly allegations of HD boosters there is no evidence that because people are keeping their cars longer, that they'll be yanking factory radios and that will "ensure" future acceptance of HD Radio. As usual the HD-types are piling fallacy on fallacy.

25 years ago sure, drywall installers were swapping Kraco cassette AM-FMs for Kraco CD players in their rusty pickups, and I suppose they're still willing to do so today. Is that a lucrative market for HD today?? Class? Anyone??
Click to expand...

The aftermarket folks are fighting back with integration of steering wheel controls, etc. Unless the car system is integrally linked with the car's computers - it might still be possible to do an acceptable job of aftermarket installation. That said, a large part of it would be aesthetics. Now that I am "hooked" on satellite, it would be a tough sell to go back to over the air. But then Houston is a radio desert - it might be different in another market, especially one where you have to rely on rim shot DX. Assuming you could get integration into the dash with decent, factory appearance AND the car actually HAS an adequate antenna, there would be some motivation to install a Pioneer Supertuner 3D or something. HD in that situation would probably not get used because the aftermarket would be for raw station grabbing power. So far, the presence of HD-2 formats is not compelling - I'm up to 3 of some minor interest in this market. But nothing is on HD-2 that isn't done tenfold on satellite and streaming. So the real important features for my next factory installed radio would be (1) satellite, (2) streaming (3) integration with DVD player (4) iPod (5) HD radio. (6) analog. NOtice I put HD before over the air because there is NOTHING on analog in this market of any interest at all. I don't think I am that unusual in that regard, some people might swap relative positions of these priorities but I expect most people would put analog / HD radio near the bottom of the list. Times have changed, so have listening habits. On long road trips with the family, we usually play movies. Since that ties up the radio, I listen to the soundtrack while I drive. It has been that way for the last 7 years since we have had vehicles with in car DVD. Alone, it is satellite or streaming. Since I have unlimited data, it is paid for whether I use it or not.
 
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