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Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner
Sale price: $99.95
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Sony
Color: BLACK
EAN: 0027242730304
Feature(s): High Fidelity AM/FM/HD Radio™ TechnologyClear, static-free radio receptionFM Multicasting with No Monthly Subscription FeesAudio Out JackFull Function Remote Control (Included)
Autographed: False
Memorabilia: False
Item Dimensions: Height 2.38"Width 7.13"Length 6.38"Weight 2.7 lbs.
Label: Sony
List Price: $99.95
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: XDRF1HD
MPN: XDRF1HD
Package Dimensions:
Height: 3.9"
Width: 7.9"
Length: 3.9"
Weight: 2.2 lbs.
Product Group: CE
Publisher: Sony
Studio: Sony
UPC: 027242730304
Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
It's the most significant advancement in radio broadcasting since the introduction of FM stereo more than 50 years ago. HD-Radio technology enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally - a tremendous technological leap from the analog broadcasts of the past. Enjoy better sound and clear reception. New multicasting options let you get more from your radio for your radio listening. It's time your radio or audio system upgrades to HD-Radio. Sony XDR-F1HD is the accessory to do it!
Experience more choices, crystal clear sound, and no subscription fees. Enjoy music the way it was meant to be heard with AM stations that can deliver FM sound quality and FM stations that sound like your favorite CDs. With static-free sound and an easy-to-read dot matrix LCD for viewing important information, the XDR-F1HD receiver is the perfect choice for adding HD radio reception to a home audio system. Includes remote control. No Monthly Subscription Fees - HD Radio programming is free, unlike satellite radio where you have to purchase a subscription. Audio Out Jack for easy hook up to an audio system. Backlit LCD Display - easy to see large, full-dot backlit LCD display has brightness, contrast and display mode adjustments Full Function Remote Control Included Unit Dimensions (Approx.) - 7 1/8 x 2 3/8 x 6 3/8 inches (180 x 60 x 160mm) (w/h/d) not including projecting parts and controls; Weight (Approx.) - 2lb 6.8oz (1.1kg)
Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.0
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-08-28
Content: Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner clearly exceeded my expectations! This receiver has an incredible tuner, especially by today's standards, when it comes to DX'ing AM or FM.
This receiver was able to pick up several long distant stations, and picked up a few more HD signals than my other unit.
You will not be disappointed!
Summary: Sony HD AM-FM Receiver
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-08-26
Content: I use this at work, and has really enhanced my listening. Several of my favorite stations were not strong enough in analog, but pulls in very well with digital. One annoying trait, when signal is weak, it just cuts out in digital, unlike in analog, you just receive a more signal that degrades with static.
Summary: Excellent Upgrade on Tuner
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-08-25
Content: Great Tuner. Receiving HD stations over 70 miles away. I really like the
low amount of processing on Hd compared to the squashed audio major market programmers think sound good. The radio has lived up to its claims.
Summary: Great Tuner
Rating - 4 Date: 2008-08-23
Content: As I write this, the Sony XDR-F1HD HD tuner is something of a bargain. iBiquity has a [...] rebate on many HD products, bringing the net cost to [...]. Even if you want the XDR-F1HD just for HD, it's a steal.
Assuming it's a good product, of course. So just how good is it? It's amazingly good - at least as far as picking up stations goes. Using an AudioPrism 6500 mini-antenna (which I reviewed and strongly recommended some years ago in Stereophile), located in a part of my condo that doesn't get good reception, 20 of the 23 current Seattle HD stations listed at [...] popped in cleanly. That's pretty good.
Selectivity is exceptional. When tuning 100kHz off-center of an analog-only station, virtually nothing comes through. This suggests the IF strip has a bandwidth no wider than it needs to be, with very steep skirts.
The manual isn't so hot (what did you expect?), but it doesn't take long to figure out, and once you've figured it out, you'll never have to refer to the manual again. Presetting the stations is exceptionally easy - much easier than with most tuners.
So what about sound quality?
iBiquity's claim of "higher-quality sound" is a bald-faced lie, and their claim that "FM stations ... sound like your favorite CDs" patently untrue. HD uses lossy compression, so (assuming the analog signal is of good quality), HD reception _has_ to be audibly inferior.
Is it? Yup. I compared the XDR-F1HD to a recently purchased Parasound T3 on KING FM, a classical-only station. The differences are immediately audible. The XDR-F1HD is slightly darker and less "airy". Worse, the sound is "flatter" and less "refined" -- it sounds as if some of the "subtlety" has been lost.
Most Seattle FM stations broadcast HD, so it was hard to find a decent-sounding one that was still analog-only. I settled on KNDD. There was no immediately obvious difference in sound between the XDR-F1HD (in analog) and the Parasound T3.
I wanted to compare analog reception with HD, but the XDR-F1HD won't let you do that. If a station broadcasts in HD, that's all you get. You can't switch to analog. Bummer.
The XDR-F1HD does, indeed "run warm". The heat is not from the tiny transformer at the back, but (I assume) the iBiquity chip. It doesn't run (what I would consider) hot, but you shouldn't install it anywhere with poor air circulation.
All this doesn't mean you shouldn't own the XDR-F1HD (or any HD tuner). It can get good reception where analog reception is intermittent or poor, and HD offers extra programming (such as 24-hour BBC, different music, etc). But the XDR-F1HD is not a replacement for a conventional tuner -- not, at least, for listeners who really care about sound quality.
The four-star rating is for the XDR-F1HD as an HD tuner. I would have given it five stars if it had the ability to play the main channel of HD stations in analog. (An S/PDIF output would have been nice, too -- the Sangean has one -- but what do you expect for [...]?)
Summary: HD is lossy compression -- what did you expect?
Rating - 4 Date: 2008-08-18
Content: I've been listening to the XDRF1HD for about a month now. Yes, it's true you can receive distant stations without too much trouble. At night I picked up an AM station in HD from St. Louis (240 miles) and Lexington, Ky analog FM(45 miles) tunes in with no problem. FM Radio stations are using different processing on their digital signals, so some do sound better than others. It has to do with the way the station uses a compressor, (not compression of the bit rate)- so some stations sound denser and more "alive" than others. This technology is still rather new for station operators, so as time goes by, I'm sure they will work out the quality of programs they offer. This tuner offers more music choices with the FM-2 signals locally. It's a good buy for a radio junkie like myself, who didn't want to pay a $200 for a HD radio receiver.
Summary: great tuner.
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