Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner
Digital camera Review: Great FM tuner
Summary: 5 Stars
I found out about this device from a mention in a Ham radio publication, CQ-VHF, then I began to research it. I read reviews geared to Audiophiles, Ham radio operators, broadcast engineers and hackers. They all agreed it is a great tuner. They all say it is very sensitive has great sound and they are all in love with the HD performance. All saying it is better than a more expensive unit by Sangean. I agree with all the statements I've read about it's performance. Here is what I observe about the unit. Most people complain it runs hot, I disagree, it is a little warm but nothing out of the ordinary. They complain you cannot shut off the display when it is off, so what, I don't care, it doesn't bother me at all. It's said that the memory is lost very quickly when it is unplugged, I haven't tested that and I can mod the unit to fix that. The only other comment I've seen relates to its behavior with a weak signal and how it blends the channels to reduce noise. I haven't noticed anything in that regard.
Here is what I don't like about it. It doesn't come with batteries for the remote. I discovered this at 9PM and had to make a mad dash to the corner store for two AAA cells. I have a lot of AA cells but almost no one uses AAA cells. The remote will not change the volume, this is really annoying, no mute either. You cannot use the buttons on the remote for direct frequency entry. The photo of the unit is almost misleading, it is very small. It will almost hide behind a $100 bill.
HD is broadcast with a power level -20db from the main FM transmitter, that's 1% of the main carrier power. Understanding that you can see my concern about WQXR-FM in NYC going from a 6,000 Watt carrier on 96.3 MHz to a 600 Watt transmitter at 105.9 MHz. Thats a drop in HD power from 60 W down to 6 W. Imagine a 6 Watt light bulb on top of the Empire State Building! That is the power this tuner is dealing with. Yet, in North Brooklyn, using a roof TV antenna "temporarily" in my bedroom, HD reception is perfect. Forget the monthly fees of XM and Sirius, go HD. Buy this tuner.
Digital camera Review: How can something so cheap sound so good?
Summary: 5 Stars
A superb, incredibly well priced tuner. Sensitivity and selectivity far better than even the best vintage units. The sound quality of the Sony will be bested (very slightly) by the very expensive vintage tuners on strong FM signals, but for most stations the Sony kicks butt sonically. I suggest the Brian Beezley modifications for even better sound.
Run, do not walk, and pick up one of these tuners. At this price, buy two. It's a no-brainer.
Digital camera Review: Sony HD radio turner
Summary: 4 Stars
Unit worked as advertised. Was fairly easy to set up. There are lots of HD FM stations in the area, so lots to choose from. However, I really can not tell much (if any )difference between a good FM station and the same station in HD. Maybe it is my ears (but I don't think so). By the way, the unit is a good night light for the room that it is in. Thank goodness, it isn't in my bedroom.Digital camera Review: Good HD radio tuner
Summary: 5 Stars
My garage radio freaked out in one of our lightning storms and wouldn't tune to any radio stations anymore. Everything else worked fine, the external cd player, etc. I bought this and connected it to the auxillary input of my amplifier, and it worked great. The sound appears to add something that my original amp tuner didn't do. I get a more crisp sound. As an added bonus, I can receive a radio station, that is out of reach for the garage tuner as well as the tuner in my house that has an external antenea, that we always wanted to listen to. So I also bought one for the house. Overall, I think this was a good buy.Digital camera Review: Good HD Tuner with poor interface.
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a tuner only, it needs to plug into a stereo or amp. Prior to this I used a slimpc server from logitech which gave internet radio. It was great but needed a pc running somewhere in the house. My wife found the slimplayer a bit complex.
I plugged in the Sony unit and it only had RCA outputs and I couldnt find a volume control. I have the unit in my living room on top of a speaker and the amp in a closet nearby. I thought the identical square, small labels on the buttons were very poor and actually had to OPEN the manual. Un-acceptable for this kind of product. Saving presets is stupid and its easy to set a wrong preset.
Pros
- small
- good sound
- fast tuning
- good remote
Cons
- poor buttons - always setting presets
- no volume control
- no digital outputs
- no headphone jack.
- rca fm antenna jack
- hot.. how much power is being wasted?
Other products in this space.
- No internet radio
- No playlist
- No Itunes dock
- No tagging
Other reviews say AM sounds bad. I feel the talk radio hosts are the problem... Shouldn't there be some kind of law about
the nonsense some of these guys spew? If you only listened to talk radio you'd be convinced that Obama's sole mission was ruining the country and Bush was a swell guy.
Other than that I would NOT get this unit again. Look at stereos with HD built in for a similar price.
I replaced my factory car system with a $130 unit that has every feature and bluetooth and HD and Itunes. I should have got a car stereo and mounted it in a nice box.