from Mount Laurel NJ

I too bought this the first day out. I like the size of this little guy. It's just right for me. The buttons are in a good spot, and fairly well spaced out between them for me. The sound out of this little guy was VERY good. Of course, if you use better headphones/speakers then the sound will be better. The case seems to pickup finger oils and its not that easy to get rid of them. The reception on this was difficult. At home in my house great, in my truck only at the windows. I tried this at the four different sites I work at and found it to need a clear line to the sky (but yet at home it was fine). I'm not sure why that is, more play is needed. For the $50 price tag this was great buy, one I support others in even though I usually don't support buying store brands like this.

What's great about it: Size, layout, sound

What's not so great: Case picks up finger print smudges, earphones, and play/charge

I would recommend this to a friend!

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Customer Rating

EXCELLENT HD Pocket Radio

on July 15, 2009

Posted by: hihat

from New York, NY

This is my first HD radio, and it's a pip! I'm really blown away by the stunning sound quality.

Now granted, I am using Bose Earbuds instead of the cheapo earbuds packed in with the radio. Clearly, you do NOT have to use the supplied earbuds for proper reception!

I compared the sound of my favorite analog classical FM station, WQXR, to the sound of the public radio's HD2 station, and as good as WQXR sounds, the HD was MUCH better. Better fidelity, greater dynamic range, complete absence of noise of any kind.

I also find HD much LESS prone to signal interruptions and sound glitches than analog FM, both as I walk around the city listening to the radio and sitting listening to it in my apartment.

Really the only negative I can cite is the way the screen becomes completely unreadable in bright sunlight. If you have your favorite stations preset, however, you should be able to find your way around the dial without a problem.

The other hassle I encountered was convincing the sales people at the local BB that this radio existed and that the store indeed carried it. They didn't know what it was, insisted they didn't stock it, and even suggested I look for an HD radio at Radio Shack!

So -- if you want to purchase one of these splendid little radios at a BB store, you'll have to be persistent (hint: look in a locked cabinet in the mp3 department).

IMO it's well worth the effort!

What's great about it: Superb sound, extra stations, onscreen program information

What's not so great: Included earbuds, screen invisible in bright sunlight

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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Customer Rating

Very pleased with portable HD receiver

on August 2, 2009

Posted by: aerospaced

from No. Va.

I was disappointed with sound quality of the satellite radio in my car so I bought this inexpensive HD radio and connected it to my car using the headphone output into the aux input of my car radio. IMHO the sound quality when listening to HD stations is a huge improvement over FM or satellite. Excellent freq response, dynamic response and stereo separation. Very close to CD quality sound. Reception is so-so - forutnately I live about 25 miles from DC so its okay with occasional switching back and forth between HD and normal FM while drving. No problem while using it home. Anything further away however would probably be a problem. It was a bonus to find a couple of new stations that I didnt know existed. I am in process of upgrading the earphones that came with it in order to take full advantage of the excellent sound this little radio provides.

What's great about it: Sound quality is excellent, inexpensive, charges quickly, good battery life, portable

What's not so great: Display difficult to see in daylight, no bass or treble controls, quality of earphones

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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Customer Rating

Works in car-AM broadcasts on FM channels

on August 3, 2009

Posted by: cplaw

from Los Angeles, CA

Right now, I'm listening at home to an hd subchannel on my Sony noise-canceling earphones, and the sound is great.

As far as I can tell, I am receiving every subchannel broadcasting in my area. This includes several AM stations that have secondary signals on sister FM stations, including two all news stations and a popular talk station.

I drove sixty miles and back today, and got signal most of the way, except in an area near some mountains. Yes, it cut out occasionally, but the AM stations on the FM signal sound much better than over AM on my car radio. (I'm using my aux. input on my car stereo.)

Even when I can't get HD signal on FM, the analog comes in very nicely. It is the best small analog FM receiver I've owned.

No, it isn't perfect. You won't get perfect HD on a small portable unit. Once you accept that, you'll be happy with it.

The graphic display works fine, even though it isn't elegant.

I think it is an excellent value.

What's great about it: Price, usability, graphic information

What's not so great: Reception not perfect

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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Customer Rating

Don't Bother

on August 24, 2009

Posted by: JimInNH

from NH

Field tested for several days. There are at least 18 HD stations/channels in my area. Number of HD stations this device can receive while moving/driving = 0. Number of HD stations this device can receive while stationary = 2. When you can get a station the sound quality is good but not astonishingly better than regular analog FM radio. The device does switch between analog and digital signals when HD is available but the switch is not clean .. usually a delay of 2-5 seconds where there is absolute silence .. that's right .. no sound whatsoever. I would only recommend considering this for purchase if you live in the heart of a major metro area where HD towers are very nearby .. otherwise don't waste your time or money. If they really want to make this HD Radio thing fly they will need to have much better transmission of the signal.

What's great about it: When it does work it works well.

What's not so great: No reception.

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

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Customer Rating

Unbelievable HD portable

on September 28, 2009

Posted by: ClaudeB

from Houston, TX

When I first turned this little radio on, it immediately locked on to our PBS HD station 40 miles from my location. I was stunned, since I have a very expensive Cambridge Sound Systems HD table radio and I have to use an amplified antenna with that HD receiver, and it frequently drops the HD stations. This little radio has a very good HD receiver in it. I would highly recommend this radio to anyone who wants a very small portable HD receiver.

What's great about it: Ability to capture HD stations 40 milles away.

What's not so great: Battery not replaceable

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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Customer Rating

Hear it like it is, and see who is playing what.

on October 5, 2009

Posted by: uncleG

from OC, Ca

Initially I got this for my desk at work,I have poor reception and hoped it would improve. If the radio station comes in good with a regular radio it can pull in the HD signal, if the station has one. It sounds very good with the supplied earbuds, better with high quality ones. I have pluged it into my home radio aux in and even my car radio aux input and could hear a big difference in sound quality.The background noise is very low,high notes sounder cleaner and the bass notes are full and punchy.If you like music to sound it's best HD radio is the way to go and this is a quick and easy way to get it.

What's great about it: excelent sound ,song and artist information,plays on anything with aux input.

What's not so great: Has 3 sets of tuning buttons(manual,scan,preset)1 set and a mode button would be better

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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Customer Rating

Cool little device

on October 14, 2009

Posted by: Comeover

from IL

I am reviewing Version 01.00.00 of this product (as displayed on the Menu)

This gadget is a cheap and easy way to see what all the fuss is about HD Radio. If you want to listen at home or in the office and don't want to spend the hassle getting your car stereo replaced, this is an option. You'll need to plug it into a mini USB cable to charge it for a few minutes after you take it out of the box.

The RF performance is not too shabby, the antenna is the headphones or whatever wire you have plugged in to the device. So sometimes to pick up analog FM stations properly you have to move the unit and your headphone wire all over the place.

The HD Radio performance is what I would expect out of such a relatively small device with a tiny antenna (the headphone wire). It picks up all the HD Radio channels that are listed on the HD Radio station guide for my city. There are occasionally artifacts or clipping, but overall the performance is good in my eyes.

The sound quality of the HD chanels is only as good as the radio station can compress it, it'll sound the same no matter which HD radio you play it back on. If the station is broadcasting 3 HD subchannels, they have to compress each one more to make it fit into the frequency, so those channels may have a lower fidelity sound to them. Again, this is not a fault of the device.

The radio does not offer enough preset slots. It has 10, but I see no reason a simple firmware update couldn't fix this. They could potentially bring it up to 99 if they wanted.

Sometimes you will see a brief error when switching to HD-1/2/3 presets that you have made ("Channel no longer available") but shortly thereafter it soon remembers how to reset back to that channel. Again, could possibly be fixed with a firmware update.

Let's hope that they eventually provide a way to hack these devices, update the firmware, etc. Otherwise, you need to purchase the 2 year Black Tie Protection for $9.99 in case failures occur, as this device only comes with a 90-day Parts & Labor warranty.

Add more presets and an AM tuner and this device would be even better.

4 stars out of 5

What's great about it: An affordable way to listen to HD Radio, charges on standard USB mini cable

What's not so great: Not enough presets (10). Some tuning issues, and slow tuning, no AM band

I would recommend this to a friend!

Sound Quality

Durability

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