Sangean HDT-1 HD Radio Component Tuner
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend The latest technological innovation is HD-Radio for AM/FM sound that is above and beyond anything you've heard. HD uses a digital signal instead of analog and more stations are using it. It provides static free, crystal clear sound, allows simultaneous multi-casts from a single station, and data services giving you audio on demand, traffic and news updates and more! Did you spend hundreds of dollars on your stereo system and… Product details and pricing info |
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64 Customer Reviews Posted
- Good tuner. Needs good antenna.
- As this is the only component HD radio currently available, you're either going to get it or you won't.
When the HD signal is strong, the sound quality is very good -- wide dynamic range and very little noise. If the signal is weak, then the tuner will switch between analog and digital versions of the signal, which is disconcerting as the acoustic "image" widens for HD and narrows for analog FM. To deal with this I would have prefered a way of telling the system to ignore HD signals below a certain signal strength. - 2007-03-14, 11 of 11 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Good sound, but some usability issues
- I like the sound quality of the radio, even regular non-HD FM stations sound better than my previous JVC desktop audio system. Problems:
1. The operation range of remote is TOO short and the remote is very directional.
2. Bigger issue (to me at least) is to recall preset stations with remote or front panel. You have to press "preset" then station number. That's 2 key presses, compared with 1 key press to store a station. The rule is that easier access to more frequently used functionalities (and vice versa). Certainly I'd prefer 2 key presses to store a station and 1 for recall it. Also there's no key to browse up/down preset stations. You can circulate preset stations by press "preset" then "tune up" or "tune down", but you can hear the sound during the process, making it much less useful.
3 There are other minor usability issues. E.g., during setting clock time, you can't input 1900 for 7pm. You need to input 700 then am/pm. I was hoping that an HD radio would be able set clock automatically but at least not for this one.
Overall I rate it 4, 5 for sound quality, 3 for usability. - 2007-03-14, 8 of 9 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- An interesting tuner with outstanding selectivity.
- The HDT-1 is certainly an interesting and somewhat versatile product. The interior chassis is composed of two modules, one for signal processing and the other for power - taking about 1/10 the volume inside the empty cabinet. The exterior has a bluish-purple lcd display which is not dimmable and has a digital clock which does not keep accurate time as it is not locked to the 60HZ line frequency. There are direct entry buttons and 20 memory presets for AM and 20 for FM.The signal strength meter is almost useless as it varies with modulation on the analog stations.The C/N ratio feature on digital FM is a valuable feature and works well to determine antenna placement. The remote is very small and thin but can easily become lost in the chair cushion.
Now to the actual performance. There is a very strong blend imposed on any but the best signals which causes a great loss in separation but a clear signal which approaches mono in analog. The sensitivity is good but the unit definitely overloads easily in the presence of strong local signals - correctable with a variable L-pad but at a loss of ultimate sensitivity. The selectivity is simply outstanding as a very weak distant station can easily be heard just .2 MHZ or adjacent to a local. If you are looking to receive a weak station in a crowded station environment then this tuner is for you. I can receive a station 300 miles away with NO interference by an adjacent local. This is more than I can do with my two professional tuners on very narrow bandwith. This feature alone has sold me on this tuner.
The audio output is VERY high, far above the 600mv standard and it might overload some preamps. This makes comparison difficult as the audio is 2-3X louder than other components. The tuner automatically indicates the presence of HD signal on AM and FM but requires several seconds to load the digital buffer. The HD signal is better on some stations with improved separation and upper frequencies but on a few it is worse. It would be assumed that broadcasting quality in HD varies a great deal among stations but that the tuner is doing a good job in the expansion process. It definitely sounds better than satellite radio but it does not reflect the ads which indicate CD quality. Long distance stations frequently do not stay locked in HD, and if you are on HD-2 or HD-3 station, it falls back to analog and reloads on HD-1 - a great annoyance. The tuner has many display options and even an audio spectrum. None of the features have a detailed explanation in the instructions.
What would I like to see on this unit? I would like an optical output, a blend and high cut switch so I could make that decision on a weaker signal, a clock that keeps time or no time display at all, a more normal size remote, 30 presets on FM and 10 on AM if I am limited to a number and an AM stereo HD that really works - this one sounds poorly. DO not try to listen to a digital unit and a regular tuner at the same time as there is always delay in the digital processing.
I believe this tuner has many good features for the price of $199.00. It is definitely the most selective tuner I own - better than my Kenwood KT-9900 and Yamaha TX-950. Sure, there are always changes we would like but I am sure that a low price point was important to Sangean and I believe they made wise compromises except for the non-defeatable auto blend. - 2007-03-11, 20 of 21 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- HD Radio easy to use
- This Sangean HD tuner came as advertised. Easy to hook up to existing system and simple enough to use. As with all tuners, the reception is limited by where the antennae are placed - reception never seems to be where we house our stereo - but on a good day, with the right station, it's a beautiful thing.
- 2007-03-09, 6 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Fantastic Tuner but Audiophiles beware
- I had been researching HD Radio for some time and was eager to hear it but since no retail store seems to be able to actually demo the technology, I decided to purchase the HDT-1 from Amazon. Great price.
First off Amazon delivered the tuner in two business days - great job. The HDT-1 is easy to set up, simple to use and nice to look at. The remote works well. I have not noticed the problem with the display being too bright although I have noticed the clock lagging behind. Not a big deal.
As for the technology, the tuner tunes beautifully. I live outside of Washington DC in the Maryland suburbs and have had no trouble picking up all of the area radio stations and all with the strongest signal and in HD. There are lots of HD channels and secondary channels and virtually all of them come in with the strongest signal using the supplied antenna. As a comparison, the smooth jazz channel was inaudible on my regular stereo tuner but was crystal clear on the Sangean. This is a great piece of technology. But,
As for sound quality, I was concerned about the compression codecs used in this technology. I had read that HD radio encodes at 96kps and frankly this is what it sounds like. While crystal clear, the music is a bit dull and lacking in energy. It certainly is not "CD quality." In my opinion, 96kps is too much compression for someone who is into sound quality. I typically download my music at 256kps if not 320kps and there simply is no comparison in the quality of the mp3's streaming from ITunes wirelessly to the stereo and the HD radio direct connection. The mp3's encoded at 256 or above are far superior in sound quality to the songs encoded for HD radio. This is the unfortunate truth about HD Radio. At this point, while it is superior to satellite radio in sound quality, it is not ready for prime time audiophiles.
So, the Sangean HDT-1, while a great tuner, can only reproduce the quality of the radio source that goes into it. Thus, Audiophiles beware. - 2007-02-23, 105 of 108 people found this review helpful, Rated:
