Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
HD Radio
- Thread starter Bibulous
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Thread resurrection!
I have the same question.
I haven't heard from anyone who bought an HD radio, to learn what they think of it.
The HD Radio: iTunes 'Tagging' Feature Announced story was the last I heard about HD Radio at all.
Anyone own one?
I have the same question.
I haven't heard from anyone who bought an HD radio, to learn what they think of it.
The HD Radio: iTunes 'Tagging' Feature Announced story was the last I heard about HD Radio at all.
Anyone own one?
I don't but I know it comes with some higher end head units (Alpine, Pioneer, etc) so people may have it and not realize it or care.
I've heard it and don't think it sounds all that great (like a 96kbps mp3 at best). I'd rather pay for XM, which I already have through DirecTV, honestly. The quality is much better and the programming ... well, it's light years ahead.
I've heard it and don't think it sounds all that great (like a 96kbps mp3 at best). I'd rather pay for XM, which I already have through DirecTV, honestly. The quality is much better and the programming ... well, it's light years ahead.
HD radio is the same crap on FM at a higher sound quality. Get satellite radio instead. I've got Sirius and it's awesome. Around 150 channels, no commercials, no censorship and nationwide coverage.
FYI, FM sound quality > DAB sound quality.
FM is more difficult to get sounding good, but when it's set up properly (with a good reception), it's streets ahead of DAB. DAB is MP2 usually 128 kbps, which sounds absolutely goddam dreadful. FM radio sounds far better, especially when radio stations choose not to compress everything to the Nth degree...
FM is more difficult to get sounding good, but when it's set up properly (with a good reception), it's streets ahead of DAB. DAB is MP2 usually 128 kbps, which sounds absolutely goddam dreadful. FM radio sounds far better, especially when radio stations choose not to compress everything to the Nth degree...
i got a JVC headunit with HD Radio about a year ago, i like it, but i live just a bit too far south to get most of the stations all the time, but it very nicely switches back to FM when it loses the signal, as long as the stations have it synced right you cant tell, cept for the slight loss in quality, its not night and day difference like HDTV but it still sounds nice
pretty much every station here has an HD channel now, some even have...i cant think of the phrase, but they have secondary channels that play more of the same type of music, but with out commercials most of the time, and with little DJ talk.
what i REALLY like about it...is the JVC ipod adapter that connects to the 6 disk changer input so i can listen to my ipod straight out of the dock connector
my advice would be, if you want a new headunit, get one with HD, they arent that much more, if not, the difference isnt really worth the upgrading
pretty much every station here has an HD channel now, some even have...i cant think of the phrase, but they have secondary channels that play more of the same type of music, but with out commercials most of the time, and with little DJ talk.
what i REALLY like about it...is the JVC ipod adapter that connects to the 6 disk changer input so i can listen to my ipod straight out of the dock connector
my advice would be, if you want a new headunit, get one with HD, they arent that much more, if not, the difference isnt really worth the upgrading
Argh... we recently switched to DirecTV with XM radio, and I miss Sirius on DISH. 
On topic.... I have considered getting one, but I don't really see the point, I'm pretty happy with my FM/AM and Satellite radio.
On topic.... I have considered getting one, but I don't really see the point, I'm pretty happy with my FM/AM and Satellite radio.
ive heard it said like this
HD FM ~ CD Quality
HD AM ~ Old FM Quality
though we dont have any HD AM stations here yet, so i cant say for sure
Everyone listen to Killyp:
This absolutely 100% true. I studied this at uni last week - it's shocking.
In the UK, the government is selling off these frequencies/spectrum for other uses - leaving the bandwidth available for this use too low - hence the digital compression.
Seriously, FM really is incredible if you sat down and listened to it properly. Please don't get sucked into this 'Digital is best' boll0cks - digital is compressed to neck and sounds lifeless in comparison.
This absolutely 100% true. I studied this at uni last week - it's shocking.
In the UK, the government is selling off these frequencies/spectrum for other uses - leaving the bandwidth available for this use too low - hence the digital compression.
Seriously, FM really is incredible if you sat down and listened to it properly. Please don't get sucked into this 'Digital is best' boll0cks - digital is compressed to neck and sounds lifeless in comparison.
It's not the sound quality of FM that I have a problem with, it's the static, and the commercials. That and the fact that the only station that played the Genre I liked went off the air. FM actually sounds great if you can get a strong signal. I like my Sirius because I can listen anywhere and never lose a signal, or get any static or commercials.
You forgot to mention that satellite radio doesn't play the same crap over and over. That's my favorite part
Caution! The sound quality on DirecTV is better than what you get from the portable Satalite radio units. I have DirecTV and had an XM radio in the past. For some reason the DirecTV feed is much higher sound quality, they maybe using more bandwidth.
I just read the posts made by FireArse and Kamera RAWr, and got the strangest sense of deja vu....(sorry for being off topic)
Interesting. That explains why it doesn't sound as good in the car (like 128kbps). A friend of mine has XM in his and it was definitely still better than HD Radio hands down which, like I said, was like 96kbps at best (I'd rather deal with the occasional FM static). I could definitely hear the digital artifacts. I won't be buying one on purpose or at least just for HD Radio.
What my ears hear:
Source: mp3 quality
HD Radio: 96kbps
XM: 128kbps
DirecTV XM: 192kbps