Cambridge SoundWorks 820 HD Radio [White]

by Cambridge

Product Details

• Item Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 11 pounds
• ASIN: B000L05J00
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,196 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Did you know there are more than 800 million radio receivers in service in America today? Virtually all these radios operate using analog broadcast/reception technology that dates back to the 1960s. Today, thousands of radio stations are upgrading their broadcast technology; hundreds are currently broadcasting with digital HD Radio technology. New HD Radio technology enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally for superior FM and AM sound. Not to be confused with subscription-based radio, the Cambridge Soundworks 820HD can receive both AM/FM analog and digital radio stations that are free of charge. What HD digital radio provides is FM stations now with CD-quality sound, AM stations now with FM-quality sound - all with crystal-clear reception with virtually no audio distortion. Another benefit of digital radio is the radio station's ability to transmit additional information along with the music signal. Simultaneously, one station can offer several audio channels as well as on-screen data. You can see the song title and performer. News channels might offer financial and traffic updates viewable on your radio display. In a sense HD does to radio what HD does to TV. It makes it better to use and enjoy. Since HD Radio is a free broadcast, all you have to do is get a new HD Radio and the Cambridge Soundworks Radio 820HD is the best HD table radio available. And you'll continue to enjoy the same radio programming but it will sound better than you've ever heard before. Welcome to HD-Radio for your listening pleasure. Dual alarms with seven day, five day and one day patterns Convenient AUX input and HEADPHONE output - Play your iPod or MP3 player through speakers Digital Optical output Full function IR remote Unit Dimensions - 4 3/8 H x131/4 W x 71/2 D / Weight - 8 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like it a lot., January 22, 2008

By 

Cornbread - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cambridge SoundWorks 820 HD Radio [White] (Electronics)

Price paid: $180

I like this radio a lot. I am slightly--only slightly--disappointed that the sound is not more impressive. The sound is very good, but not as jaw-dropping as the Bose Wave or other tabletops I've heard. I have trouble finding the right bass/treble setting. But for this price I'm happy with the sound.

The 820HD looks great. It's very modern looking and is not over-buttoned. There are a lot of useful, easy to use functions. You can display the time, radio info or graphic EQ. There are separate bass, treble, and "loudness" controls to suit your taste, but I do have trouble finding the right balance. I use this in my office so I haven't used the alarms or sleep timer.

I haven't had too much trouble tuning in stations, but I'm right in the city so I expect that. The sound quality of HD Radio does vary from station to station--some stations sound thin. This is not a reflection of the radio itself. The HD2 programming is great because it's commercial free (for now).

Overall, I'm happy with this good looking radio. HD Radio is fun and the 820HD also sounds great with my iPod. For the money, it's great.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It works well with an iPod, May 4, 2008

By 

Amos (Sag Harbor, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cambridge SoundWorks 820 HD Radio [White] (Electronics)

My main objective, in what turned into a fairly exhaustive search, was to buy a good sounding tabletop radio, with strong reception, that would also have excellent iPod capability.

I am very pleased to say that the Cambridge 820HD delivers on all counts.

I had some concerns about decent sound quality coming from my iPod, since the 820HD doesn't have a built-in dock. What it does have is that little round input hole in the back of the radio for a jack, sort of like an after thought, I reckoned, rather than a clearly designed radio/iPod system. How could a simple jack for my portable iDock possibly offer as clean a path for the sound signal to travel as a built-in dock, I wondered?

I had already listened, at the store, to the highly rated Altec-Lansing i600 radio with built-in dock, and was quite disappointed; to my ears, it sounded thin and tinny. Though it recieved a stong, clear FM (but not HD) signal, it just sounded a cut above mediocre. I couldn't imagine my iPod performing any better on the i600, given it's tiny speakers. There had to be something more aurally satisfying - for under $300 - though I knew I'd probably go higher if I had to.

I considered the $300 Tivoli stereo radio with no built-in iPod dock, but didn't care for it being in 2 units; I wanted something more portable. The new 4 speaker Polk i-sonic unit looked intriguing, but at $450, I'd buy one only if all else failed.

I wasn't able to listen to the Cambridge at the store, and became a bit dubious when scanning it's box for some in-depth information. There was no mention of it being iPod capable; only some small print somewhere that it has an input jack for accessories. I had an uneasy feeling that I was going to start talking myself into the expensive Polk unit. But I decided to take a chance anyway; I could always return it if I was in any way dissatisfied.

When I got the Cambridge home and turned it on, it was immediately apparent, radio-wise at least, that the sound qualiy was far superior to the Altec-Lansing. The 820 pulled in strong, clear signals on it's HD (which happens to always be a challenge out in the countryside where I live), and the classical music I often listen to had a wide frequency range, with no distortion. The rock stations, more bass included, sounded just as good.

The test, though, was whether it's simple input jack could deliver as rich and full a sound from the iPod as from the radio. I switched back and forth between the two quite a few times, intent on comparing every low and high, and I have to say that, at least to my ears, the quality and range of sound coming from the iPod is every bit as good as from the HD radio, and that's saying alot. It passed the critical test with flying colors.

This Cambridge is here to stay; it's exactly what I want in a portable, relatively inexpensive, tabletop system - very good speakers delivering quality sound from both my iPod and the radio.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Looked and sounded ok when it worked, March 6, 2010

By 

Winnie the Pooh (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cambridge SoundWorks 820 HD Radio [White] (Electronics)

I bought this radio a year ago and have had problems with it on and off ever since. The sound quality is ok for the size, but not $300 worth. There are very few knobs so it looks good, but I did not find the controls intuitive and had to refer to the manual every time I needed to do something. Someitmes it finds HD radio stations and sometimes it doesn't. It regularly freezes and the only fix is to unplug it and plug it in again. Which is ok unless you were relying on the alarm clock function to wake you up. I would not recommend it.