Sony XDRF1HD HD Radio Tuner

Other products by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 7.1 x 2.4 inches ; 2.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00168Q248
• Item model number: XDRF1HD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #606 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > Radios
  #63 in	Electronics > Car Electronics

• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 20, 2008

Product Description

Product Description
Experience more choices, crystal clear sound, and no subscription fees. Enjoy music the way it was meant to be heard with AM stations that can deliver FM sound quality and FM stations that sound like your favorite CDs. HD Radio, Discover It. Key Features: *High Fidelity AM/FM/HD Radio™ Technology *Clear, Static-Free HD Digital Radio Reception1 - AM radio sounds like FM quality, FM radio sounds like CD quality and HD radio is digital quality. *20 Station Presets - Set up to 20 of your favorite AM and FM radio stations. *Works with most Audio Systems2 - Just connect the receiver to most systems and enjoy the many HD radio stations available now. *FM Multicasting - HD Radio provides the ability to receive multiple program streams over a single FM frequency. *No Monthly Subscription Fees - HD Radio programming is free, unlike satellite radio where you have to purchase a subscription. *Audio Out Jack - For easy hook up to an audio system. *Backlit LCD Display - easy to see large, full-dot backlit LCD display has brightness, contrast and display mode adjustments. *Full Function Remote Control - Included Specifications Audio *Antenna System - 75 ohm for FM, AM *Frequency Range - AM: 530 — 1,710 kHz, FM: 87.5 — 108 MHz Convenience *Date/Time Stamp - 12 hour clock Power *Output Power - 2.8 W + 2.8 W ( at 10% harmonic distortion) *Power Requirements - 120 V AC, 60 Hz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very good tuner but some user interface issues hold it back, October 1, 2008

By	Kriston Rehberg (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The receiver is a tuner that is very small and intended to plug into your existing stereo system in a living room setting and it does this very well.
Acquiring HD is the fastest I've experienced, not the 8 seconds it should be, but close enough.
There is a really handy arrow that tells you if there are more subchannels and if you should tune 'up' or 'down' to hear them. This is really handy since it takes a while to tune HD signals, even on the best tuners.
Sound is excellent. You hear the talk radio host sip his coffee.
Remote is handy and not as useless as others think.
Presets can be set to HD subchannels. This is a major, crucial feature, and I'm very happy with it.
On AM Radio, even if the analog signal has static and interference, the HD Radio signal still comes on with crystal-clear audio. This is a huge advantage.

Some issues:
The unit runs extremely hot when tuning HD, hot when running, and very warm when off.
The back light cannot be turned off and remains lit when the power is turned off--this is a major flaw.
No optical output is a major omission for something that is just a tuner.
You cannot input a frequency. You must tune up or down one step or use presets.
The radio does remember its presets when AC power is removed, so I'm not seeing what other reviewers said.
The tuning buttons are to the left of the preset buttons meaning that I accidentally hit the preset when I want to "tune up" or "tune down".
Tuning off an HD channel is easy to do accidentally and tuning back takes a while for the HD to come back.
The tuner machine picks up alot of its own digital hash on AM.
Nighttime AM HD is currently banned by the industry due to adjacent channel interference so your AM radio will go to analog when local sunset occurs.

One word about talk radio: Even though HD Radio has been around for a few years most broadcasting equipment in my area is not upgraded well enough to provide clean broadcasting, especially on AM talk radio stations whose old analog signal covered up a world of audio hurt that you can now hear in HD. Talk radio is hard to listen to unless it's a national show that is well produced and processed. You'll hear background sound, hiss, hum, and feedback which would otherwise be masked by traditional AM broadcasting.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great radio, June 9, 2008

By	R. Airhart "rick6450" (Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Compared to the current Sangean, the Sony XDRF1HD is smaller, costs less, and gets as good of a signal. I have it on my computer desk plugged into my PreSonus Firebox amp.

Nice features:
* sleep button
* remote control

Not so nice:
* no volume control from Sony itself (would not matter if my PreSonus amp had a remote control)
* does not remember channels or time after a power outage

If you have HD channels in your area that you enjoy, then this is a good box. I live in D.C. and basically got this box for the extra WAMU channels.

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Radio but a Fine Tuner, May 15, 2008

By	John Eng (La Palma, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sony should have called it a tuner. But if you want to be simple just buy a couple of computer speakers with an RCA adapter and you're ready to go. This item works very well in my area. HD radio stations are not that common yet, but what I received (about 15 extra stations in Orange County, CA) seems pretty good. I can receive AM radio programs that were preempted by LA Dodger game, or if I want commercial free "elevator" music, pop, rock or classical music this tuner offers a nice departure from the same old stuff found on FM radio. The Sony does a nice job locking in to HD channels and you can preset your favorite programs on HD or regular stations. The LCD display offers signal strength, HD signal detection, clock, Channel name ID and display format. A remote control comes with it (less batteries) and it is fairly easy to use. It comes with a wire dipole FM antenna and external AM loop antenna. Unless you live near alot of FM stations, HD radio is not ready for you, but in terms of performance the Sony is versatile little tuner.