Sony XDR-F1HD HD Radio Receiver, Static-Free HD Tuner, 20 Station Presets, Backlit LCD Display, Remote Control

2010-12-05T19:00:00

The HD radio tuner performs well when the signal is strong; I have lost the signal in stormy weather. As other reviewers have written it is warm during normal operation, to me that means high electrical usage. I have 2 minor objections with the operations of the tuner, first I want to be able to turn off the digital face when the device is shut down, I can only dim the brightness. Second, if I unplug or shut off the surge protector it is plugged into it will lose the programmed stations settings.

Bootcrank

Originally posted at

2010-02-05T19:00:00

This tuner is unbelievable because it is such a contradiction. In terms of signal reception and sound quality, it may be the best tuner on the market. However, it is housed in a cheap looking box with a poorly designed user interface and a low price. At first glance, it looks more like a clock radio than a stereo tuner. Rather than having a rotary dial that can be used to quickly scan and change stations and various buttons on the front panel, the user has to navigate menus via push buttons on top of the unit. Instead of a cool looking blue or amber LED display, a washed out black on white LCD is used.If power is disconnected, all station presets are lost and there is no optical Toslink connector. Also, the unit seems to draw lots of power because it gets rather hot. Everything about the user interface and the looks is just annoying and ugly. Surrounded by cool looking audio components, it is an eye sore, yet it delivers outstanding reception and sound quality. Sony should take a look at the Marantz st7001 tuner to get some clues on how to package this topnotch technology. There is a market for high end radio tuners and they could own it if they hire a good designer and revert towards a more traditional radio tuner look and user interface. In my view, push buttons are a poor substitute for the traditional rotary dial - and most people hate navigating menus.

Priscilla

Originally posted at

2009-08-30T20:00:00

Ran it 24 hours a day till the warranty expired.I live in a condo so no roof-top antennas are allowed.I use an indoor di-pole and the reception on this unit is outstanding.My location is plagued with multipath and this unit is immune to it.Being in a metro area you have the bonus of a lot of extra stations that a Fred Flintstone tuner will not receive. Would like to see Sony address some minor issues with the unit and come out with a new,improved version.This is now the only tuner I use.

Leakycaps

Originally posted at

2009-08-09T20:00:00

Almost everything about this product is perfect except for the GIANT GLARING OMISSION of a digital output. When connected to a modern receiver your sound signal is converted between analog and digital 4 times on the way to your speakers, each time information is lost. Only 2 A/D, D/A conversions are necessary. Seriously Sony? Why would you not allow for a fully digital path by failing to include a digital output?

ElectricalEngineer

Originally posted at

2009-07-23T20:00:00

I've been a classical music listener for decades but have been put off by the hiss normally received over FM. This radio provides the solution - 30 miles out from Cincinnati and Dayton, and I can now get classical stations from both cities without the usual hiss. This receiver also picks up stations that FMFool tells me should be problematic, yet they and stations not even on the list come through cleanly! Limitations - in spite of what the instructions say, this box easily loses its stored channel memory. I plug mine into a UPS to compensate. Like some other hd models, no ability to type in the frequency you want, you can only type in the preset#. No digital output. Smells like melted plastic the first few weeks. It would be nice to have a 'stay on analog' button for when it flips between, better that it didn't do that but I have some stations that do that in spite of being 3 bars. Since I got this when the coupons were handed out, I got a fantastic deal on a fantastic receiver!

nerf

Originally posted at

2009-06-29T20:00:00

I wanted HD radio for a good price and great quality. I got what I wanted with this Tuner. I took it out and it took me no time to hook this up to my Sony Radio Shelf system. This Tuner really booted my signal on FM/AM. It gave me new HD channels. If your looking for a good HD radio get this one. The sound quality is also improved not quite CD quality but very good. I have had this Tuner for over a Year now and have had no problems at all. I will reccomend this Tuner to all my friends.

nick243

Originally posted at

2009-02-26T19:00:00

I've used this unit for 9 months now and it is definitely a winner.Instead of having to replace your entire audio unit,just plug this into an aux jack and it's ready to use.Great way to check out HD without spending a lot of money.Best of all,no subscription rates with HD.

BeachLover

Originally posted at

2009-02-12T19:00:00

This is an outstanding analog FM receiver. It is obviously designed for HD-Radio reception and does what seems to be a good job on that, but there are still far more regular, analog stations and that's where this receiver really shines. It's ability to reject adjacent channel interference is superb. In my experience there simply is not adjacent channel interference. Period. The ability to pick low level signals out of the noise is also exceptional. On AM the performance is somewhat less stunning. It does okay, but doesn't really shine like it does on FM. Some people may be put off by the need for an external AM loop antenna (included) and the necessity of keeping it away from the receiver to avoid excessive noise in the signal. (The receiver could be shielded better.) Sadly, if you buy this receiver strictly for its HD Radio capabilities you may be disappointed. Not due to anything with the radio, but with HD Radio itself. Most of the AM HD stations I've heard sound worse in HD than in analog. All but one sound rather tinny with a clear echo effect. The situation on FM is better, but still not great. At best the HD signal may sound very slightly better than the analog signal. On stations that choose to offer multiple channels the sound is generally worse than normal analog. Again, this is nothing against the XDR-F1HD. It's an issue with HD Radio and the way the various stations have things configured. There are a few negatives about the XDR-F1HD. It runs rather hot. Sony should have included a small fan to keep the air moving. The time and presets are only maintained for a rather short time when power is removed. If the power goes out for more than a few minutes you'll probably have to reprogram it. There is no way to directly enter a frequency. You have to step through the channels sequentially or use the presets. (You can directly jump to a preset using the remote.) The unit does not display the station call letters embedded in the RDS. They only show up if the station has them programmed in the data stream. Overall, this receiver is an exceptional performer on FM and an incredible value.

Patch

Originally posted at

2009-01-11T19:00:00

XDR-F1HD would be perfect when it has HD TV Sound. HD TV also CD quality or better and free over the air and would make this better

DanielR91

Originally posted at

2008-12-30T19:00:00

I just hooked this tuner up to my audio stack last night and I love it. I knew what I was buying and it did exactly what I expected it to do. For the price, you can't beat it. I had been considering going the Rotel way with their HD Radio Tuner, but it was around $900. This was one tenth the cost to get into HD Radio. The pre-sets allowed you to go from station to station without delay, just like channel surfing. My powered FM Antenna was adequate to pull in the local HD stations. Sound was excellent compared to analog. I am very happy with it. I haven't compared it with any other units, so I have no reference point for the quality. I would, however, recommend it as a starting point to enter the HD Radio world.

JC3616

Originally posted at

2008-12-25T19:00:00

You would think there would be a volume control and a speaker, If this were actually a radio, but it is not a radio. Do not bother. Connections on back panel, cables take up space on shelf.

lilcz

Originally posted at