IRST LOOK

New Product Reviews
Sonys XDR-S3HD Table-Top HD Radio

By Ken Reitz

t took Sony a while to enter the HD Radio race and it has done so in typical Sony fashion. Their XDR-S3HD table-top HD Radio is fashionably designed, solidly built, and it sounds great, too!

Design Simplicity

Right out of the box I liked the clean design and the simplicity of the controls of this radio. With its wood-look, heavy plastic case and fabric covered speaker grill, this radio sits handsomely on your desk, bookshelf, bedside table or kitchen counter-top. All of the main functions (tuning, volume, etc.) can be done directly via buttons on top of the radio or by using the fairly small IR remote control. The XDR-S3HD has many of the features Ive come to expect on the current crop of HD-capable table radios: station presets (20 AM and 20 FM), sleep timer (up to 60 minutes in 15 minute increments), alarm (lets you wake up to your choice of radio station or AUX input), scan (allows you to scan for all stations or only HD-Radio stations), and more, including LCD display brightness and audio tone controls. The remote control has good range away from the set and can access the station presets as youve set them, but it cant input the frequency directly through the remote. The remote also lacks a mute button. You have to press and hold the volume button to reduce the volume.
surround audio was set. The virtual sound separation made the speakers seem considerably farther apart and HD-Radio broadcasts really seemed to come alive. Audio from external sources fed to the radio via the 3.5 mm input jack was excellent. Whether using an MP3 player, CD player or listening to streaming audio from the
to-dual RCA stereo patch cord which can be found at Radio Shack. This effectively upgrades your current analog stereo into an HD-capable set.

Tuning the Bands

Its a great looking, versatile, desktop radio that delivers excellent audio.
computer, the audio fidelity was very nice and capable of filling a large room without distortion. I also found that the audio output from the radios 3.5mm output jack could be fed into a large stereo input using a 3.5mm-
The XDR-S3HD lets you tune for all stations or only stations broadcasting HD Radio signals. If youre in an urban area youll really enjoy the growing range of channels being multi-cast. But, for those in the country, HDRadio reception is less fun. There are fewer FM stations operating HD transmitters and fewer still are multi-casting. There are only a few hundred AM stations broadcasting in HD-Radio nationwide and AM stations are not allowed to multi-cast. The set includes a wire antenna and a folded dipole for FM reception. But, I have

Clean Audio

This radio delivers excellent audio at a decent volume and compares favorably to other similarly priced HD table-top sets previously reviewed. The user can tailor the audio to inject a little more bass or treble by using the menu and the remote control. I found the Sony XDR-S3HD is the first Sony product with HD-Radio reception capability, but it wont be the last. Retailing best listening was when the between $200-250, it compares favorably with the competition. (Courtesy: Sony)

MONITORING TIMES

December 2007
found that even using a large, roof-top mounted, amplified FM Yagi antenna, the range of reliably tuning and keeping HD Radio signals is about 75 miles. Of course, this depends on terrain and the power output of the station youre trying to listen to, but in general, if youre 80-100 miles from some of your current favorite analog stations, youre going to be disappointed with this or any other HD Radio receiver. Once, while I had this radio there was a good opening on the FM band and I was tuning in HD multi-cast stations from 150+ miles away perfectly. It lasted a few hours and then it was back to reality. Tuning the AM band with this radio was a bit of a disappointment. AM reception was minimal even using a tunable AM loop antenna. The passive loop that comes with the unit is of negligible value. There was a certain amount of distinctive digital processing audible on the AM band in between AM stations. Once a station was tuned in, the processing sound was not heard. No such audio artifact was found on the FM band. AM reception was adequate, but I could not tune in the only HD AM signal 60 miles away on this set using a tunable AM loop antenna.
looking, versatile, desktop radio that delivers excellent audio. I found this radio widely available from $200 to $250 from national outlets such as Crutchfield (888-955-6000) and Best Buy (888-BESTBUY).
MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS
LCD 4 line display Frequency Range: FM 87.5-108 MHz AM 530-1710 kHz Station Presets: 20 each for AM and FM bands Speaker: Two 5/8 diameter 4 Audio output: 2.8 watts x 2 Output: 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack Input: 3.5 mm Line input jack Antenna Connections: AM: spring terminals FM: 75 coax connector Weight: 8 pounds Size: 4-3/4 H 12 W 6-3/4 D Accessories included: IR remote control (2 AAA batteries not included) FM wire antenna with coax connector attached FM folded dipole antenna AM loop antenna Audio connecting cable with two 3.5 mm plugs attached for your MP3, CD or Computer audio Power: 120 v. AC

Bottom Line

Sony makes an adaptor for their line of auto stereos to add HD-Radio capability to Sony brand car stereos and they will begin introducing HD-capable stereo receiver/ amplifiers very soon. For now, the Sony XDR-S3HD is where it all starts. Its a great
HEAR BOTH SIDES OF WORLD EVENTS

RX-340

USED BY GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE!
HF SWL receiver, 5 kHz 30 MHz. IF stage DSP. Sync AM/selectable sideband, SAM, AM, SSB, ISB, CW, FM. Over 90 bandwidth lters, programmable AGC, built-in high stability TCVCXO. Completely remote controllable via RS-232 interface. DRM ready, no modication needed (user supplies decoding software). 90-264 VAC operation. $4,250

RX-320D

LISTEN TO THE WORLD ON YOUR PC!
General coverage from 100 kHz 30 MHz. Black box receiver connects to your PC via one serial port. Your PC provides the operation horsepower. A 12 kHz I-F output is included for decoding DRM transmissions with your PC sound card (user supplies decoding software). Download the actual operating software from our website for a pre-purchase test drive. $359
KIT BUILDING IS A WORLD OF FUN!
Build your own HF SWL receiver with our model 1254 shortwave receiver kit. 500 kHz 30 MHz coverage in 2.5 kHz steps with clarier control allowing tuning of all frequencies. LED digital readout. AM, SSB, CW capable. Complete step-by-step instructions and all components included. See our website for information on other available kits! $195
1185 Dolly Parton Pkwy., Sevierville, TN 37862
Mon-Fri 8:00-5:30 EST We accept Visa, MC, American Express, and Discover Office: (865) 453-7172 Service: (865) 428-0364
December 2007 MONITORING TIMES

800-833-7373

www.tentec.com

IRST LOOK

New Product Reviews

HD Radio Round-up

By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
hroughout 2007 MT has taken a look at as many HD Radio sets as we could coax out of manufacturers. This article looks at the complete list, fills in some of the gaps, and updates any changes that have occurred in the meantime. In addition, other moves in the HD Radio industry are explained and Ill look at the available reception aids listeners will need to ensure adequate reception.
Its 2008, Do You Know Where Your HD Radio Is?
The most extraordinary thing about HD Radio is that, despite the millions of dollars poured into promotion, its still the most unknown latest thing in home electronics. Its not like the products are hard to find. Theyve been in Walmart for almost a year! Still, most people I ask have never heard of it and, when I explain what it is, I get the same dull look I get when I tell people I have a shortwave receiver in my car. To most people its incomprehensible. A radio trade journal had this headline: HD Radio Ready for Prime Time. The date? February, 2004. There have been many problems in the process of HD Radio getting a foothold in the market. First, was the delay in getting the first generation radios back from China. The months dragged on. The second was sending them back to China to work out the bugs. The months dragged on. Every manufacturer ran into the same problem; none were immune. The third problem was getting radio stations to shell out the quarter million dollars for the up-grade to install the HD transmitter and antenna. That remains one of the biggest obstacles and will continue so for some time. Very few non-commercial radio stations have that kind of money. Most commercial radio stations are having a tough time returning a profit to their stockholders without piling on the up-front costs of switching to HD Radio. The biggest problem in doing the switch may be in-house competition for other, more immediate expenditures. More stations are pouring money into translator and repeater transmitters to broaden their signal coverage. Thats a much cheaper proposition and returns quick money for commercial and non-commercial broadcasters alike. More stations are also putting more money into on-line broadcasting. The burgeoning market in high-speed Internet access has brought millions of potential listeners to a
stations signal on the web. The introduction of new web-based table radios may actually catch on faster than HD Radio. [MT hopes to cover these new receivers, too, in upcoming issues - ed.] Theres a psychological component as well. Consumers are finally waking up to the fact that they are going to have to buy set-top digital TV tuners if they dont want to buy a brand new TV set in order to continue watching Dancing with the Stars. Theres been a lot of grumbling. The very last thing they want to hear is that some time in the future theyll have to do the same thing for their radios. Consumers see no compelling reason to hop on board the HD Radio train, currently side-tracked at the depot while no one can find the engineer. Finally, theres consumer techno-fatigue, which is what happens when consumers are bombarded with new whiz-bang electronic gadgets year-round. Since HD Radio was introduced, America has been swept by personal GPS craziness, iPod hysteria, the BlackBerry and Blue Tooth bonanza, XBox and PlayStation mania, the iPhone, the GPhone, continual upgrades in satellite radio and plain old cell phones that send text messages, take pictures, surf the web, oh yeah, allow phone calls. Its no wonder HD Radio got buried.

HD Radio Innovations

Despite the difficulties in attracting the public, manufacturers have persisted in making quality products with real innovations. The biggest innovation in HD Radio is in the listening. Hearing HD Radio on a primary HD channel is quite spectacular. The clarity of the music is unmatched against any analog or digital source, including satellite radio and especially against Internet radio. The only thing that comes close to the sound is the original compact disc. The second innovation is the concept of multi-casting: broadcasting second and third audio channels on the same frequency as the main signal. Here, listeners are treated to a wide variety of format ideas. While most station simply broadcast an automated play-list, other stations, such as HD Radio pioneer WAMUFM, a public radio station in Washington, D.C., are transmitting completely different formats and experimenting with the possibilities of the technology. Ive heard reports from HD Radio listeners in other major cities who are listening to literally dozens of different formats that didnt

exist in their city two years ago. Non-commercial stations benefit the most from broadcasting in HD. Instead of competing with their main channel, theyre enhancing their entire station by adding other formats, encouraging new listeners to tune in and, when pledge time rolls around, theres much more of a reason to donate. Commercial stations are prohibited by the FCC, during the hybrid period of the HD experiment, from having advertising on their second or third channels. Theres little incentive for commercial stations to broadcast channels that will compete with their main channel which is commercial supported. On the manufacturing side, despite the fact that, to this date, not a single manufacturer has made a portable HD Radio, the radios that are available are loaded with innovations. At first, manufacturers were more concerned with having a competitively low price and offered few innovations on their early units. Since then, the market seems to be splitting between two tiers: entry level (no-frills) and music-lover (radio enthusiast). At the low end are the Radiosophy HD100 and Radio Shacks Accurian HD. At the high end are Polk Audios iSonic and Sangeans HDT-1X. In between are Boston Acoustics Receptor HD, Cambridge SoundWorks 820HD, and Sonys XDR-S3HD. Two and a half years ago, one of the first sets to make a splash was Radiosophys MultiStream, which actually won a design award at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show. But, production glitches and pricing issues forced the product completely off the market. Since then, Radiosophy recovered its balance with the HD 100, the cheapest of all HD Radio sets on the market. Sangeans HDT-1 saw an up-grade during 2007, becoming the HDT-1X and rising to the top of the chart in performance and features. Theyve added the fiber optic output I asked for in my July 2007 review; theyve made the display completely disappear when the set is off; theyve made direct frequency access with the remote and on the front panel much easier; and theyve added a signal strength indicator. Best of all, the HDT-1X remains the most sensitive of the HD crop with almost brick wall frequency separation. Polk Audios iSonic has added a separate model with a built-in iPod docking station which can be controlled by the iSonics remote. The new iSonic ES2 also features iPod tagging,

MONITORING TIMES

January 2008
a commercial boon to Apples iTunes web site. The iSonic has the best audio of any of the stand-alone desk-top HD Radio sets.
Tuning HD Signals in the Real World
Given all the innovations in sound and features, receiving HD Radio signals is mostly dependent on one thing: how close you are to the transmitter. If youre familiar with tuning digital TV signals, you already know the biggest problem with HD Radio. You either get perfect reception or you get no reception. Unlike listening to analog FM, theres nothing in between. The closer you are to the station you want to listen to, the more youll like HD Radio. The days of listening to FM signals from distant cities are a thing of the past unless youre willing to make a substantial investment in an FM antenna system. Unfortunately, all of the middle tier table-top sets made today appear to use nearly identical HD receivers and, as a result, reception capabilities are pretty much the same. Every set sold comes with a T-shaped folded dipole for FM listening, but, unless you live in a suburban or urban location, that will be nearly worthless. Some sort of external FM antenna is required if you hope to get the same kind of reception in HD that youve been used to in the analog world. The cheapest solution is a six element FM Yagi antenna which costs about $22 from Solid Signal (www.solidsignal.com). This antenna on a short mast in your attic, pointed in the direction of the stations you want to hear and attached to a run of RG6 coax cable, should bring you back to your former analog reception capabilities. If necessary, add a mast-mounted pre-amplifier to boost the signals. It will make all the difference, especially tuning HD Radio signals. If you want to listen to distant stations from different directions, add a rotator to the set-up. If the signals are still not quite making the radio lock on to the digital signal, then youll have to go to a bigger antenna. You can see that eventually this will lead into serious money. But, its what youll have to do if you want to enjoy the full world of HD Radio.
youll find little reason to want HD reception in your car. The little 29 whip antennas on cars arent capable of bringing in HD signals from any distance. A few manufacturers are trying the add-on approach, offering HD tuners which will work with your existing car radio. But, unless you have a car radio that actually has HD reception capability, youll not hear the great audio. You will be able to tune the multi-cast channels, but the audio will be standard FM stereo. One of the places that HD could shine in the car is on the AM band. AM HD Radio sounds great. It sounds like analog FM but not like CD. Still, the big problem here is programming. Most AM stations run non-stop talk shows. The only time youll really enjoy AM HD is when theres music on during a commercial. Who cares?!

HD Radios Future

The Desert of Mobile HD Radio
When satellite radio first started, they put huge amounts of effort courting the worlds automobile makers to make satellite radio available as an option. It took years for this to finally pay off. Unfortunately, makers were forced to decide with which satellite radio service to sign. Now, with the possibility of a merger, those who bought cars with built-in satellite radio capability may still end up having to buy add-on units to adapt to the new scheme. I believe this recent history has kept car makers from rushing to sign up with HD Radio. Already wondering what to do with satellite radio, they are reluctant to add to their woes by offering HD Radio reception. The result is that very few automobiles are available with HD Radio and its probably just as well. Unless your commute takes you from suburbs to city,
Theres no doubt that eventually all analog FM signals will be turned off and well have a totally digital FM world. But, that date is so far away that no one in the industry even wants to speculate. Last year the best estimate I could get from anyone who knew anything in the industry was ten years. Meanwhile, there is an inexorable march to the all-HD Radio world. Radio stations, both AM and FM, continue to replace their analog transmitters with new HD hybrid transmitters; programmers are developing more program sources for both commercial and non-commercial stations and manufacturers continue to add to their existing inventory and introduce new HD Radio models. A number of big radio manufacturers are notably absent from the HD Radio market. Bose has been very quiet about its HD plans. Perhaps theyre working on a special HD model or perhaps theyre planning to upgrade their current Wave radio models to tune HD. I look for them to make some announcement just prior to the next CES show this spring. Crosley Radio is another that has purposely stayed away from the HD fray. As stated in an interview with Crosely president Bo LeMastus in last months MT, theyre waiting to see how things develop in the industry before making a move. Finally, I look for major stereo producers such as Kenwood to introduce new products with built-in HD reception capabilities this year. Listening to HD Radio (depending on where you live and what you can hear) is well worth the investment in a new radio. Luckily, that doesnt have to be too expensive. Even with the cheapest set you can take the output and put it into your stereo. You may not be getting the full HD sound, but youll at least be able to listen to the multi-cast channels in your area. To find out which stations are broadcasting in HD in your area, go to www.hdradio.com and click on find a station. The chart is kept up to date and includes all the stations in your state that are broadcasting in HD and are multi-casting. This will give you an idea of what you may (or may not) be missing. See HD Radio Comparison Chart on next page.

January 2008 MONITORING TIMES
A COMPARISON OF HD RADIOS
HD Radio sets by category in order of merit. Theres no competition for the Sangean, as its the only component model available. And, theres no competition for the Polk iSonic, because its the most expensive thing out there and it does it all.

COMPONENT HD RADIO

Sangean HDT-1X $249 MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price)
Best of all HD sets in performance and features, but its a component only. No speakers, no built-in amplifier, no CD/DVD player, no satellite radio. Its only as good as your stereo, but, on a good stereo its great. Full review in July 2007 MT. Available from Crutchfield catalog store 888955-6000
HIGH-END TABLE-TOP HD RADIOS

Polk iSonic $599 MSRP

Delivers the goods. All of them: XM/AM/FM/HD/TV/CD/DVD/MP3 with exceptional sound from clever 5-speaker arrangement. Sounds much larger than it is. Would be a superb audio system for a larger 16:9 screen computer with high speed connection and hi-rez display. Full review August 2007 MT. Order direct from Polk Audio 866-764-1801
MID-PRICED TABLE-TOP HD RADIOS
Cambridge SoundWorks $299 MSRP
Best audio of mid-priced sets. Would be a great desk-top audio for computer and fantastic audio in bedroom, study or living room. Full review in September 2007 MT. Buy direct from Cambridge SoundWorks 800-367-4434.

Sony XDR-S3HD

$200-250 MSRP
Beautifully designed solid performer. Typical Sony quality and high price. Excellent audio. Full review in December 2007 MT. Available at a large number of retailers nationwide including Best Buy and Target.
Boston Acoustics Receptor

$299 MSRP

Audio not up to BA heritage or price tag. Odd satellite speaker arrangement. Full review in June 2007 MT. Available direct from BA 888-627-1444
LOWEST PRICED TABLE-TOP HD RADIOS
Radio Shack Accurian $199 MSRP
Has smallest desk foot print of all. Audio is slightly better than Radiosophy HD-100. Full review in June 2007 MT. Available at most Radio Shack outlets.

Radiosophy HD-100

$99 MSRP
Smallest of the HD sets. Looks like it should be a portable but isnt. Very small speakers lack bass. Full review on MT web site. Available direct from Radiosophy 877-443-7234.