[zotjen]

For a little over a month now, I've had the Sony XDR-F1HD tuner. It's a very small unit, smaller than many clock radios. However, it is certainly not a radio and must be hooked up to an amp or receiver. Reception is ok with the included dipole antenna but to maximize HD reception (especially if you're not in an urban area) a rooftop antenna should be used.There are a lot of things to say about it.

First, the disadvantages:

1. The LCD display has three settings - bright, brighter, and brightest. Depending on where you keep it (e.g. a darkened room) it may or may not bother you. Personally, I can live with the lowest setting. Note that the display is always on, as it displays the time when the unit is off.

2. Because of it's small size, the display itself is small and can be hard to read from a distance. The backlight also adds to the difficulty in reading it.

3. It has no direct tuning. You'll have to use the scan buttons to get to the station you want. However, once you set your presets (there are 20), navigation become a little bit easier.

4. It has two scan modes - one for all stations and one that scans only for HD signals. The problem is that you can only scan up and not down. For example if you're at 96.3 and want to go to 95.5, you'll have to go through just about the entire FM band to get to it. Again though, presets make navigating a little bit easier. (Edit: slight correction. It does have tuning buttons which do allow you to go either up or down, but for scanning purposes you can only go up).

5. I haven't had this happened to me yet, but apparently you can only keep the unit unplugged or without power for a short time before it loses your presets.

6. The unit does not allow you to listen to the analog channel of a station if it also broadcasts in HD. For example, if the quality of the HD broadcast of a station (in this case, HD1) is not as good as the analog broadcast, you can only listen to the HD broadcast. When you first tune in to a station, you will always hear analog. If it broadcasts in HD, it will switch over to the HD signal in a few seconds once it locks it in. Note that the HD1 signal is always the same broadcast as the analog. HD2 and if available, HD3, will play different formats.

7. This unit gets hot. Not warm, but hot. Adequate ventilation is absolutely required.

8. It only has analog output, no digital. This may be an issue for some people.

9. My own opinion on HD radio as a medium is that it leaves something to be desired. Granted, because I live in a suburb and because I cannot mount a rooftop antenna, I can't receive all of the HD signals that are available in my area (the corresponding analog stations come in fine, meaning that the power of the HD signals are not as strong). Of the HD signals I do receive, most if not all, are of a lesser quality than the analog signal. This will obviously vary from station to station. Also, the HD content isn't much to sing about. This of course will vary where you live but for example, the HD2 signal of an Adult Contemporary station plays country. The HD2 station of a modern rock station plays lite jazz.

Now for the advantages:

1. Bar none, for the money, this is probably the best sounding tuner you can buy, especially for analog.

Note that the link below provides a much more detailed description and review of the tuner, along with some DIY mods that can disable the display as well as force the tuner to go into analog mode and extend memory retention.

Sony XDR-F1HD

It was this review as well as posts in the AVS forum that convinced me to buy it.

The unit currently retails for $99, however, the good folks of The HD Radio Alliance are currently offering a rebate for a number of HD radios including this model between now and Sept. 29th. The rebate is $50, so yes, once all is said and done, you get the tuner for $50. Not bad. A link to the rebate is below.

http://wucf.ucf.edu/HDRadio/0630-0929db_50HDradio.pdf

FWIW, as I indicated I'm not that thrilled with the HD stations I can get in both quality and content so in a way it's a mixed blessing that I can't pick that many up. This means I get to listen to most stations in all their analog glory, for which this tuner is superb. Also note that I'm using a passive rabbit ear antenna from Radio Shack instead of the included wire dipole. The reception I get is a little better.

Edit:
I forgot to mention this is an FM and AM tuner. However, I have not yet tried out the AM band yet. And here is a link to the unit on Sony's website:

XDR-F1HD | HD Radio™ Head Unit XDR-F1HD | Sony | SonyStyle USA

Edit edit:
Note that some of the info on this tuner can be found in this thread here, including the review link posted above. I decided to dedicate a separate thread to this unit rather than just post my comments in a general HD radio thread.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f7/hd-...ations-297181/

 

[DocHamm]

Nice review zotjen! I would expect that from a fellow Jerseyite. I went to Middlesex College! I'm a Jersey Devil at heart!

Back on track ... I wanted to point out a few more informative articles on the Sony XDR-F1HD ...

1. David's DX Website Review
2. M. Bugaj's Review
3. The Audio Critic

I'm certain there is enough information here to help a number of people make an informed decision as to whether the F1HD is for them or not.

 

[Mike Walker]

I've read (though don't remember exactly where) that (for the brave at heart!) there are mods to force analog reception on the Sony, and (less important, as it has such spectacularly low noise at low signal levels) force mono.

Maybe I'm lucky. You can form your own opinion of the audio I've posted (link repeated here for those who didn't see the other thread) http://www.theproductionroom.net/hd.wma but, in the rural area where I live, 40 to 100 miles from the HD stations I enjoy, NOTHING on analog approaches (in my opinion) the quality of the best digital (particularly the first station on the sample...WDAV. LISTEN how quiet the background is when the announcer speaks, and how clean her voice is. LISTEN to the "jump factor" as the audio level suddenly increases early on (when the orchestra plays MUCH louder) do you REALLY experience that kind of dynamic swing on your local analog FM stations? I KNOW analog FM is capable of providing truly high-end quality, but I haven't actually heard it do so in a long, long time!

From what you (and others) have written, and what I have personally experienced with some stations' HD3 streams...HD can sound truly AWFUL! But it also can sound completely transparent. Again, as someone who's spent his life in radio, and been able to throw that switch on the console between the direct feed from the board, and the on-air signal, I can tell you that GOOD HD sounds FAR closer to the audio coming straight "off the board" than analog FM stereo.

In case you're wondering what it sounds like at most FM stereo stations (switching between a direct feed, and the on-air signal), the most noticable thing is a "lack of sparkle" and "air" to the highs. Because of the 75us pre-emphasis curve (a part of the FM standard), highs are boosted A LOT at the radio station, and cut by a reciprocal amount in the radio. The result is reduced noise (when the radio cuts the highs, it also cuts the received noise). Kind of like a crude dolby noise reduction system...crude because, unlike dolby which doesn't do anything to loud highs because they would mask noise anyway, FM's high frequency boost/cut isn't level-dependent. It's constant.

Now if you're boosting highs to levels far above the midrange (where most audio content lies), then it's obvious that 100 percent modulation (+-75khz in the US) will be reached earlier at high frequencies than at the midrange, unless you roll the highs off before they are boosted in the processor or exciter. This is one of the things the multiband compressor/limiter at the radio station does. It dynamically limits high frequencies so the station can still be competitively LOUD. Sad as it may seem, an FM station can either have a clean, extended high end, or it can be loud. It can't do both...at least with analog.

Digital is a whole new world...at least if it's done right. Suddenly the high frequency content can be just as "bright" and "open" as that coming from a cd. LPs, of course are less of a challenge, because, as with FM radio, highs are limited during mastering...this time to avoid distortion, particularly as the stylus nears the center of a record. CDs, on the other hand...and high bitrate HD (above 64kbps), can be pretty much "wide open" "on top".

This more open, extended high end is specifically what I find dramatically better on (good) HD. It's obvious (if you listen carefully) in the switch from analog to digital on the sample I provided. Once the switch to digital is complete, listen to the tamborine on "Heard it through the grapevine"...clean, and wide open. That would have been far more suppressed, and "hazy" sounding via analog FM stereo. I know, I've heard that song in the control room on FM a thousand times (not an exaggeration...being in radio means knowing the words to all the songs you hate!)

So that (the cleaner, more open high end, far more obvious stereo imaging, and dead-quiet background) are what I specifically mean when I say that (good, well engineered) HD sounds much better TO ME, from the stations I have access to. Just as I was an early adopter of cd when I heard it's rock-steady pitch (and nearly perfect pitch accuracy) a generation ago...those being things that drove me nuts with analog lps, and tapes! Having pretty much perfect pitch (a curse, trust me!), a song that's even a fraction of a percent off pitch is like fingernails on a chalk-board to me. That's why I STILL wouldn't consider going back to LPs a my primary medium EVER, even when they occasionally sound superior in other areas.

Sorry to be so long-winded. It occured to me that it might be more constructive to point out exactly what sounds better TO ME with HD vs. analog FM stereo, as with cd vs. lp (discussed earlier), than to bash other people for claiming the opposite.

"Accuracy" is demonstrable...you can demonstrate and measure that one medium changes the original audio less than another. But "sound quality", which you (or I) prefer....that's entirely subjective! And our prejuduces weigh HEAVILY on our preferences.

 

[Toka]

Great review, thanks for writing it all up. It really is a good tuner, especially given the price. I'm likely to hold off in the hopes that Sony (or somebody else) will do another one with more features (forced-analog mode, digital out) and better ergonomics. As it stands, my older reference tuners still sound better when compared to the HD broadcasts(especially in terms of staging), though the reception ability on the Sony is amazing.

 

[zotjen]

Well, thanks for the kind words guys but I don't think I'd classify my post as a review - it's more along the line of sharing my impressions. And Doc, although I'm currently in Middlesex I only moved here a few years ago. I'm still a Brooklyn boy at heart.

Quote:

I've read (though don't remember exactly where) that (for the brave at heart!) there are mods to force analog reception on the Sony, and (less important, as it has such spectacularly low noise at low signal levels) force mono.

Mike, both of these mods are mentioned in the Brian Beezly review.

One additional thing I should add is that when a station switches to from analog to HD, the HD signal is at a lower volume which can automatically give the impression that the sound quality itself is not as good. However, I'll still stand by my statement that of the HD signals I can receive, all of them are of a lesser quality than their analog counterparts. There is only one exception to this where the HD and analog are about the same.

 

[Mike Walker]

I think one of the reasons HD sounds so dramatically better to me is that I live in a rural area...in the fringes of every FM station (but the one powerhouse located here in Wilkes Co. NC). The analog stereo on every station is compromised to some degree, even with a roof antenna, rotor, and preamp. I'm sure the difference wouldn't be as dramatic if I lived in an urban, or suburban area.

 

[ipm]

Is this tuner worth it for use in Canada? I am not sure what is avilable here in HD. Speaking of analog only, I saw a modification here:

http://www.radioxtuners.com/

 

[Mike Walker]

My favorite thing about the XDR-F1HD is it's magnificent analog reception! There is no "stereo penalty" for distant analog FM stereo stations. They come-through fully separated, and remarkably noise-free!

Ordinary FM tuners must either blend the channels toward mono to control noise, or pass your station awash with hiss. NOT the XDR-F1HD!

It's quite extraordinary...and one othe greatest gifts of DSP technology...performance which would embarrass the great "super tuners" of the past in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and noise and distortion-free reception with full separation of every very, VERY distant and weak stations.

Can you tell I like this tuner?

 

[noseallinit]

Quote:

(for the brave at heart!) there are mods

so i finally picked up a sony xdr-f1hd tuner about a month ago. have wanted one for quite awhile. quite happy with it for the most part. it fits well with the headroom desktop equipment i own(although it would be nice if i could fit it in a desktop enclosure). 
 
it has excellent reception! i live in wnc as well, asheville. i'm pulling in stations from knoxville, tn and greenville, sc that i do not remember picking up on my nad 710. currently using the fm reflect antenna from ccrane and i also own a magnum dynalab's fm ribbon antenna that i need to pull out of storage to test with the xdr-f1hd. have used both antennas with the nad 710. most hd stations sound better or as good as analog but there is the exception of a few. i'm thinking i might like to have the forced analog switch mentioned here and performed at radio x tuners.
 
not sure how to describe the sound quality compared to what i remember of my nad 710 but i'd say the sony has more of a tin sound to it. not sure why..
 
was curious if any head-fi members have had or made any mods to get the best sound quality and reception out of their xdr-fihd tuner?
 
thanks!