| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Platinum High Definition Radio - RECHDSTP |  | |
Platinum High Definition Radio - RECHDSTP
BostonAcoustic Receptor HD AM/FM radio delivers a new level of high-definition sound performance from HD-Station radio broadcasts. This HD-Radio receives special encoded signals that upgrade sound performance. AM upgrades to FM fidelity. While FM can deliver CD quality sound. The technology, developed by Ibiquity-Digital uses new FCC approved sidebands that allow radio stations to transmit both HD-Radio and analog radio simultaneously. It differs from Satellite radio because these signals are transmitted from public accessible radio stations. At this writing, there are over 700 radio stations currently using HD AM/FM bands in the USA and, depending where you are, the Recepter RadioHD can receive them. Multi-line radio display Output jack for connecting optional headphone Outstanding sound from Boston Acoustics Color - Platinum Uses 110-120 Volts AC 60 Hz power (USA AC power-cord included) A subscription is NOT required to receive HD AM/FM signals on this radio
Manufacturer: Boston Acoustics
Price Range: $299.00 - $299.99
 Platinum High Definition Radio - RECHDSTP
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| User Reviews |  | HD Radio Finally!
rating: 4
When I got this radio I compared it with my other Boston Acoustics radio using the same wire antenna and got much better reception with the other radio. Then I used the longer wire that came with the HD radio; moving it across the room laying my wire up over my bookself. Not perfect, but a big improvement. On FM I now get 6 HD stations, 5 coming in 90% of the time. I also like the fact you can dim the light on the clock, and the fact that you can spread the speakers far apart. It will be great when I move into my new house and I put up my antenna in my attic It will pick up even better.
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A good HD radio
rating: 4
I first used this radio when I worked in I.T. for a cluster of local radio stations that broadcast in HD, so I already knew what I was getting. I use this model as a bedroom clock radio, with the radio on one nightstand and the second speaker extended to the other nightstand. I've been very pleased with the performance of the radio in this application. The only drawback I found was the reconditioned radio did not include the remote control.
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good product, but needs more advertising!
rating: 4
I got the Boston Acoustics HD Receptor Radio a few months back off of Ebay, and for just shy of a hundred clams, it is well worth the money, although the analog AM reception is very treble-shy, [note- my hearing tests normal for my age] but quiet. The analog FM reception is above average in sensitivity and below average in noise/multipath levels. The HD reception [which is the sole reason I got this radio in the first place] is strictly so-so, requiring a close-to-transmitter [no more than 40 miles distant, using an indoor dipole antenna] reception location in order to receive any HD signals strong enough for decoding [A "deep fringe" outdoor antenna is strongly advised for those like me who live out in the "sticks"]. FM HD reception/sound quality is mixed, with KUOW-FM Seattle [program: "The Swing Years and Beyond"- also on the web!] fading back and forth between HD and analog, with noticeable echo artifact as well as low-bitrate treble swishiness - I must note here that in analog, this station is totally absent at my location out in rural Pierce County]. AM HD is MIA with one exception- KTAC-AM in Tacoma, Washington- does come in robustly, but unfortunately for me, it is only a sports station and does not broadcast music - only !@#$%&+*! sports! However, I was able to judge audio quality just the same with the announcers' voices as well as the commercial jingles - it all had a hard, metallic treble quality due in part to the Spectral Substitution algorithm HD uses on low bandwidth AM HD broadcasts, in order to fill-in missing upper-octave trebles so as to sound more similar to FM. Dynamics were good, though. I wish fervently, that Coast2CoastAM [a radio program broadcast on KVI here] would come in via HD, as the Receptor's analog AM section is insensitive [I live in the "boonies", which means i need an external AM antenna for reception] as well as being severely rolled-off in the treble - down to [roughly] 3000 cycles per second - causing a treble dullness which hampers program intelligibility [announcer's sibilants are barely heard]. It has worse treble performance than any other AM radio I have ever heard. A pity. When I plug in a CD player, the speakers' sound is a bit shouty in the low trebles but reasonably neutral overall. Bass extends useably down to [roughly] 60 cycles per second, very good performance for such a small unit. The Receptor uses an old BBC [speaker] "mid-bass bump" trick to boost the mid-bass to compensate for missing low bass- however, this also makes announcers' voices sound very chesty at times [which, combined with the low treble roll-off, muffles announcers' voices]. The unit can split into 2 parts, for left and right Stereo, with the addition of the [included] 10' stereo minijack cable, with surprisingly vivid stereo imaging [and a large "sweet spot"] as a result. Volume levels were adequately loud for music listening in a small [no larger than 100 square feet] listening room, so this unit would be just the thing for volume-deprived apartment/condo dwellers, loud enough to enjoy but not quite loud enough to annoy neighbors in adjacent units. Recommended, but with reservations.
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Great sound quality...with the right external antenna
rating: 2
Just as most reviews state, the Receptor's am/fm tuner is extremely weak for a radio of this "quality." I took some advice and tried a few "T" type antennas and found one that actually locks in (and holds 99% of the time) all local HD fm stations. It is a simple non-powered VHF/UHF Indoor TV antenna from Radio Shack (Product# 15-1874). Note: the dual-antenna poles must be folded out into the "T" position, which makes it very visible unless you can hide it behind a piece for furniture (i.e. its ugly). It has a 3' coax cable and connector that is the right guage/thickness to screw onto the back of the Receptor very tightly. I have not found the included AM antenna to work at all, even with the strongest of AM stations. But for FM & HD stations, the Receptor seems to work great with the right antenna.
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Sounds good, but stopped working after about 3 months.
rating: 1
Summary by a 25 year old tech geek: Don't get this radio unless you win it somehow, even then, just sell it, it isn't worth your sanity and time.
I got this radio as a present last year for Christmas. I was excited because of the HD stations out there. I wasn't disappointed in the HD, because I knew that HD for radios didn't mean High Definition, it means Hybrid Digital. So it means it can receive analog and digital signals. Its a slick marketing scheme with a few perks, so do your research before you buy anything electronic. That being said, You can really only recognize a quality difference on an AM HD station on any HD radio.
Anyways this radio in particular has never moved in the house since I received it, but it stopped turning on about 3 months after I got it. Since even the analog signal receiver side it is in the digital circuit, nothing works. The digital circuit is shoddy at best and is not intended to last long. Now its just a great big paper weight.
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Platinum High Definition Radio - RECHDSTP
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