Has anyone hooked up the HD FM radio in the MC yet? If so, how does it sound compared to regular FM?

 

Well it's now August, and no responses to this post. I'm considering ordering an '07 MCS, and wondering whether to shell out for the HD radio option.

Does anyone have any feedback on the sound quality vs. analog FM signals?

Thanks!

 

I have it as part of the audio pack.
I listened to it twice in two weeks so far --- it suffers when you're out of range.
I'm having lots of fun with the Sirius but I'd call the HD radio a waste... ...if you're really into your local stations, you might like it better than I do.

 

I have it is part of the Audio package as well, but there are only two stations that broadcast in HD in my local area and they do not have multiple feeds. I'll be driving to a different market area this Saturday which does have more HD stations and they do have multiple feeds so I'll be playing around with the HD more than what I've been able to so far.

I'm happy with the quality so far, the one HD station that I occasionally listen to is crystal clear. I would imagine it has a similar range as conventional radio, the advantage is, no static if you turn the volume up.

I have mainly been listening to the Sirius stations but it seems to lose the signal quite a bit with what I'd consider minor obstacles (trees) in the way.

 

It all depends whether your town has a lot of HD stations. I live near Kansas City, and they have tons. I also listen to a lot of NPR (national public radio), and for that reason alone, its worth it. (you get additional stations with HD radio. EX: you will get 92.9 (1) and 92.9 (2). same station, just 2 different channels.

The sound quality is CD, which sounds great. People always ask if I have a CD in, but its the radio. Regular FM sounds horrible compared.

I dont know how much MINI charges, but I got a JVC KD-HDR1 for $175, plus 50 bucks to install. The cool thing with this radio is that you can also hook up your Ipod directly...You can control it through your stereo, and it charges it while plugged in. (you have to buy a cable adapter, 25-35 bucks). Its way better than the FM transmitters. Those things ALWAYS have some static, even when working perfectly. This cable allows you to get a direct link w/out static.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ...&cm_keycode=58

Im happy with mine, but the factory one might be different.

 

I finally got to play around with multiple radio streams with the HD radio today. I love the HD radio, it is crystal clear, but I don't really care for how you have to change between the multiple streams. In order to change between them you have to be in the manual tuning mode. You can then change to between the streams via the left/right arrow buttons on the MFSW or the left/right arrow keys on the console control panel.

It would have been nice it you could switch streams from the presets screen instead of having to go into the manual tuning mode. I do have the OEM NAV but I suspect it is probably the same if you don't have the NAV option.

 

Alot depends upon the local station's commitment to the HD radio. A local station in Atlanta that plays classic rock has the worst HD broadcast and that 's the station that I would listen to the most --- it sounds all fuzzy in HD, like they're trying too hard at it. The other stations sound fine.

The Sirius is endearing itself to me more and more.

 

Aye, Sirius rocks! I didn't think I'd like it as much as I do but in two weeks, it has really grown on me.

 

This site has a list of the current HD stations.

http://www.ibiquity.com/hdradio/hdradio_hdstations.htm

 

Sirius plays at almost half the quality of HD radio. I can tell the difference easily. They just have more stations, in some parts of the country (My town has lots of HD stations) ... But guess what...

HD is FREE!!!!

 

HD isn't free; you have to listen to commercials.
And the HD radio is just crisper quality commercial radio. How many times can a person listen to More Than A Feeling without puking?
Sirius has any format (except bagpipes...) to fit your mood. I mostly listen to Blues, Bluegrass, & classic rock.
But there's other stuff in there. Jazz, showtunes, rapcrap, etc.
Commercial radio, even HD, sucks.
The technology is good, mind you; it's the market-driven forces that make it suck...

 

Not True. The radio stations main channnel is just regular programming on HD. But by tuning to the second or even third HD channel... no commercials, you just have to look for it, and the quality is well worth it

 

Yep, many second and third channels play CD quality music (yes, for FREE), for hours and hours w/out any commercials. Many of the rock stations play indie on a second station and comedy radio on a third, so there are lots of genres.

I agree, regular radio has plays the same crap over and over. The HD expanded stations are much better.

I've owned both, and I prefer the HD, which I don't pay (money) for.

 

That may be case currently for the stations you are listening to. Do not expect the situation to last for long. The stations can broadcast anything they want to on those channels. The HD Radio broadcasting standard was pretty much defined by the broadcasters, not the FCC. It was specifically designed to bring in more advertising revenue. The broadcasters will also add more subchannels at the expense of sound quality.

 

Right.
It's bait. Commercial radio is commercial radio. They gots their bills to pay...
They need to sell alot more HD radios first though; right now almost nobody has them.
I listened to a few of the HD-2 stations on the way home yesterday; some of it was decent.
But again, I'm not of the hip-hop or gen-x demographic. I'll turn up Machine Head, Evenflow, and Been Caught Stealing, but I'd rather listen to some Stevie Ray Vaughn or Muddy Waters...
None of the HD radio plays anything that I really would like to hear unless I'm in the mood for country.
The local classic rock HD station is still fuzzy; I can't even listen to it. I wonder if they even know it? Is there a way to turn off the HD feature on the radio?

 

I also have the Audio Package and finally played around yesterday with HD. While I agree that the tonal quality of HD is excellent, of the dozen or so stations available in my area, only one appeals to me. So back to Sirius I go!

Soapbox Time: When FM and rock music became a serious joint (pardon the pun) item back in the sixties, FM was incredible! Now, not so much, its soul is long gone! What FM seems to be best at these days is playing lots of commercials, hip hop, sweetsy pop, country, or some version of what may be called rock from a program director's repetitive list of songs. Yawn! I know that there are some exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between. Oh, one other thing that hampers FM radio is the FCC censors. I don't need the government spewing their version of morality at the air waves; that's B.S. Viva Sirius and XM!

 

I live in miami and the hd is great here i never heard a more clear sound system ever. Its even better than the harmon kardon sound system.

 

Sounds like its all about where you live and what HD stations are near you. Here in KC, there are tons. Jazz, classic rock, modern rock, NPR, bluegrass, and a few others are mostly the HD stations I listen to.

 

Never thought of this before, but can you listen to non-HD stations on the Mini's radio if you get the HD option?

 

Yes you can. I functions just like a regular radio but recognized HD stations when you tune to them.

 

That's good. One of my local favorites is not in HD yet. Very unique station like no other. KPIG radio.

 

HD Radio will lock onto an analog signal first in mono, then stereo, then try to find a digital signal. If digital signal reception is lost, the radio will revert to analog, seamlessly, the same way a car radio will go into mono operation from stereo when signal strength is insufficient for stereo.

 

Interesting. That is exactly the way I was hoping they worked. This will be the first HD radio I've used before.

 

But I can't figure out how to switch off the HD on a station that has a crappy HD signal...

 

hmmm.... on my JVC, I have to go through the main menu to turn off HD. Wouldn't even a crappy HD signal sound better than a good FM signal? I don't know, I guess I've never heard a crappy HD signal before.