Sangean HDT-1X HD Radio Component Tuner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The HDT-1 is an excellent tuner however being the initial offering from Sangean there were some annoyances like the display that could not be dimmed and no optical output. Well these two issues have been addressed in the HDT-1X! Other improvements like forced analog mode; split comparison between HD and analog signals; accurate time keeping; display that goes black when in the standby mode but you can push the INFO button and the time will come on and stay on for a few seconds. The sensitivity of the tuner is superb as I live almost 50 miles north of NYC. While I do not get all the HD stations, I pull in a fair number to cover the various music genres. I am most satisfied and I am not a teckie, but I know a quality item; as I said this is my second Sangean tuner and I am enjoying it! Buy it, but make sure you have a good FM antenna -- I am using an indoor whip antenna and a Magnum Signal Sleuth and I get HD stations -- imagine with a roof or attic antenna (I can't have either as I live in a townhouse). Of course if you live close to a large city like NYC you won't need any elaborate antenna!

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Sangean America HDT-1X Component Radio Tuner HDT-1X FM Transmitters

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Pyle-Home PT652T - Digital PLL Quartz Radio Tuner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a piece of junk. Sound quality is poor. I guess you get what you pay for. The unit comes with ends for rack mounting (held on by 4 tiny screws) that does not even fit a 19" rack.

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This digital PLL quartz radio tuner fills one niche - your AM/FM radio - and it's perfect. External AM and FM antennas keep your signal strong and clear. Auto station scanning means you'll never have to hear that annoying static as you switch between stations. The digital fluorescent display looks great. It's capable of storing up to 20 station memory presets for easy recall - 10 for AM, 10 for FM. Outputs over RCA at preamp level. Rack mounting hardware included.

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CC Witness 2GB Digital Recorder/MP3 players with AM/FM Review

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(More customer reviews)Great little recorder. Received mine yesterday, charged it up, recorded a few test recordings on AM and FM. Programmed it to record from midnight to 4am and it worked great. Fairly easy to use! AM receiver is sensitive and worked well with no interference. I followed the instruction manual and turned off th AM Radio display to minimize/eliminate any interference. Uses SD Memory devices as big as 16gb! That is in addition to it's built-in 2gb of memory. Maybe in a future model it will use a USB Thumb Drive or maybe a regular USB External Hard Drive! This unit is going to make late night recording and recording of specialty radio programs a real easy task. I calculate my recording usage at slightly more than forty hours a week.

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The CC Witness is one of the few digital recorder/MP3 players that also has both AM and FM radio onboard. Designed for the radio aficionado, the CC Witness has 2GB of onboard memory and up to 2GB of external memory on an optional SD card. That's 4GB of memory that you can have with you whenever you need it to record your favorite radio programs, your thoughts, lectures and even music. With so much space built into the unit, you'll have plenty of room to store hundreds of hours of recordings, and still have room for more. If you've ever worried about missing your favorite radio show, than the CC Witness might just make your day - since you can preset it to record up to 20 programs in advance. You can even make MP3 recordings of AM/FM radio programs on the fly.

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Marantz ST7001 XM Ready and AM/FM Stereo Tuner Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I cannot believe this is radio.
I bought the Marantz ST7001 to fit into my hi-fi system after trying another, inexpensive digital tuner. My thought was to have the radio in the house sound as good as the radio in my car. I did not want to spend four figures on a radio component, which put Magnum Dynalab and Fanfare out of my league. I also did not want to make a hobby out of fussing with the technical details of radio. Thus, the many outstanding vintage tuners were of limited interest.
I did some research before buying this tuner. One important thing I learned was that antennas are important and that your tuner is only as good as its reception.
At the time of my decision I was aware of the following competitive mid-priced (under $500) component tuners available in the US market:
1. Marantz ST7001 - Reviewed as a little less detailed than some but with a fuller sound.
2. NAD C425 - Reviewed as highly detailed and transparent, a bit bright and thin sounding. This is consistent with what I have heard from NAD tuners.
3. Onkyo T-4555 Multi Platform Tuner - No meaningful review comments on sound quality, but reviews indicated lots of format capabilities. Sadly, they also indicated poor reliability and very bad customer service.
4. Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner - Only one review, which indicated an ordinary, cheap plastic tuner with ordinary sound.
5. Cambridge Audio 340T AM/FM Tuner - I know nothing about this tuner. I did not like the looks of it, and the absence of readily available comments from popular websites made me hesitate.
6. Denon TU-1500RD AM/FM Tuner - This is likely the closest competition to the Marantz, with one review indicating that they share some common parts. That review also indicated that the Denon is a little more detailed and has a less boomy bass, but at the expense of some warmth. I noticed that it is also has plastic panels. IMO Denon sometimes produces some very good equipment in its higher priced lines, this firm does not have the same reputation for audiophile candy that Marantz has.
7. Music Hall T25.2 AM/FM Tuner - I know nothing about this except that it is designed to aesthetically match the rest of the excellent Music Hall 25.2 system, and Music Hall is well regarded.
8. Jolida JD 402A AM/FM Tuner - Reviews indicated phenomenal potential for the knowledgeable person or the audiophile willing to swap tubes. As is consistent with Jolida's reputation in other components, there were some quality issues reported and the product was best suited to someone who doesn't mind tinkering a little bit. I mind.
Based on this research, it seemed to me that the Marantz had a premium look and well regarded sound. It was noteworthy enough to have been reviewed in several high-fi magazines in its native England, and several of the customer reviews from other tuners referred to this as a better choice, with comments like, `returned my whatever and bought the Marantz,' or `tuner X is hard to use, should be like the Marantz.' I got the impression that the Marantz had set an important standard for mid-priced tuners.
So, I bought one.
My initial efforts at antenna management have been imprecise. I connected a cheap, passive, wire type 300 ohm FM antenna (a fine example comes in the box). Then I crumpled it up, dropped it behind the credenza in a heap, and tuned in my local NPR station. NPR was broadcasting a recently recorded Dvorak symphony, and music filled the room like a CD. Instruments were precisely placed, I heard the weird fade you get in concert halls where it sounds like the walls are covered in blankets, and some dude coughed faintly to my right.
More importantly, I found the balance of the sound convincing and satisfying. When reception is good and the source broadcast is quality, this tuner sounds natural and open and full. Textures are rich and instruments sound like they should. I did not measure the sound with meters, but I have been to concerts and I know what live music sounds like. This sounds like that. Could I tell the difference with my eyes closed? Absolutely. But this radio cost less than a 6-concert pass at my local symphony orchestra ticket office.
I am totally happy with this tuner and consider it a significant bargain. The next step is to find a better antenna and really see what it can do.

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The ST7001 continues the legendary Marantz tradition of tuner performance with a digitally-synthesized "front end" optimized for both high sensitivity and high selectivity. This makes the ST7001 a great choice for both urban and rural areas. The audio circuitry follows this same high-quality pattern with custom-selected parts in a meticulous layout to maximize signal quality while minimizing interference. In addition, the ST7001 boasts a wide variety of convenience features including 100-station programmability with custom naming to help you get to your favorite broadcasts easily. The sleep timer function lets you fall asleep to the station of your choice. The D-Bus connector and supplied remote control make this tuner a cinch to integrate with the most advanced custom designed systems. �XM-Ready (Connect and Play) �AM/FM Stereo Tuner �Triple IR Code Sets �Total 200 Station Pre-set Memory: 10 groups x 10 for AM/FM, 10 groups x 10 for XM �Editable Station Name �Discrete All XM channel codes �Dual Analog Audio Outputs �RS232C Connection for System Control �Direct IR Flasher Input �Detachable Power Code �Aluminum Front panel �Weekly Timer �Sleep Timer

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Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The price is very good.
It will do the job, nothing impressive in sound quality.
Nothing impressive in the construction of it.
A plain and very flat tuner. nothing else.. :/
Almost forgot, NO REMOTE. :(

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The Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner features direct phase-locked loop intermediate frequency count synthesizer tuning (PLL IF), which combines direct PLL tuning capabilities with a microprocessor-controlled IF count process to provide an exceptional lock onto stations and ensure a crystal-clear performance.The absolute linear phase IF amplifier maximizes interference rejection, phase linearity and stereo separation.The TX-497 also features 40-station AM/FM random access preset tuning, auto-search, multi-status station memory and a high-gain AW loop antenna.

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ATI 100-715331 TV Wonder 650 PCI Interface High Definition Personal Video Recorder for PC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This ATI hd tv tuner is the cheapest way to watch hdtv right now. However, consumers will pay a price by troubleshooting their hd tuner to work. I have a fancy dual core computer with a high end graphics card (ATI 1800x).
Don't bother installing the drivers that come with the tuner because they are garbage. Go directly to the ati website and download the newest drivers because they are much better.
Firstly, the hd signal looks amazingly crisp when the signal comes in. Unfortunately, I find that I have to change the direction of my antenna for certain channels and it can take many minutes to get the signal perfect because it is very sensitive.
One very nice aspect about the hd software that comes with it is it lets you record in full native hd quality and you can keep these files for as long as youd like. Unfortunately, the software doesn't let you edit which part of the recording you would like to keep. The only way to edit what you want is to turn on and off the tv tuner in symphony with what you want to record.
The software constantly records what you watch so you can pause and rewind so this can fill up your hard drive quickly. It would be nice to be able to edit out what you don't want to record easier while maintaining the full quality of the video.
Another problem with the current software is it has very misleading indicators as to how big the recorded files are when you export them. They are completely unreliable.
I use my hd tuner for only a few shows every week but I thoroughly enjoy using it. However, it takes a lot of effort to get it to work optimally. If you don't mind the hassle, this is a great chance for you to get hdtv on your computer.
I live in Hollywood California where the reception is supposed to be very good.


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The ATI TV Wonder 650 High-Definition Personal Video Recorder for your PC is loaded with the very latest in digital TV technologies. You'll be able to schedule, watch, and record analog television, free-to-air HDTV, and FM radio stations from your home computer. This makes the TV Wonder 650 the ultimate media upgrade for your PC. Features include an advanced 3D comb filter, noise reduction, automatic color control, and edge enhancement to produce brilliant, sharp video that rivals any high-end consumer television set. This complete high-definition solution also allows you to watch the latest DVD titles, create your own DVDs, or convert your recorded television shows so you can take them with you on a portable media player. With all these media capabilities, the TV Wonder 650 expands your PC and brings your home computer out of the office and into the living room.
High-Quality Analog TV, Free-to-Air HDTV, and FM Radio on Your PC TV Wonder 650 enhances standard analog TV and delivers sharp, clear video images that one would expect from today's high-end consumer televisions. The advanced 3D comb filter removes false colors and unsightly artifacts. Automatic gain control rapidly adjusts the brightness, automatic color control ensures that colors remain true to the actual image, and edge enhancement sharpens video to keep it clean and crisp. All of these advanced technologies are powered by the cutting-edge Theater 650 Pro processing core that produces the best possible viewing experience.
This product allows you to view free-to-air HDTV programming through the connection of an amplified antenna. Watch your favorite TV shows and sports programming in stunning, true-to-life, high definition. And since free-to-air HDTV (ATSC in North America) requires no monthly fees, you can watch with pleasure without damaging your pocketbook. (Please note that an amplified antenna is required to receive ATSC HDTV signals). In addition, to analog TV and free-to-air HDTV tuning capabilities, the TV Wonder 650 also allows you to tune in your favorite FM stations. Keep up on the latest news or listen to music while you work, send email, or surf the Internet--with the TV Wonder 650 all you favorite entertainment mediums come together with your PC.
Video Input/Capture and PVR Capabilities TV Wonder 650 allows you to view or capture analog video from a camcorder or VCR through the audio/video input block. This function makes it easy to digitize your home videos and preserve your memories onto your PC's hard drive, or burn them to DVDs for friends and family. The Theater 650 Pro processing core utilizes noise reduction to sharpen the incoming analog video signal, and removes the static that can occur when sending analog video into your PC for capture. Whether you enable standard analog TV or free-to-air HDTV programming, TV Wonder 650 allows you to watch, pause live TV, or schedule and record your TV programs for later viewing, just like TiVo or other personal video recorders (PVR). This device is also capable of hardware MPEG-2 compression; it offloads the work from your CPU and produces a high-quality capture that can easily be transferred to DVD. The Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) makes it a breeze to find and schedule recordings of your favorite TV programs, or search for other programs by channel and genre.
User-Friendly Interface The Catalyst Media Center is ATI's new 3D interface that makes it easy to access the enormous number of features on your TV Wonder 650. It's large, bright, easy-to-read buttons and clear, 3D icons pave a quick path to where you want to go. Beyond its user-friendly and aesthetically-pleasing interface, Catalyst Media Center packs the TV Wonder 650 with even more media capabilities. The built-in DVD decoder adds the ability to watch DVD movie titles; the DVD authoring software allows you to effortlessly create DVDs on your won that include themed menus and your favorite tunes; and, lastly, AVIVO Video Converter gives you the choice to either capture or convert video to a format that will enable transfer to a portable media player. The capture or convert feature is available in a number of formats, including MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Windows Media Video 9, AVI, DivX, or H.264 formats.
The TV Wonder 650 is designed with the Windows Media Center 2005 in mind. It is the perfect complement for this powerful media operating system, as it upgrades your PC to take full advantage of the abundance of media capabilities. In addition, the TV Wonder 650 is ready for the Windows Vista operating system. In fact, this device is even Windows Vista Premium ready, which ensures that you will be able to take full advantage of the TV Wonder 650's powerhouse media capabilities for years to come.
Note: An ATI Radeon 9600 or newer graphics card is recommended for optimal display output quality.
What's in the Box TV Wonder 650, PCI card, FM radio antenna, A/V input block, software CD-ROM, and an installation and setup guide.

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Teac TR-670 AM/FM Stereo Tuner with Remote Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Per comments in the other review on this tuner, no, the tuner market hasn't disappeared, it's just fragmemented. The trend towards home theater has really hit the stereo component market, pretty much killing the low and middle end sections of it (the high end audio market is still going strong, with plenty of tuners in the $500+ range available).
That's what makes the Teac TR-670 interesting. A low cost component aimed at the universe of music lovers who (a) don't own $5,000 level systems but (b) have a reasonably decent component stereo system and view it primarly as a music, not theater audio source.
The good news beyond price?
Selectivity (the ability of a tuner to pick up a specific station without other nearby channels crowding into it) is darn good for a "cheap" tuner, and that's given the acid test I gave this in a suburb of New York where the FM band is crammed.
Overload rejection and image rejection were also good, another important consideration for a listener like me who lives close to some stations' transmitters (poorly designed tuners run into problems with these stations, with the latter crowding out all the other nearby signals).
Sensitivity (the ability of a tuner to pick up distant, weaker signals) is also surprisingly good; I was happily surprised to actually capture strong signals from some stations in Stamford, CT (a good 100 miles away) that I'd previously never heard!
Like the previous reviewer, I also appreciated all the programming and utility features of this tuner, which are numerous.
First, the tuner allows the use to pre-set 60 stations (30 in both the AM and FM bands), and is also capable of doing auto pre-set tuning, where the tuner scans either the entire AM or FM band, automatically adding the strongest 30 stations on each to the pre-set memory.
It also comes with a remote, which really changes the nature of listening (think about how the addition of the TV remote changed the way we all watch TV, and you'll understand what I mean). Both the tuner itself and the remote allow you to tune a number of ways, including "direct access" (where you punch in the numbers for the station you want, ergo "103.9"), or scanning through the pre-sets, or general scanning. And for those who want to literally curl up on the sofa and fall asleep (or wake up) to the sound of music, the built in clock on the tuner even has timer and sleep functions.
Now, anyones' experience with a particular tuner depends, to a large extent, on the reception conditions in their particular area, as well as their antenna setup (I use an outdoor, three-element FM rooftop antenna, the signals it captures are sent to the tuner through a 75 ohm coaxial cable. Yeah, putting it up was somewhat involved, but for those who really want the best possible signal for an FM radio, this is the way to go).
Or stated another way, the best audio equipment on earth isn't going to get you good FM stereo if you live in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from strong signals (those in that sort of situation really need to look into satellite radio). But for those in urban/suburban and even ex-urban areas, who have component systems and are looking to add or update a tuner, this is a small investment in happiness - for the fun involved in hearing all the new or forgotten music that's still on the airwaves.
One other note: the TEAC cassette deck I purchased back in 1984 is still going strong (yep, I pull out old tapes now and then, the cassette format isn't dead yet), so I have the sense this company builds equipment that stands up. Not that wear and tear is an issue here; outside a few switches, a tuner like this has no moving parts (the things that inevitably wear out), but still, my prior positive experience with TEAC is a significant part of the reason I purchased this tuner.

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Ideal for audiophiles who like to build their systems piece by piece, the Teac TR-670 offers precise, high-end AM/FM tuning so you can enjoy your favorite programs static-free. The tuner is equipped with such features as direct-access tuning to the station frequencies or the 60 memory presets, manual or auto tuning for easy programming, and a multifunction fluorescent display that shows the station info clearly. Among the 60 presets are 30 AM and 30 FM channels, which should cover virtually the entire radio dial in all but the busiest markets. Plus, the tuner offers a digital clock with a 90-minute sleep timer function (in 10-minute increments)--a perfect fit for nappers. And should the power go down, the tuner's preset memory backup keeps all the information current so you don't have to reprogram it later.
The tuner offers control from either the unit face or via the included remote control. In addition, at 17.13 by 3.46 by 11.3 inches (W x H x D) and 8.38 pounds, it should fit easily within most component setups. An optional rack mount kit is also available.
What's in the Box TR-670 tuner, remote control, user's manual.

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Clarion THD400 HD Radio Tuner Compatible with NX500, NZ500, VX400, VZ400 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The clarion HD tuner is just OK. I live near two large metropolitan cities and I am just not overly impressed with it's reception over my regular antenna. It does not quite "lock on" to frequencies all that great, seems similiar to my regular radio. The additional "HD" stations do not all come in well either. I have owned this for a week, maybe I'll be more impressed in time.
Installation was a breeze, I recommend heavy duty velcro for mounting.

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Add HD Radio to your entertainment options by adding this tuner to your Clarion NX500, NZ500, VX400, or VZ400 receiver. The tuner supports multicasting, receives both analog and digital signals, and does not require any additional antennas or subscription fees.

Catch the Next Wave in Radio HD Radio is a new service that broadcasts high-definition radio programming using digital technology. Think of it this way--what HDTV did for TV, HD Radio does for radio. HD Radio broadcasts on the AM and FM bands, and does not require a subscription to receive. It does, however, require an HD Radio tuner since its signals cannot be received on conventional analog AM/FM tuners.
Right now there are about 2,000 radio stations broadcasting using digital HD Radio technology in the U.S. All you need to enjoy them is an appropriate Clarion source unit and THD400 HD Radio Module.
Multi-Casting Capable HD Radio broadcasts can include multiple channels on the same frequency, which is called multicasting. With multicasting, you can receive up to three additional multicast channels for each station, with different programming. The THD400 lets you take advantage.
Program Service Data Display Enjoy more info on your dial, such as traffic data and stock info, or real-time artist and song IDs.
iTunes Tagging iTunes Tagging allows listeners to "tag" songs heard on the HD Radio Receiver. Tagging saves the song's title and metadata to a connected iPod. When the iPod is synced to iTunes, a playlist is HD Radio Station generated with links to the iTunes Store where the song can be purchased and downloaded.
Compatibility The THD400 is compatible with the Clarion NX500, NZ500, VX400, and VZ400 receivers.
What's in the Box Clarion THD400 HD Radio Tuner

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Sony DCC-FMT3 Car FM Stereo Transmitter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I actually picked this up at target, because it was $10 cheaper than the rest of the universals I had seen at Radio Shack and Best Buy. I didn't try it on the one preset (106.7) that is one of the strong radio stations here (it has 6 at the low and 6 at the high and I tried all the lows), but of the ones that I did try, 2 stations are normally decently strong with a little static, and I had no problems with hearing my music when I plugged this in. No static or overlap at all. And no need to adjust the volume.
Edit - after traveling, I found that I did have to have the magnetic antenna very close to my car's antenna, which frustrated me some, since it worked so well while parked. But once I did that, no problems on signals. Would probably lower the star rating to 4 if I could at this point simply for that reason. But I'm not disappointed to have purchased this.

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The Sony Car FM Stereo Transmitter broadcasts your iPod or other portable audio device through your car stereo, letting you enjoy your music on the road. A 1.5-meter flexible transmitting antenna makes it easy to find suitable FM stations for transmission, and a digital tuner with 12 presets saves time and hassle. The transmitter hooks up to your device through a stereo mini-jack, and it plugs into a car DC power outlet/cigarette lighter socket.What's in the Box FM stereo transmitter, operating instructions, and warranty card.

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