I spoke today with WGBH engineers about many aspect of broadcasting and the quality that we, the end users are getting and among many other things he did pitched to me the idea that I am considering to try – the HD radio. According to him WGBH broadcasts quite good HD, better than others and I might try to see what happens.

I have no personal experience with HD hear it a few times, nothing critical though and this HD concept is a new thing for me. He suggested trying a Sony XDR-F1HD receiver that I just ordered from Amazon for $75.

http://ham-radio.com/k6sti/xdr-f1hd.htm

http://theaudiocritic.com/plog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=35&blogId=1

http://home.comcast.net/~dlp85x/review.htm

http://pages.cthome.net/fmdx/sonyxdr.html

I intentionally posed a few links to what other say as I have absolutely no opinion about the nether HD Radio or about the Sony XDR-F1HD unit. I would feel that the feedback about the success of HD Radio would greatly vary with the quality of HD Radio broadcast. My WGBH guy suggested that some of the things that WGBH do is much better than others do… well, I would not go it the specifics and $75 is not true a great price to try.

I let you know about my HD Radio findings and if any of you have any experience with HD Radio then let me know. I am NOT optimistic but I have open mind about it and I would let the thing to have a chance to show off what it is able to do… The WGBH broadcast HD Radio in 16/44. If it is a pure live 16/44 feed without rendering into a CD then it might be VERY interesting. The question is how much the HD Radio time synchronization would destroy sound.  With MET broadcast it was horrible. Now let see how my local station do it…

The HD Radio for a first time in my own room. Hm…. I do not know what to say.  I was listening my “far and ugly” WCRB station and it was “cleaner” in term of noise but it was very different sound. Something is not right with HD Radio and I cannot get grip what it is. I did not spend enough time to look into HD Radio’s deeper but  I will…

What however, I did indentify was that I do not need the Sony box as I got but I need some kind on HD Radio with SPIDIF or more preferably AES/EBU interface, the devise what I could send a  digital signal after the HD Radio processor (properly buffed)  right to my music server . I do not need any D/A conversion and analog out stage. So, ideally to me the HD Radio shell be USB devise or PC card devise that will be directly read by my DAW.

Is anybody know any PCMCIA, USB, ISA or PCI card that would have the HD Radio chip, accept the coax antenna and to spit a digital stream out?

Well, Doug

My attraction to HD Radio statred from the moment when I learned that my WGBH does one less step of analog compression for DH1 compare to FM and do not use limiting-out  at HD2 for live-to-tape recordings. Very promising, isn’t it?  I went and to bought the little Sony unit that everyone advised me to get. Unfortunately I did not hear what I was expected, nether with noise character nor with sound quality.

When I commented that HD Radio sucked it is very much necessary to perceive my comments in context of my objectives. You are right – there are very few people who listen FM as “critical listening” using full of high quality demanding audio installations. There are very many FM enthusiast what do not try to apply to FM the same listening seriousness that they might apply to LP, CD or tape listening.  They have many tuners, in some instances they have a lot of FM experience but they still listen their FM as it was some kind of freakish boom-box. In my home, very much as it looks like as in your home, FM is not the most dominant source but the most important source that I play with my reference audio system. I took it even a bit further – I record FM. The fact of recording is very important as it immediately sets the standards very much higher than “juts for listing”. I am sure that you did record FM and you know what I mean.

So, as I can see it, the HD Radio is an OK media for real time non-critical listening. I would never feel that it worth record or worth for discriminating listening. The key is the digital compression that HD used in their transmission algorithm. I do not know what the rates are, I heard that it is 92kbit but the sonic and musical degradation it well auditable. The sound in HD Radio is kind of “dead”, it has shape and form but does not convey message. I would call it spiritless Sound; did I mention other spiritless substituted in the subject of this post? I was listing a few weeks back Stravinsky Violin concerto live broadcast by somebody I do not remember and it was via R&S, the analog FM tuner. It was a nice battle between soloist and orchestra, full of micro-victories, micro-defeats, moments of glory and sadness of misery. I fliped a button on my preamp and let it to ply from HD Radio, the same antenna, the perfect strength of signal but… it was just a gray renderation of boring notes. Does it get any worth and who after this cares how good or bad bass is or how clean heights? Dildo might have a good shape and might be used for a purpose, so what? Hey, the HD Radio might cover the full dynamic range of orchestra…. and then deliver it to you via 92kbit/c (or whatever). Come on!

I understand that my little $75 unit might not be a perfect tool to get the glory of HD Radio but I think the problem is with the format itself… Until they will send via air 44K-48K/20 bit I do not think any other advanced in distal air broadcasting possible.

Rgs, The Cat

PS: BTW, Doug, you mentioned that you used “modded refurb'd Sansui TU-X1”. I am a bit bun of this tuner and I would like to learn your views about the modification you performed on it. I know 6 people who post at this site periodically and who own this tuner. I know at least another 7-8 people who use TU-X1 and who read this site regularly. I am sure other would be interested to hear your observation about the TU-X1’s mods. There are two thread on the subject, feel free to join any of them:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=4649