Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Please note that I had to buy my HDR-16 from another seller because Amazon was out of stock when I ordered. I had been interested in this radio since it was announced. Received it two days ago. Because it’s new I want to run through each area of it separately and also make a few general comments about HD radio for those who might be thinking of making a first step into this technology. Sound quality. The speakers in this radio seem to be of a very high quality and there are separate bass and treble controls accessed electronically by pushing in on the volume control. As a result, you can tailor the sound anywhere from brassy to deep, with both bass and treble response having a realistic, satisfying tonal quality. (I am not a fan of muddy sound, and I get very good bass mixed with a "sparkling" treble out of this radio by setting the bass at +3 and the treble at +6.) Honestly the sound reminds me of a bookshelf stereo system or Bose Wave Radio, not a portable radio. AM reception. This radio is a beast on AM. I have lots of radios – Grundig Satellit 700, Panasonic RF-2200, GE Superadio – and this one runs with the leaders of the pack. I’m not yet prepared to say it’s “better” or “as good as” any specific radio because when you get to the higher levels of performance there are some nuances, but the reception at this point appears to be on par with the very best. HD on AM is nice because the difference in sound quality is so striking. (Going from regular AM to HD AM is like comparing a regular, low-fi phone call to Skype.) The HDR-16 was even able to pick up HD signals from several distant AM stations at night; in one case the station (WCBS/880 New York) was close to 1,000 miles away. Appearance/Design. Sharp-looking gloss black finished outer cabinet, nicely-integrated handle that folds flush for when you’re using it as a table radio and not a portable. Display is large, bright, easy to read. Operation/Controls. Controls feel high-quality. There are two alarms, an internal clock, a menu/setup system. All are pretty easy to access and operate. An Aux-In jack allows you to use the HDR-16 as a speaker system for your phone or tablet with a 3.5 mm cord, and you might want to do that given the superb quality audio this radio is capable of generating. There’s also a Record Out jack that will supply a fixed audio level to an external recorder or amplifier – a nice touch. FM reception. I have two other HD radios (the Best Buy/Insignia portable, and the original Sangean tabletop HD, the Sangean HDR-1. HD reception appears to be a bit better than either of these, but the differences in FM HD sensitivity from radio to radio are not large. I think the primary limitation you run up against with FM HD is the FCC’s limitation on the power level of HD signals, which is significantly less than the main analog channel. Now, on analog FM, this radio is among the best I’ve seen. What you need to keep in mind if you want to listen to HD FM is that the reception is more limited than analog. If you are farther than about 30-35 miles from the tower of the station, you’re probably going to have to experiment with different radio positions and (possibly) an external antenna to get the station(s) you want. My location is approximately 45 miles from the transmitter sites of most HD stations, and reception is pretty reliable on some of them, fair on others, and difficult on a few. You will have best results on a second/upstairs floor if you have one, near an exterior wall or (even better) a window, or outdoors. If you’re in or near a big city, you don’t have to worry about any of this. If you’re not familiar with HD radio, the nice thing about HD FM is the existence of additional HD subchannels, which will show up on your radio as HD2 or HD3. I don’t’ have any nearby stations that have an HD4 but I think it’s technically possible. (HD1 will be the digital version of the main analog channel.) To tune these channels, first let the radio lock in on the HD1 signal, then just move the tuning knob clockwise one click to scroll through each subchannel. (Not every FM HD station has subchannels, and they aren’t possible on AM. In these cases the radio will simply show the HD designation with no number after it.) One quirk of all HD radios I’ve seen, including this one, is that if you have an HD station but aren’t getting a strong enough signal to switch the radio into HD mode, the main analog channel will sound as if it’s not properly tuned in. To remedy this you have to change the antenna orientation (most likely so the signal gets slightly worse). Then, when it no longer senses the HD signal the radio will quit trying to switch into HD, allowing reception to return to normal. This can be somewhat annoying if you spend much time listening to a station that falls into this category. Other than sharing this oddity of all HD radios, which probably comes from some characteristic of the chipset used to decode HD, the FM performance as an analog FM unit is outstanding. For example, I am able to get an analog-only FM station whose transmitter is 90 miles away – and the frequency of this distant FM station is adjacent to that of a station with a transmitter and tower exactly three miles from my house. The vast majority of radios I own are completely unable to get this station owing to the nearby strong signal completely overrunning this weak, distant one. This radio picks it up, placing it among only a small handful of radios that I own that can do that. So far no opportunity to check battery life – the original ones I put in are still working, of course. But thanks to Sangean for using longer-lasting “C” batteries rather than the now-nearly-ubiquitous “AA” size. AC adapter is provided, too. I am a longtime owner of many Sangean products and based on their quality I had high hopes for this radio. It does not disappoint. Sound quality is probably the biggest standout area, followed closely by AM and analog FM sensitivity/selectivity. This is an excellent addition to the small but growing field of HD portables.