Fm tuner

vtvmtodvm

... I merely intended to refer to "HD Radio" as hi-def because that is what it is named; the HD handle stands for hi def.

No, "HD Radio" does not mean or stand for "high-definition."

See: https://hdradio.com/trademark
" 'HD Radio’ is the brand name for the digital radio broadcast technology developed by iBiquity Digital Corporation. The ’HD’ in ’HD Radio’ does not stand for ’high definition’ or ’hybrid digital.’ ”

This is significant distinction because - no matter how happy you are with your HD radio - it’s 96kbps at best, and it uses an even lower bitrate than that if the station is also transmitting HD2 and HD3 subchannels.

I own the finest FM tuner ever produced.

That may be true for you, in your location, especially given your satisfaction with its 96 kpbs HD signal. After all, some people are satisfied with 128 kbps mp3 files.

To understand more about the limitations of the little Sony XDR-F1HD, see: http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/sony.html

vtvmtodvm06-24-2017 6:45pm

For those of us who prefer classical music and, like me, live within range of a good FM station that broadcasts such music, high quality FM reception is essential. And, while the advice that you’ve received is well intended and basically sound, it is certainly NOT technically current ...
I acquired my own (new) Sony XDR-F1HD FM tuner in late 2008, for $50, in a closeout sale. Sony ceased production of this product at about that same time, presumably because too few consumers understood or appreciated the merits of high definition (HD) FM broadcasting. ... And KUSC does this with live on-air program hosts, using the full 96 Kbps bandwidth ..

"HD Radio" is digital radio technology, but it isn’t "high-definition" and developer iBiquity always insisted that the "HD" designation didn’t stand for "high-definition." That’s a good thing, when you consider you’re listening to 96 kpbs bandwidth at best, which is far short of CD quality, which is 1,411 kbps.

If you are close enough to the transmitter, HD can deliver a low noise signal which will be much quieter than a conventional signal received by cheap FM tuner. But if you use a quality FM tuner connected to a proper directional antenna, there’s no comparison at all. That is one of the many reasons that HD radio has failed in the marketplace.