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I also own Sangean's larger HDR-16 but I bought this HDR-14 as well to have HD capability in a "pocket-size" radio. (This radio slides easily into a coat pocket or similar, but it's a bit too bulky for most shirt or pants pockets. However you decide to carry it, the HDR-14 is a very convenient size and easily portable.) FM HD and regular reception equals that of the larger HDR-16, which is impressive. AM reception on the HDR-14 is weaker than that of its bigger brother, but the 14 still gets the same AM HD stations. But, listening to weak, distant AM stations with the HDR-14 is harder because there's more background noise. (Smaller radios don't have space for a very large internal ferrite bar AM antenna, so it's very unusual for a small radio to equal the AM sensitivity of a larger portable.) An AC adapter is provided and it works well. To minimize any noise the AC adapter might introduce into the signal, Sangean suggests using the length of the cord to put distance between the outlet and the radio. Following this practice, I don't pick up any noise, but, especially on AM, noise can vary by location owing to the amount and type of other electrical equipment nearby. Be advised that with any HD radio, you have to be closer to the station to get a good digital HD signal than you do to receive the station in regular analog. Beyond roughly 40 miles from the transmitter, HD reception gets spotty and requires you to try orienting the radio and antenna differently to bring in a particular HD signal. (Try locations near windows that face roughly the direction of the transmitter from your listening location.) This is not a limitation of the radio itself; it occurs because the power level of HD signals is significantly less than the analog main signal. Battery life seems a little worse than that of a non-HD radio due to the additional signal processing needed to decode the HD signal. I estimate that I got about 30 hours out of my first set of three AA batteries, but they were bargain brand batteries. A set of better ones might last longer. Sound quality isn't bad at all for a radio this size, but this radio doesn't get extremely loud. So, it might not be suitable for noisy locations or situations where you're going to be listening at some distance from the radio itself. The larger HDR-16 gets a lot louder, so you might want to consider that radio if you need one that gets louder and has more full-range sound. Or, you can easily plug this radio into an external speaker or sound system using a 3.5 mm cord. I'm very pleased with the Sangean HDR-14 and recommended it to anyone looking for HD radio in a pocket-sized package.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Sensitive using provided antennas. Sound lacks bass but headphones fix that. FM sounds like CD quality, AM sounds like FM does now. Good build quality.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This is a very compact HD radio based on the low engery HD chip. Being small its speacker is tinny. When connected to a good speaker or headphones the audio is escellent. HD stations provide static free audio. You will want to use the suppied ac adapter(be sure that it is fully seated as there is not light indication of ac power use on the radio) as this is a battery eater. I use everyready lithium batteries and get about 3 days of constant use per set. This is a menu driven radio. The menu is not reliable to setup with if the batteries are low. Whit good batteries or ac adapter the menus work well and are eary to use. The present are 10 FM and 10 AM with 5 buttons on the front that are switched by choosing the "page" you are set to. There are 4 pages. It will remember the last station tuned to when you turn on the radio. This is a world wide am/fm radio. You can set the bands to your countries standard. It does not do shortwave and HD radio in europe is DAB and not compaitable. Downside when you change the region am/fm band it earases all your presets. It does not come with a carring case. When you are packing it you can slde the lock button on the right side to lock and none of the buttons will be accidently activated. Overall this is a nice HD radio that like all HD radios has an exceptional turner section that will tune in stations not normally recieved even on high end am/fm turners. The very nature of the HD signal requires very sensitive turners. Yes it does am and fm HD. The FCC has started approving Digital only AM radio stations and this radio will recieve those signals.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
After several days of use and tests, Here is my review of this product: After reading others’ reviews on this radio I formed an opinion that drew from their own reviews and my past experience of owning and using many, if not most, of the ulr’s that have been available to DX’ers. I decided to invest in the HDR-14 for two primary reasons. First, the new high definition ability on AM truly intrigued me. Historically, the technology has been available for many decades. But the aspect of DSP that is now implemented in most radios has finally made the promising path of pioneering HD MEDIUM WAVE radio practical - so I couldn’t resist. Secondly, it was truly amazing to me that this technology could be added into a receiver as small as my primary portable... the astonishing CCrane SkyWave SSB. So I ordered in anticipation and excitement. The main and most important expectation was to see if this device performed well across the band on AM,.. while hoping that a night of DX’ing could actually be enhanced by a radio which could give superb, fringe sensitivity while unlocking HD signals during ionospheric transition. To me, it was not so much as important that my local broadcasting options may not have implemented HD service AS it was capturing out of area HD propagation from those distant cities that already offered the digital upgrade. As I installed the 3 AA cells in the radio and turned the unit on, I had in mind to do an immediate day check to test its ability on several known weak stations. Even without HD activated listening, I was first struck at the quality of the sound from what appears to be a gracious internal speaker with rich tone and a base component that fit somewhere between ‘no deep base’ and having “real” deep base. It truly satisfied me in every way, and was pleasant in every aspect. But the ability for the radio to capture weak signals during sunlit hours was of chief concern. You never really know how large (or small) the internal Ferrite rod is in a new radio until someone tears it apart for a peak at its anatomy,.. and for $80 I was not going to be that guy. So engineering, quality, design and performance would have to be proved thru a band-scan in broad daylight. And its performance did not disappoint!! I had read that the S/N noise floor on some of these first run production units was a bit high for fringe DX’ing. But my experience was very positive - and in almost every single 10Khz step I was amazed at the presence of the normally expected regional stations which I am so accustomed to sleuthing. Sensitivity was indeed remarkable across the band, and I knew thru my initial assessment that this was indeed a good choice and fabulous investment. Everything from the ergonomics to the truly capable function of the HDR-14 removed any doubt of regret I might have had before making my purchase. It does a marvelous job on AM and is immensely pleasurable to listen to. In fact, a one touch search of HD stations at night will easily bring in HD identifiers from around the country - which is an amazing experience as you listen to the rich, full sound that rivals AM Stereo. I did not pursue the FM performance since I spend very little effort and time on that band... but the purpose for which I bought this wonderful little radio was fulfilled on the first evening I used it, and there are no regrets here. The battery life appears to be efficient too! Nothing has exceeded the CCSkyWave SSB,.. and the Yellow Sangean DT-400 could probably not be topped by this radio either. But Sangean has introduced a new facet of ‘superb’ excellence in the HDR-14 and the quality of sound (along with excellent AM reception) gives the user a new experience in listening that appeases any apprehension for advancing to Hi-Def Medium Wave radio. Mark S. Bias KC9TSR•Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
The Sangean HDR-14 HD is exactly what I wanted and needed. It ha amazing sound quality for such a compact radio. I am thoroughly enjoying that I can get HD channels.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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