I jumped the gun today, and bought the NS-HD01 for the promise of portable and mobile HD Radio listening. The receiver uses the headphones as the antenna for radio reception much like the zune and other portable MP3 players. This solution proves to be completely inadequate. I live in the Cleveland OH area, and at home next to a window or in the car on the dash I am unable to receive the majority of my markets HD stations reliably. The procedure for tuning IBOC HD stations is to first tune the stations analogue signal and then after the receiver gets a lock on the HD signal begin listening in digital. This means frequently losing the HD signal and reverting back to the analogue signal when reception is poor. This is a very frustrating to listen to experience because the volume changes between the two signals. Also reception of multicast or sub HD channels is even worse. These signals completely drop out when reception is lost of course because they no analogue counter part.
I would advise anyone looking at the NS-HDO1 to hold off on the promise of portable HD Radio until a better option is offered for reception.
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Awful HD Reception, Don't Bother
Not to play devil's advocate but do you know for sure that its the unit? Do you know for sure the signal at your home is able to receive a strong signal? It would be interesting if you tried this unit in downtown Cleveland as you said you are in the area of Cleveland as the signal is probably the greatest in the best concentration of people...
I went to Best Buy on Sunday looking for an HD01 (the website said they were in stock at the location I visited), and couldn't find one. I even had an employee check the computer (it said they had 2 in stock, but they couldn't find them, either). Nobody had even heard of it. That's Best Buy for you. I ended up ordering one from bestbuy.com, but it hasn't shipped yet. I'm sorry to hear that others are not pleased with its performance, though. I'll report back as soon as I get mine...
I guess I would be interested in hearing how the HD01 compares to other portable radios that use the headphones as an antenna, not other car stereos or receivers. Based on jfred's review, it sounds like this still might be a good option.
Of course, the nice thing about Best Buy is that I can buy it, test it out, then return it if it really sucks.
Others, please report back with your reception stories!
Of course, the nice thing about Best Buy is that I can buy it, test it out, then return it if it really sucks.
Others, please report back with your reception stories!
It is certainly based on the headphones, and in my area (I'm at the base of a big hill, on the far side from most transmitters, and some channels come in just fine (like KNOW's HD channels) but some come in quite poorly (Like KCMP and KHTC). Generally, I need a cable of about 3' to pick up most signals, and 5' or longer to get some of the middling ones (no promise of a stable HD signal, though).
In all, with a 3' cable I tend to get better reception than most clock radios.
In all, with a 3' cable I tend to get better reception than most clock radios.
Using the NS-HD01 I am unable to receive the analog broadcasts of the major radio stations with the same clarity as I am in my car or for that matter using a random wire with a hi-fi fm receiver. Based on the HD01's analog reception there is no way it stands a chance reliably receiving the HD signals.
I wonder what this means for the Zune HD? Will it have similarly crippled HD radio signal? Could be a pretty bad thing for a device that needs everything it can going for it.
I have my HD01, and I have to say that it's disappointing. I'm having trouble getting the HD2 signal of the station I bought this radio to listen to. I've mostly tried in the car, and I can get it when I'm really close (like 5 miles or so) from the station's transmitter, but nowhere else. I live about 45 miles away and can't get it at home at all! As for the other (stronger) stations, it works fairly well both in the car and at home, but the volume doesn't go up loud enough to use in the aux input in my car unless I turn the volume on the car stereo way up.
I own one of these, and while I agree that it doesn't have the best reception ever, it does have pretty good reception based on my use. It pulls in the stronger signals in my area quite well (KNOW, KDWB, KXXR, KQRS), but does have trouble with some of the middling signals (Like KQQL) and has a hard time getting any digital out of some of the weaker signals (like KHTC and KCMP).
However, it's worth noting that the unit uses the headphone cable as an antenna, so depending on the length you're using, and how it's bundled (wound up cables might not perform as well as ones let dangle). Those reception stats above are based on a 3' male-male cable connected to amplified speakers. When I switch to ≥5' headphone cables, my reception improves a bit. When I use the 6' cassette adaptor in the car, I get everything with perfect to near perfect reception except KHTC and KQQL. Note, that's just sitting in my driveway.
However, it's worth noting that the unit uses the headphone cable as an antenna, so depending on the length you're using, and how it's bundled (wound up cables might not perform as well as ones let dangle). Those reception stats above are based on a 3' male-male cable connected to amplified speakers. When I switch to ≥5' headphone cables, my reception improves a bit. When I use the 6' cassette adaptor in the car, I get everything with perfect to near perfect reception except KHTC and KQQL. Note, that's just sitting in my driveway.
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