JVC Makes High- Quality HD Radio Affordable!

It is true that once you go HD, you never go back. So after experiencing HDTV for 18 months now, I wanted HD in any format I could get it, including radio. Thanks to JVC, you can now enjoy high quality digital audio without paying a high price. At prices as low as $174, not only do you get crystal clear HD radio stations (where available), but you also get a full-featured CD/WMA/MP3 CD player, satellite radio capability, custom equalizer settings, sub woofer input jacks, iPod compatibility, remote control, 3 sets of preamp outputs, plus many other features.

HD radio is still in its infancy, but new stations are coming to the market all the time. As a bonus, there are also "hidden" stations in HD format that cannot be received with a standard analog receiver. As more and more stations make HD signals available, you will be able to memorize all of them on your JVC HDR1 with the 24 presets you will be abl to use (18 FM presets, 6 AM presets).

Installation - I recommend ordering this unit from Crutchfield.com, since they will send you specific equipment mad for your car, like the faceplate kit and the wire harness. They will also send you instructions specific to your make of car. The kit and harness is provided at no extra charge! It took me no more than 1 hour to install my unit in my 1999 Firebird. Other more experienced installers can likely install the unit much faster.

HD Quality - The first thing I noticed once I tuned to an HD station was it takes a second or 2 to buffer the signal. It starts off as analog for a second, then to HD. During that brief transition, you can instantly tell the difference between analog and digital. With analog, different sounds seem to mesh together, whereas with digital, the sounds are more separated and independent, as you would typically hear with a CD. I can honestly say HD radio on this JVC unit is comparable to CD quality sound! I noticed that the higher pitched sounds come through especially well compared to analog. As a bonus, this JVC unit also has RDS (displays song title, artist, etc) capability with HD channels.

Faceplate and displays - I have heard complaints about the volume knob, but I think the concerns are way overblown. I don't think it is too small or hard to use, but if it is so bothersome for some people, keep in mind this unit comes with a small remote control. The display is large and easy to read. You can select which display mode to use. While listening to the radio, you can view the clock, the RDS (if station is HD), what EQ mode you ae listening to, plus off to the side of the display has other very small displays, such as volume, etc. When you tune to an HD station, a small "HD" icon blinks on the bottom of the display, telling you that it is acquiring/buffering the HD signal. Once it is buffered, the HD light stays on, telling you that you are listening in HD mode. But the clairity is so obvious, you probably don't even need that HD light!

CD playback - Superb! As mentioned earlier, you can play CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA. With MP3 or WMA, you can even browse between folders on the CD and separate your songs by genre (if you burn your MP3 CD right...instructions tell you how to do all this). I managed to cram 125 MP3's on once CD, and separated them into 6 folders. I can easily switch between folders, and can easily advance 10 songs aat a time when I want to skip songs! Very convenient.

Overall - If you decide on a different unit (I can't imagine why you would), make sure it has a built-in HD tuner! Many out there do not and you will end up paying another $100 or $200 for the actual tuner to go with your "HD Ready" radio. Don't all for it. Pick up a JVC-HDR1 and save yourself the confusion, hassle, and second guessing.

HD is here to stay! Be the first on your block to experience this new technology!