JVC KD-HDR1 Car CD / MP3 Player
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Similar in In Dash Receivers
- MP3 / WMA Playback: MP3 Playback WMA Playback
- Player Type: CD
- Controlled Devices: HD Ready iPod / iPhone
- iPod/iPhone Compatible: Yes
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An entire HD radio for the price of a tuner, too good to be true?
Pros
HD radio, low cost, good sound quality
Cons
Auxiliary input requires extra components, screen not very fancy
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Low-cost, excellent HD and FM radio performance, good set of features, this is basically car radio to get unless you need a fancy screen or even more features.
When I was shopping for a new receiver for my car, I wasn't actively looking for an HD radio -- I just needed a head unit with a subwoofer output, as my previous radio, a low-end Clarion unit, lacked a subwoofer output. I saw this unit in my price range, and was astounded to see that it was an HD radio at the same price as the HD tuner for other radios. As it had all the features I wanted, I figured, "why not?", and I'm very glad I made the decision!
Note: I make comparisons to my previous receiver, a Clairon Proaudio DXZ555MP.
Radio Performance
Probably the number one question of anybody looking into this radio is how good does HD radio sound. I believe HD radio lives up to the hype, but it's not quite CD quality. The main difference seems to be a larger dynamic range, with better defined treble and bass; the sound quality is somewhere between a 96-128kbit mp3.
The radio switches seamlessly between analog and HD (at least in terms of time, there is a noticeable sound quality difference). It usually takes 2 seconds from tuning into a station for it to switch to HD; the radio does have an HD search option that only seeks to stations transmitting in HD. In the Philadelphia area, most stations have at a second HD station as well. HD radio stations also transmit artist/song information, though this is up to the station (sometimes they just display the name of the show when doing a countdown). The receiver does not have RDS, so there is no information on analog stations.
The FM tuner is pretty sensitive; it picks up stations that my previous receiver (a low-end Clarion) did not. Analog radio quality is good, though not as good as with my previous receiver. I have not tried AM yet.
Features
As the list of features of this receiver are available in many places, I won't list them all, just the ones I found noteworthy for a receiver in this price range. Aside from the HD radio, the 7-band EQ is rare in this price range. The subwoofer output (2V) with level control and adjustable cross-over is nice as well. Otherwise, there are no real standout features.
Interface
The short summary is that the basic functions are easy to use, but anything more complicated than changing tracks/stations or the volume require multiple button presses, which is a bit difficult to do while driving.
There are several buttons on the unit, but not an excessive number and most are a good size. The volume knob is large, but not very deep which may make it somewhat hard to grab. The seek buttons are conveniently located to the left of the volume control and easy to use. The station preset buttons do double duty as function buttons, which require hitting the "mode" button prior to the number. This is a bit tricky to do while driving, and I think that in certain modes (like CD playing), the default operation should be the function and not the number. For example, while playing a CD, to turn on shuffle mode requires pressing "mode" followed by 7. On my old Clarion unit, I only needed to press the number. The "CS-A" button, which configures the SRS sound decoder, is very small and located in the top right corner next to the eject button; it takes quite a bit of fumbling to reach
Appearance
I care more about features and sound quality than appearance, so this section will be fairly short. The buttons are red, the main display is white and blue, which looks pretty good against the gray plastic of the face plate, but does not go too well with the green dashboard lighting in my Honda Odyssey. The main display is an 8 character LED display, which is relatively bright and visible in sunlight. Several other radios in this price range have dot-matrix displays which I find to be much nicer.
Sound quality
This is much better than the stock radio, and not much different than my previous receiver. Judging from the volume numbers on the two receivers, this JVC is somewhat quieter than my previous one; while a normal radio volume level on my previous unit was around a volume level of 15, on this unit, it is around 18-20. I am using Infinity 6012si speakers in the front with stock speakers in the rear. The 7-band EQ is good for customizing the sound to your liking. This JVC unit has a special sound processing mode called SRS Circle Surround Auto; you may know them from SRS 3D sound effects on your computer. I can't tell much of a difference except for increased bass and treble levels.
CD/MP3 Playback
Supports MP3/WMA playback of up to 512 songs on a CD. Quality is good, though if I had to make a choice, I think the sound was slightly better with my previous Clairon unit, but probably due to the MP3 specific processing it performed. CDs sound good, I did not experience any skipping so far.
Gripes
After having the radio for only a few days, I have a short list of gripes, which I'll just list here:
* Volume not specific to source -- I'd love for it to save the volume set for each source, as the radio is much quieter than the CD player. Other units in this price range have this ability (see the lower-end Kenwood units for example)
* Likewise, source specific EQ settings would be good
* Radio does not remember if you are on an HD channel other than the main one (such as HD2 or HD3). You also can not program an HD2 or HD3 station into memory.
* Auxiliary input requires separate, extra cost adapter
* No ability to disable low-pass filter on subwoofer output
Summary
If you're looking for a new radio for your car, want HD, and don't need too many extra features or a fancy screen, this is your best bet. For the price of what other companies charge for just an HD tuner add-on, you get a complete MP3/CD player with HD radio built-in!
Note: I make comparisons to my previous receiver, a Clairon Proaudio DXZ555MP.
Radio Performance
Probably the number one question of anybody looking into this radio is how good does HD radio sound. I believe HD radio lives up to the hype, but it's not quite CD quality. The main difference seems to be a larger dynamic range, with better defined treble and bass; the sound quality is somewhere between a 96-128kbit mp3.
The radio switches seamlessly between analog and HD (at least in terms of time, there is a noticeable sound quality difference). It usually takes 2 seconds from tuning into a station for it to switch to HD; the radio does have an HD search option that only seeks to stations transmitting in HD. In the Philadelphia area, most stations have at a second HD station as well. HD radio stations also transmit artist/song information, though this is up to the station (sometimes they just display the name of the show when doing a countdown). The receiver does not have RDS, so there is no information on analog stations.
The FM tuner is pretty sensitive; it picks up stations that my previous receiver (a low-end Clarion) did not. Analog radio quality is good, though not as good as with my previous receiver. I have not tried AM yet.
Features
As the list of features of this receiver are available in many places, I won't list them all, just the ones I found noteworthy for a receiver in this price range. Aside from the HD radio, the 7-band EQ is rare in this price range. The subwoofer output (2V) with level control and adjustable cross-over is nice as well. Otherwise, there are no real standout features.
Interface
The short summary is that the basic functions are easy to use, but anything more complicated than changing tracks/stations or the volume require multiple button presses, which is a bit difficult to do while driving.
There are several buttons on the unit, but not an excessive number and most are a good size. The volume knob is large, but not very deep which may make it somewhat hard to grab. The seek buttons are conveniently located to the left of the volume control and easy to use. The station preset buttons do double duty as function buttons, which require hitting the "mode" button prior to the number. This is a bit tricky to do while driving, and I think that in certain modes (like CD playing), the default operation should be the function and not the number. For example, while playing a CD, to turn on shuffle mode requires pressing "mode" followed by 7. On my old Clarion unit, I only needed to press the number. The "CS-A" button, which configures the SRS sound decoder, is very small and located in the top right corner next to the eject button; it takes quite a bit of fumbling to reach
Appearance
I care more about features and sound quality than appearance, so this section will be fairly short. The buttons are red, the main display is white and blue, which looks pretty good against the gray plastic of the face plate, but does not go too well with the green dashboard lighting in my Honda Odyssey. The main display is an 8 character LED display, which is relatively bright and visible in sunlight. Several other radios in this price range have dot-matrix displays which I find to be much nicer.
Sound quality
This is much better than the stock radio, and not much different than my previous receiver. Judging from the volume numbers on the two receivers, this JVC is somewhat quieter than my previous one; while a normal radio volume level on my previous unit was around a volume level of 15, on this unit, it is around 18-20. I am using Infinity 6012si speakers in the front with stock speakers in the rear. The 7-band EQ is good for customizing the sound to your liking. This JVC unit has a special sound processing mode called SRS Circle Surround Auto; you may know them from SRS 3D sound effects on your computer. I can't tell much of a difference except for increased bass and treble levels.
CD/MP3 Playback
Supports MP3/WMA playback of up to 512 songs on a CD. Quality is good, though if I had to make a choice, I think the sound was slightly better with my previous Clairon unit, but probably due to the MP3 specific processing it performed. CDs sound good, I did not experience any skipping so far.
Gripes
After having the radio for only a few days, I have a short list of gripes, which I'll just list here:
* Volume not specific to source -- I'd love for it to save the volume set for each source, as the radio is much quieter than the CD player. Other units in this price range have this ability (see the lower-end Kenwood units for example)
* Likewise, source specific EQ settings would be good
* Radio does not remember if you are on an HD channel other than the main one (such as HD2 or HD3). You also can not program an HD2 or HD3 station into memory.
* Auxiliary input requires separate, extra cost adapter
* No ability to disable low-pass filter on subwoofer output
Summary
If you're looking for a new radio for your car, want HD, and don't need too many extra features or a fancy screen, this is your best bet. For the price of what other companies charge for just an HD tuner add-on, you get a complete MP3/CD player with HD radio built-in!
