DD Audio question: HD Radio worth it?

[Martinjmpr]

Shopping for a new stereo head unit for my DD Pathfinder.
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Things I definitely need: Bluetooth telephone, Bluetooth audio, iPhone/iPod controls, USB and aux inputs on the front.
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Only real question is: HD Radio. I've never had a head unit with HD - is it worth it? I don't use Pandora or Spotify or anything like that, I just listen to music on my iPhone (6). What does HD radio give me? Am I right that it is like another band that has various radio stations on it? I live in Denver so I'm assuming there are HD stations I can tune in to?

 

[AdventureHare]

HD Radio is digital steam over analog carrier. It offers 'static-free' audio, typically about the same quality a CD. It will not offer more stations, just an alternative method of receiving that same analog FM stations you're currently listening to, assuming the station offers an HD broadcast.

The major fault is that poor signal quality will result in complete silence during dropouts. With FM, even a weak signal will be something. Not so with HD. The response is the same as any dropped steam without buffering, complete silence which is too annoying for some people. With the steaming (over WiFi or cellular data), the data arrives as fast as it can be delivered, and usually several seconds in advance of when it's needed, resulting in some tolerance to gaps in comms. HD Radio doesn't offer that because the material is 'live'. HD Radio is more susceptible to distance from source and line-of-sight. It works best in moderately sized cities that have few skyscrapers and enough radio revenue to add the necessary equipment. It's a compromised technology, and an attempt to keep radio relevant for another 10 years. http://hdradio.com/ will tell you what stations are in your area and provide you the positives.

Bottom line, IMO, it's not something that should be a deciding factor. If it comes with the head unit you like, than you can see if it is going to work for you. But don't let it drive your decision. I think it's a good idea but not the best implementation. I want it but I can live without it. For me, the issue with FM is a limited frequency response (~60Hz-14kHz) which isn't a problem with HD. If you care that FM doesn't sound as good as a CD, than you may want it. If you're listening to compressed MP3's, you're not going to care. If you don't listen to the radio, forget HD.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

FWIW, I changed out the factory radio in my Dodge last year because the CD changer kept breaking, apparently from all the bouncing around. I don't like aftermarket head units, but I was looking for pretty much the same features as you are, except for the HD. I chose an Alpine unit because of the specs, and because the ergonomics were just a tad better than the other Asian head units. My mechanic friend who used to co-own a car audio shop ragged on me about choosing Alpine, because (he said) they are a pain in the *** to install and program. Turns out he was right. Took me about a year of occasional diddling around to get almost everything working right on the Alpine (steering wheel controls, extra tweeters, automatic bluetooth pairing, etc.). The "Pandora Radio" feature on the Alpine is a kluge and I don't even try to use it, just use Pandora on the iPhone screen. My friend leans strongly toward Pioneer hardware in that price range (i.e., nice sound for a daily driver, decent power without a bunch of subwoofers and crap).

 

[Martinjmpr]

Thanks for the input. I may give it a try just for something different. Since the Pathy is my drive-to-work vehicle and I live in the Denver area, I suppose I could benefit from HDR.
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My friend leans strongly toward Pioneer hardware in that price range (i.e., nice sound for a daily driver, decent power without a bunch of subwoofers and crap).

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I put a Pioneer double-din unit in the 'Burb after having a couple of Kenwood units in my previous vehicles. It seems to work fine although it had some "teething pains" at first when I tried to play music through my iPhone 6 (it would just randomly stop in the middle of a song - not sure what was happening but that stopped after a week or so of using it.)
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don't like aftermarket head units,

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Yeah, I don't either. Actually, what I don't like is that all of the head units on the lower end of the price spectrum (say $200 and under) have all adopted the same "look" which is a black face with LED display. The two problems I have with that are (a) the LED display styling, IMO, is a very "dated" look that doesn't match the rest of the interior (really it looks like the radio designers are stuck in 1985!) and (b) in bright sunlight the LED tends to wash out making it difficult to read the display.
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This last bit wouldn't be so annoying except for the fact that factory stereos don't seem to do this and I can't help but think that if the factory can get it right on this aspect, why can't the aftermarket stereo manufacturers? Seems like most factory units these days have a backlit LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) vs the LEDs and that makes the display easier to read in bright light. I don't think I've ever seen an aftermarket low-end unit that has an LCD display, it's either LED's at the low end, or touch-screen LCDs at the high end, nothing in between.
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The higher end units have nicer displays with touch screens but that's actually more features than I really want, need or am willing to pay for. I don't need to play DVDs and I'm actually OK with having a separate GPS (I actually think sometimes it's a good idea to have separate components to do separate things rather than to try and have one component that does everything - the whole "jack of all trades and master of none" factor comes into play when you try to get one device to do too much.)

 

[tarditi]

I thought HD radio also brought with it metadata about the transmission being broadcast too... like album cover, artist, track, etc.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I thought HD radio also brought with it metadata about the transmission being broadcast too... like album cover, artist, track, etc.

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Well the cover art is probably part of the digital signal but the other stuff like artist and album is often on the RDS (Radio Data System) which most modern analog radios have, too. In fact, the factory Bose unit in my Pathfinder has RDS as did the factory unit (also a Bose, I believe) in my '04 Suburban.

 

[mwaltd]

HD Radio is digital steam over analog carrier. It offers 'static-free' audio, typically about the same quality a CD. It will not offer more stations, just an alternative method of receiving that same analog FM stations you're currently listening to, assuming the station offers an HD broadcast.

It actually does offer more stations. There are "sub" stations. For example here in charlotte we have 96.9 but there is also 96.9 hd1 and hd2. Each separate stations, with different content. But not every station has "Sub" stations.

I cant speak to aftermarket HD radios as my experience is with factory installed. I find the stations are very clear and there are many more offerings of HD channels the closer you are to a major city. Also generally the HD version of the station does not tune in as far away as the analog does. There is usually an information scroll (i.e. artist, title etc) but varies depending on the station).

I enjoy it for the fact there is additional content and would make it a requirement for a replacement head unit.

 

[LR Max]

Depends.

For me, living on the east coast, I can pretty much get cell service everywhere. So 99% of the time I'm in a vehicle, I have cell service. I've kinda standardized on Pandora, so when driving, that is what I'm listening to.

HD radio is pretty good if you can find a few stations you want to listen to. I wasn't able to. Also they say they've got 300 station or whatever, but you end up listening to only like, 2 or 3.

In terms of how it works, pretty good. I did have issues with it in the city with tall building blocking it as well as tunnels. Out on the open road, sometimes it would cut out if I went into a hole or whatever. A bit annoying, but not too bad.

Overall most new radios provide a free 3 month subscription. Give it a go.

Only other thing I would say, is that there are a few different versions of Bluetooth. My new car has an older version, and I notice the lack of quality when streaming. However I put in an aftermarket head unit in my old toyota with a better bluetooth transmitter in it. I notice better quality. So make sure you do research on that, and get the better bluetooth unit.

Oh and the aux input on the front of the head unit...pretty much the best thing ever.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Oh and the aux input on the front of the head unit...pretty much the best thing ever.

Agree, because sometimes the bluetooth just won't work, no matter how much i fiddle with it.

 

[jprovence01]

I have HD Radio in my Ram. When the single becomes too weak, it defaults to analog radio. It plays while it buffers then switches to the clear signal. The difference is astounding. It easily rivals CDs in clarity. It'd certainly worth it to have if your in a urban area often. Meta data depends on the station. The sub stations often play even more music.

 

[KE7JFF]

I like HD Radio as some of the FM digital subchannels have speciality stations and also simulcasts of AM News stations. I have an Pioneer deck in the wife's Subaru but still looking at options for my Suburban.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I know a guy who had a new Jeep Grand Cherokee with HD factory radio. The HD seemed to extend the useful range of the station. He could toggle between standard and HD. Behind the Hog Back, a station was fuzzy in standard but clear in HD.

I wouldn't fuss about it.