Best HD Reciever

[Sid Schweiger]

"1. Better Radio Reception: Having a tabletop HD radio, I know the advantages and want them to have those advantages as well. It must be HD ready. They constantly complain that one of the few stations that comes in well is ZID, so good FM reception is crucial."

Almost all of the HD radios I've played with are relatively deaf, with one exception:  the Sony XDR-F1HD.  It has won almost universally stellar reviews, although it has two drawbacks IMO:  Its build quality is variable (lots of reports of bad ones out of the box), and it's only a tuner...no amp or speakers.

"2. Multi room: They want to expand with speakers outside, so separate zoning is needed."

Just about any amp can do that, but none of the HD radios I've seen will do that.

"3. 7.1 surround: They want to expand the 2 speaker system they have, so 7.1 surround sound is crucial so they can expand the system well."

To my knowledge there's no HD radio which will produce 5.1 or 7.1.  (They're having enough trouble getting 2.0 off the ground at the moment.)  WZLX was experimenting with 5.1 HD, but I don't know if they're still doing that, and in any event there still aren't any radios available to consumers which will reproduce it.

"4. I also want to run the TV, CD player, Playstation 3, and Wii through the reciever, so it needs to have enough inputs."

Same comment as #2.

"(Oh, and a new indoor antenna)"

There's your FM reception problem.  Especially in the hilly terrain of NH, to get more than just a tiny number of stations, an outdoor antenna is critical.  Your parents' complaint (in #1) that they only receive a few stations well tells the story.  The best tuner in the world is worthless without a good antenna.

Sid Schweiger
IT Manager, Entercom New England
20 Guest St / 3d Floor
Brighton MA  02135-2040