When satellite radio first was available I wasn't that enthusiastic about it because of the subscription fee. Of course I loved the service, but I had a journalist account and listened for free, but I imagined that as a general consumer I would be reluctant to pay the money every month. So when HD Radio launched I thought, now there's a service I can really get behind. It's free! I'd have to listen to commercials however. Not a problem. I thought, with all the extra stations available through station multicasts I could switch from channels as necessary. Today you have a lot of channels to choose from. There are over 1900 broadcasters providing over 3000 channels nationwide. If you're in a major market like Los Angeles, most of the major commercial stations are multicasting.
With that much content available, the only thing I don't like about it has nothing to do with the content. It's the fact that you can't switch back and forth from the multicast stations and get immediate reception. Once you leave one of the secondary stations you need to go back to the home station, wait for the HD signal and then you can access the multicast channel. Not a huge criticism on my part. But it does slow me down when I'm trying to avoid those commercials. "Wink".
For those of you not familiar with HD Radio, we should clarify that HD doesn't stand for "high definition". In fact a few years ago I interviewed the head of the HD Radio Alliance and he made it clear that the letters don't actually stand for anything. That being said, HD broadcasters are sending a digital signal for their HD channels, but that is compressed and transmitted with the analog radio signal. You may hear a quality difference between analog FM and digital HD but it's not an obvious one, especially when you're driving and dealing with road noise.
The JVC KD-HDR60 is a rather inexpensive but very appealing CD receiver, in large part due to the fact it has a built-in HD Radio tuner. The unit covers all the key functions in addition. It has a front USB input and Aux-in, built in MOSFET 50Wx4 power and a 7-band EQ that does allow for some decent tweaking. The other key feature, related to HD Radio, is the iTunes Tagging. If you haven't tried it then you're doing yourself a disservice, because I'm sure that you, like the rest of us, have been in the car, listening to a song and then wanted to know the title so you can buy the CD. Miss the DJ musical roll call and, well, good luck. So you have to ask your friends and try to sing the melody. Lame. So iTunes Tagging solves that by letting you mark a song and save its information for transfer to your iPod/iPhone. The way it works is ultra simple. Hit the "Tag" button on the KD-HDR60 and then the song's data can be stored on your music player or phone. Then the next time you sync them to your computer and launch iTunes you'll see a list of the tracks you tagged. Go to the store and buy what you heard.
All of that worked fine on the JVC deck. Of course, during the time I was evaluating the product I didn't hear a single song I wanted to tag for myself to actually buy. But I guarantee that as soon as I remove the receiver and return it to the manufacturer and replace with my other radio (with no iTunes Tagging), I'll hear three tracks in a row that I need to tag. Asi es la vida, as they say.
As for the iPod/iPhone connectivity: I like the front USB option. I am a little biased, I admit. Swapping a lot of radios, as I do, you start to appreciate the convenience of not having to run a cable for your iPhone through the back of the dash and into the glove compartment. Aesthetically it's not the greatest, but then again a consumer in the market for a new radio at this price point probably more concerned with functionality, along with some features, and not designing a high-end looking car audio system. Looks aside, though, there is a bit of a safety issue with "dangling", unsecured iPhones in the car. In the case of an accident it would probably be better to have your device enclosed in the glove compartment.
The KD-HDR60 is easy to use in terms of connecting your iPod but is slightly lacking on iPod navigation. Because it is a single-DIN deck with limited space and controls, it's not the most intuitive—after I install a new radio I like to try to use it without the benefit of the manual. This is simply to see how easy it might be. Admittedly, this isn't quantum physics, and eventually I was able to access my music files. But the system is a bit on the slow side. You can scroll through the usual categories of music but there's a slight delay when you get to each folder level. For example, once you get to Artists you can turn the knob to go through the list. If you want to see the artists' names as you scroll then you'll have to go very slowly. Turn too fast and then you'll only see the numbers that represent the artists. Definitely I wouldn't advise you to look for a specific song while you're driving. Better to plug in and leave it on shuffle then risk an accident trying to find your favorite tune. Or find it before you take off.
The receiver does offer some options to EQ the sound. You have the presets, like Flat, Natural, Dynamic, Vocal Boost, etc. Never being a fan of the presets I opted for the User setting. You can adjust the High frequency, Ultra High, Mid, Bass, Sub-bass. You can keep things simpler and use the three-band, and adjust only the High, Mid and Bass. For a receiver priced at $189 you can't expect too much, especially given the other features. Or put another way, for that price the KD-HDR60 is a relatively well-equipped product. Speaking of which, an extra feature is the variable color illumination on the face and text window. It's not too loud and does add a nice cosmetic touch.
While an HD Radio tuner is built-in, the deck does not have built-in Bluetooth or satellite radio. You will need to buy the separate adapters. I think the KS-BTA200 (for Bluetooth) is essential, so I would definitely add that if I were to buy the receiver. Then you would have a fairly complete, relatively inexpensive radio that offers a lot of free content and connectivity. As far as deals go, this is a pretty decent one.
See the the list of HD Radio broadcasters and channels..
JVC KD-HDR60 Features:
• MOS-FET 50W x 4 (20W RMS x 4)
• Advanced Multi-bit DAC
• 7-Band iEQ
• Ready for Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology*
• USB Audio for iPod/iPhone etc.
• Advanced Multi-bit DAC
• 2-Way Control for iPod/iPhone** (Headunit/iPod or iPhone)
• iTunes Tagging
• Front USB Port (MP3/WMA/iPod & iPhone Audio)
• Remote included
• MP3/WMA Compatible with ID3/WMA Tag (CD/USB)
• Built-in HD Radio Tuner
• SAT Radio Ready
• DiAS II Tuner
• 2.5V Line and Subwoofer Output Level
• 2 Pre-Output Terminals (Front + Subwoofer)
• Subwoofer Control
• Front AUX-IN
• Separated Variable-Color
• * KS-BTA200 required. Available functions depend on cell phone.
• ** Compatibility with 2-way control for iPod/iPhone differs by model.
Deal Finder:
US $79.98
