Industry experts say that there are now more than 500 stations broadcasting in HD. Twenty-five of them are even multicasting with HD2 subchannels. But can you actually hear HD radio yet? The answer to this is that you can, particularly if you want to put an HD radio in your car. At least four manufacturers that already offer car audio systems that incorporate HD technology. They are: Panasonic JVC Alpine SanyoPlus, there are two companies offering HD tuners that can make certain of their models HD capable. Eclipse KenwoodThe best place to acquire one of these car audio systems might be eBay. An eBay search turned up a Kenwood KDC-MP4028 at a buy it now price of just $109.95. In comparison, Crutchfield had the KDC MP4028 for $179.99. Online sources for information on HD car audio systems include Nextag (www.nextag.com), BizRate (www.bizrate.com), PriceGrabber (www.pricegrabber.com), PriceScan (www.pricescan.com), and Shopzilla (www.shopzilla.com). In terms of pricing, NexTag has the Kenwood KDC MP828 at a low of $232 at www.sbhcorp.com. And Shopzilla has the same unit at prices ranging from $238 (www.hookedontronics.com) to $379.95 at the Car Domain Store (www.cardomain.com). And the high-end Alpine DVA-9965 is available from several sources at about $1,078. Tabletop HD radios are still in short supply. Boston Acoustics recently began shipping its Recepter Radio HD to selected audio stores. This unit is also available at Crutchfields (www.crutchfield.com), Onecall (www.onecall.com), amazon.com, NPR (www.npr.org), and J&R (www.j&r.com). All four of these outlets have been pricing the unit at about $499. Two other manufacturers have announced HD tabletop radios - Polk Audio and Radiosophy. The Polk I-sonic and Radiosophy's MultiStream are both due out in early 2006. The I-sonic is expected to sell for around $599 and the Radiosophy Multistream HD for $269. The better news is that new, lower-cost HD tabletops should begin arriving in April to May of 2006. Finally, Yamaha has a superb component receiver, the RX-V4600. This 7-channel, surround-sound receiver is available at specialized audio stores and online at web sites such as DigitalCraze.com, Authorized Electronics (http://store.yahoo.com/authorizedelectronics/), and About Gizmos.com. As of this writing, the lowest listed price for this unit is $1,219.00. Two other companies, ADA (Audio Design Associates) and Day-Seguerra, have announced HD receivers but are yet to provide any information on ship dates or cost. So, for now, if you want to hear HD radio, your best bet is to listen in your car. Beyond that, if you want and HD radio for your home, you may want to wait until April or May before buying. |
