How do I Choose the Best HD Radio™ Tuner?

As more radio stations across the world begin playing music in the HD Radio™ format, the demand for quality HD Radio™ tuners will continue to grow. Choosing the right HD Radio™ tuner is important to ensure that you get the best possible quality from your listening experience. To begin your search for the perfect HD Radio™ tuner, start by visiting your local electronics retailers and discussing the options each system has available. All should offer better sound quality, but you may choose a tuner with more sophisticated options such as receiver display and radio alerts.

Most HD Radio™ tuners will transform your standard radio system into a more captivating listening experience, but some are better than others. The best tuners will allow your FM radio stations to sound as clear as a compact disc recording, and your AM stations to sound like traditional analog FM. Most retailers will allow you to listen to each HD Radio™ tuner while still in the store to give you a good idea of how clear your favorite stations will sound.

You may also wish to look for an HD Radio™ tuner with a digital display. This allows you to see visual text displays of the artist a station is playing, the station name, weather alerts, and other local information. You may enjoy this feature to learn which artists sing your favorite songs, and to stay current on local events.

New and emerging features are also being introduced via HD Radio™. These include traffic reports, the ability to fast forward or rewind entire songs or broadcasts, and "on-demand" features that will allow listeners to play shows, songs, and other materials as they want to listen to them. Ask the salesperson at your local retailer if any of these features are currently available, and on which models.

If fancy technology is not important to you, it may be better for you to choose an HD Radio™ tuner based on price. Nearly all models will allow you to listen to your favorite stations with better sound quality than traditional analog signals provide. Choose a tuner that is within your price range and try it out. Most stores will have some type of return policy if the tuner does not work with your radio.

Be sure that the HD Radio™ tuner you are purchasing is compatible with your radio or stereo. Most should work with just about any make or model, but if you are using a lesser-known brand, it's better to double check. You may also wish to find out if the store you are purchasing from offers installation services to ensure that the tuner is properly hooked up and working at optimum levels.