Sangean HDR-16 AM FM Stereo HD Radio Review
Sangean HDR-16 AM FM Stereo HD Radio Review
The Sangean HDR-16 AM FM Stereo HD portable radio is a champ when it comes to on the go audio. The fidelity of the HD signal is very impressive with this receiver. FM reception is on par with the best radios from Sangean. Bass and Treble controls sculpt the audio the way you want, and with an amazing headphone experience, you have a Winner.
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Features I like about this HD radio:
Amazing FM Reception.
Superb Selectivity on both Bands.
AM Reception is well above average during the Day and Evenings.
Two Line, Sixteen Character Dot Matrix LCD Display.
Stereo Speaker Audio is Excellent. HD modes push Fidelity to New Heights 😉
Built in Handle…oh how this is so nice to have.
Separate Bass/Treble controls with Twelve steps on Each.
Headphone Experience is one of the best I have experienced on a portable.
REC OUT, Line-Level Out.
Aux IN.
Emergency Alerts with Location Parameters with up to Ten stored Locations.
Two Smart Alarms, wake to radio/buzzer on Scheduled Events.
Twenty Presets per Band. Forty in Total.
Dedicated HD Seek Buttons.
RDS.
Auto Time Set.
Calendar.
Multiple AM and FM Regions that can be changed.
Sleep Timer.
FM Stereo can be Forced to Mono under Menu.
Included AC Adapter.
Features that could be added or improved on:
Matte Finish Please.
A dedicated FM Stereo Switch like the PR-D15 has.
A way to turn off auto HD seeking. Can be troublesome when the signal is just strong enough.
Design it to accommodate D Cells.
Overall, if you find this radio on sale for under $70, grab one quick. You will love it. I don’t get a ton of HD stations, but the regular AM and FM performance are enough to justify its cost. The HD is an extra bonus and really makes this radio shine.
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How’s the battery life
Wow! That radio is amazing, especially the selectivity on AM. The sound and FM seem impressive to me as well. Thank you for reviewing it.
This is a nice radio and I am a Sangean fan. I’d also like to see D Batteries utilized and Bluetooth to use with Smartphones. HD has always been sketchy, especially an issue when trying to listen in a moving vehicle. The gradual volume increase for the alarms is another great feature; I have this on an older Panasonic Clock Radio. It is called “Tender Wake”.
Nice review!
Have AM Stereo
I know you like the pdr 19 for e skip, but I was noticing the analog f.m. to be really good on the sangean hdr 16 , I’m torn between which one to purchase, do you have an opinion on this.
Thank you very much, sir. I’ve been waiting for this review. This is currently at about $109 on Amazon; should I wait for it to go on sale or is that a fair price?
Hey the a.m. has got some strength to it.
I like it
Looks cool, but I’ll wait for another sale, it’s at $110 now
Would you say this is the best combination of FM and AM on a recent radio? I’m torn between this and the PR-D12. Both seem great at picking up both FM and AM. Thanks again Todderbert for great reviews!
Did you skip over the conservative talk stations because you’re a leftist?
Would this radio receive FM stations in Europe?
I have older version, paid 50 cent did not work,battery compartment had Leakey batteries,all corroded up,went to chinamart and got a wallwort adapter for 7.5 volts for12 dollars,took it home cleaned all the corroded parts up,works like new now.After watching this im going outside tonight to do a channel scan on am to see if I can get some hd on the am band,no hd fm here live in South East Ala.I did get a Philadelphia am channel in hd a few months back.
I’ve done my research, I’m pretty set on buying this radio, just curious about the backlight. The only ones I can find seem to be orange. I’ve seen pictures of them in green as this one appears to be which I like much better. Wondering where I can find one like that. thanks
What’s better for FM dx selectivity and sensitivity this or the cc crane 2e?
Hey, I’m in NorCal with the same radio on AM. Best skip tonight, picking up in clarity, Seattle Komo, KSL Utah 1160, L.A. 1070, and KFMB San Diego. Are you experiencing the same where you are?
todderbert … Do you know of a good deal on 18650 batteries that actually have accurate mAh ratings? I keep getting ripped off on Amazon. Thanks.
I have the original version of this model purchased 4 years ago. My only issue with it was the backlight would constantly stay on when using AC power. Did they fix that problem with this revised version?
that 920 is CKNX from Wingham, Ontario.
I love the bass/treble, the easy preset and the look of this one. The FM reception seems to be on par with the Elite Field
Great radio, too bad sangean didn’t put weather built in, ( important to me) other than that I might pick one up. Still waiting for ccrane radio3 to come out on Amazon. I’ll definitely pick that one up too. Thanks for the video you do a great job explaining , and enjoyed as always
I can get behind that bad boy. Well actually I did! Now I can listen to WRN World Radio Network again. I’ve found some interesting HD programming in my area, love it! Thanks Todd
decent unit does it have a headphone jack ? would also like to run the 3.5mm to rca and use it for a tuner on my stereo as well I see we live in the same location
One thing I hate about the radio is that the alarm does not work unless the radio is on AC power. I bought the radio intending to use it to wake me up everyday but it does not do this when using batteries. Ended up getting a Sangean HDR-14 to work as my alarm.
Lindo Rádio!🔝
This is a great radio. I have this radio in black and orange and the sound and reception is great especially compared to other older cd boomboxes and things I own. I live in a pretty fringe area and other than car stereos most radios can only pick up maybe 4 or 5 local stations in the area while this and I have another similar radio that’s like a predecessor to this one which is basically the same thing without the HD can pick up distant stations with ease that are completely non existent on the average radios. I actually got both of these radios side by side and compared them and the reception seemed about even with them too. Great radios though.
Great review. Is this radio a better option for FM dx than the D4W? The D4W has 40 KHz FM selectivity. Can this radio match this narrow selectivity and give good sensitivity. Infact can any radio you’ve reviewed match the D4Ws selectivity and offer dx sensitivity. I live in the UK and our stations are 100 kHz apart.
I must say your test blew my socks off ESP the demonstration of the selectivity of AM when tuning one notch off of a LOCAL HD 670 to 660 and NO interference or bleed through from 670. Normally, the HD (or on many radios even analog) could cause some interference outside of 670 (even with 10khz spacing and guard bands). The AM sensitivity is amazing as well. The FM is also excellent. I want this radio (eventually) along with C Crane EP Pro. I wish more radios were as good as this!
Hej Todderbert nice radio some very nice news the reverse tuning bug on the Tecsun PL 330 is fixed on the export version. I only have three Sangean radios i have two Sr 35 wow great sound on the sr 35 and the i have Sangean WFR -29C internet radio. And have had my latest radio Retekess TR 13 a few days now Wow very happy with it so far. The fm reception is so nice and the sound love it take care have a nice weekend.
The stereo speakers are a great feature of this radio.
My Sony xdr just died after 13 years…..almost to the day. Thinking about getting one of these. Do you still like it?
Cool Radio, I wonder if it decodes in C-QUAM Stereo
FINALLY I’ve been waiting for this radio review for a long time
Does it recharge NiMh batteries 🔋?