$200 HD Radios compared

Until recently, it's been hard to find affordable HD Radio (Hybrid Digital) hardware, even as more than 1,000 stations in the U.S. now broadcast in the all-digital format. But that's finally beginning to change. Once Sony's XDR-S3HD hit the $200 price point, competing models from Cambridge SoundWorks, Sangean, and Boston Acoustics were soon to follow. But the problem remains: even at a discount, is HD Radio worth it? Having tested several models, we think the jury's still out; the digital format hasn't consistently delivered on its promises of better quality and greater choice (at least, not in our New York City testing area). If those good ol' analog FM and AM stations aren't serving your musical needs, we'd recommend Internet radio (many HD stations are available online for free) or ponying up a few bucks a month for satellite service (XM or Sirius) instead. Don't want to take our advice? Any one of the four tabletop HD Radio models will do a good job of getting your local HD stations, but we found the Cambridge SoundWorks to be the best overall combination of design, features, and performance.

See more great digital-music gear in Living With Technology: Music tunes into tech.