Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio with Dock for iPod/iPhone

I bought this Sony HD Radio because I was impatient to get the iTunes tagging feature; after thoroughly testing the device, here's my feedback.


First let's start with the Pros:

- Good Sound, Treble are clear and the bass are decent for a radio of this size. The Surround feature brings a spatial sound that helps to overcome the small size of the speakers.

- Nice display: the LCD is bright and easy to read especially with HD Radios that broadcasts a lot of information like the show title, song title and their name.

Now let's get to the cons and there are a lot:

- The AC supply is external, heavy and connected to the Radio. I mean there's no way to unplug the AC power cord from the radio, its sealed.

- Even worse, the AC supply produces a very audible buzz when connected to the electrical outlet. I tried several different outlets with or without an RFI filter, the sound was still there and it can be very annoying when the radio is Off.

- No Audio output, only an Audio Input.
You can't connect the Radio to any external output source like your HIFI Sound System or your PC. I guess that Sony is afraid that the digital Radio will be another source of music piracy which is silly. Music broadcasts on HD Radios is not HD but only digital with a low bitrate in addition to all the jingles that will color your songs.

- Radio Sensitivity is average even with regular FM radios.
I compared the reception with another Sony regular FM radio and despite the supplied FM dipole antenna, the reception is average.

- HD Lock is instable when the reception is average:
HD Radio stations broadcasting their signals along with the regular analog ones. If the HD reception is borderline, your radio may be continuously switching between the two signals. And when you realize that HD signals are delayed from the analog signals, you will realize that it is impossible to listen to the radio station in such conditions.
Sony could have added a manual control to force either HD or analog reception.

- iTunes tagging is not efficient
Over the 10 songs that I tried to tag from 10 different radio stations, only 5 where correctly identified by iTunes. The reason; not all the radio stations send correctly the song tag information even if the Tag indicator is light.

- No Memory: Every setting including the presets are erased when you unplug the Radio from the electrical outlet, even for a second.

I honestly think that Sony could have done a better job in designing this radio. The most annoying thing for me is the buzz of the AC supply. It's an irony; having an HD radio with a nice sound ruined by the buzz of a bad designed AC supply...

Excellent product for something that I wasn't so sure at first. Reading the other reviewer's comments, I was afraid that the giant voltage converter (the "brick") was going to make a lot of noise. But it doesn't and quiet actually. The sound quality was acceptable (the surround sound is a very old feature of Sony, all the way from the 80's). There is an audio in, for your non-iPod gadgetry. It works fine for my iPod Touch and iPod nano (3rd gen). The remote can play playlists. The iTunes tag, a cool feature, is not used often enough by me, since I listen mostly to NPR, not music stations. I do notice the tag light will light up at times (if the station identifies the song at all).

At first I didn't know how to take off the universal dock adapter (supplied), causing a little problem and a nick on the plastic with a sharp surgical blade. There is a little recess at the back of the plastic adapter to take off the whole adapter. The universal adapter does not work for the two iPods I have. And the connector works fine without it.

The reception is generally good for HD Radio. However, I had to use my own radio amplifier to get the best reception. There is a little drop if the signals are not "locked" in (almost like stuttering of human speech, repetitive words here and there if the signals are not strong).

I also like the auto scan feature, reminiscent of most car audio. Other than that, the unit delivers what it promises for a $150 radio. Now there is a 50 bucks off rebate if you buy it right now before the end of Sept 2008. This would bring the price to almost just a $100 for an exceptionally cheap HD radio/ iPod dock charger. Yes, it should work with iPhone 3G, as per other reviewers. And the speakers are shielded, since I can put my Motorola Razor next to it without any problem. No buzzing sound!

Highly recommended for its price (to get the rebate of course). The remote is not lighted, but nobody is going to fault it for its generic design. Have not tested the alarm system, but do NOT think that it is going to be a real alarm clock for you in the morning. There is no Snooze button. Having used a few times of its alarm function, I can tell you that it is better to use your cell phone (like my Razor, which has a snooze button). This is not a real alarm clock. It will wake you up, but not for a lazy guy who hopes to hit the snooze a few times.

Buy this only if 1. you need an ipod charger, compatible with 3G iPhone (my girlfriend's does work!); there are cheaper HD radios out there 2. cannot live without HD radio's promise of multi-cast, like digital TV. Local NPR and classical stations have mutli-cast features, which are very nice. 3. Beautiful black design, which complements any decor. I always like Sony's look and built. Look expensive! 4. Awesome adaptation as a wifi radio, if you happen to own an iPod touch with wifi connection. I listen to Pandora and AOL radio on the net, using this unit.

Don't buy this if you 1. expect HD radio exceeds your audio expectations and needs. The quality of HD radio is not that much better. My stereo system pumps out excellent analog radio sounds, similar to this unit 2. expect this to replace a real clock radio. No snooze button. 3. no audio outs or a headphone jack. Why???!!! Every radio needs an audio out. But this doesn't.

How can a company offer a clock radio without a battery backup? Unbelievable. I own a Sony HD radio tuner with the same stupid design. Unplug it or have a moment's electrical outage and all the settings are lost - stored station presets, clock, etc. What's wrong with the people who design these products?

I just bought this and I also own the older Sony XDR-S3HD HD Radio by Sony.

I bought HD because I can't get reception for NPR in my kitchen and HD works great. I like this one because it is sleeker, smaller and black (although I don't think it sounds as good as the S3HD - but I like the sound just fine)

The Ipod/iphone integration is SOLID - flawless so far - remote control of playlists, song searching, volume, etc. I have an IPod Mini 6GB and an IPhone 3G and I Pod 30 GB (2007 model) and it works perfectly with all three - including charging all three, etc... WHen I get a call on the Iphone while it is docked (and playing), the music mutes and the phone ringer comes through the Sony speakers - nice details.

THe footprint is small and I was already a fan of the HD radio - menus are intuitive, has sleep function, works easily and reliably...

The only thing is that it only came with only one ipod "tray" attachment (I think for the iphone) so the ipods don't seem to rest in the tray very securely (mostly on the weight is on the jack - which probably isn't good in the long run), otherwise, I'm happy after 4 hours with it.

I was very excited to find a Sony clock radio with iPod functionality. As an added bonus (I thought) was that it had HD radio reception, too.

It does sound great. In my part of the country I needed to add an external $25 Terk antenna to pick up any FM stations. The only HD station I get is npr, which always came in clear as a bell with a clear sound without the HD signal.

Imagine my surprise when I couldn't find the snooze bar!! I purchased it to take the place of my Boston Acoustics clock radio, which didn't have the capability to dock my iPod. The BA radio has a tremendous sound quality as well.

I have to agree with other reviewers that if the power goes out (like it did last night), it's time to search for the manual to reprogram all the settings. Sony could've added a battery compartment (like the Boston Acoustic) to retain the settings.

All in all, I wished I hadn't been tempted by the HD feature and picked up the Boston Acoustic Duo-i. I'm thinking of peddling this on E-Bay or just keeping it for a table top radio in the kitchen or computer room. Perhaps the number of HD radio stations in my area will grow in number in the near future.

If you're looking for a clock radio with iPod docking, I could not recommend the SonyXDR-S10HDiP - I'm fearful that you'll be as disappointed as I was. I suggest you look at the Boston Acoustics version. Boston Acoustics HDUOIMDNT Horizon Duo-I System For Ipod(R) With Am/Fm Radio (Midnight). Cheers