Sangean’s HDR-19 is an upgrade to their superb analog-style WR-55 which I reported on a few months ago. It is housed in the same Natural Cherry ported wooden cabinet and shares the same powerful amplifier of the WR-55 but includes a digital interface with all of the features of today’s modern radios adding FM Stereo, HD reception, RDS, Emergency Alerts and Remote Control. If you haven’t seen the WR-55 Review I recommend you read it here as much of the design concept and overall quality of the HDR-19 is the same. I’ll put the two radios side-by-side to compare them for you but first let’s look at some of the

Left: WR-55 (Analog) Right: HDR19 (Digital)

Features & Specifications of the HDR-19:

LED Digital Display with Adjustable Dimmer

HD AM/FM/RDS Radio

40 Station Presets (20 AM & 20 FM)

Emergency Alerts

Clock With 2 Alarms (Wake to Radio or Buzzer)

Sleep Timer

Aux In Audio Jack (1/8”)

Headphone Out Jack (1/8” Stereo Jack)

USB C DC Output Charging Port

Dimensions: 10.35″L x 6.06″W x 6.5″H

Price: Currently $299.99 at Amazon

Checking It Out: I had been so impressed with the overall performance of the WR-55 that I was excited to test this upgraded all-digital model. I won’t keep you in suspense: the HDR-19 does everything as at least as well as the analog model while adding many new features and capabilities.

The HDR-19 uses the Silicon Labs Si4683 DSP chip which is also used in all of Sangean’s HD models. It provides great reception on AM and FM although note that not all of these radios have the same large ferrite rod as the WR-55 and HDR-19. A quick look inside reveals the same wide diameter 6 ¼” ferrite rod and the same beefy speaker in a ported enclosure which is driven by the same powerful amplifier as the WR-55 for an amazing 25 watts combined power for the tweeter and low frequency driver…this is impressive for a table radio and it can fill large spaces more authoritatively than its size would suggest. The AC power supply is rated at the identical 19 volts at 1.8 amps. I also noted the same metallic plate I found in the WR-55 which Sangean advises acts as a ground panel/counterpoise to aid in FM reception and in the HDR-19 it is also grounded to the one of the PCBs…it is this kind of attention to detail that is a hallmark of Sangean’s radios.

I put the two radios side-by-side and indeed they can be made to sound the same but the HDR-19 allows for more tailoring of the audio with its several EQ presets and three band equalizer which lets you adjust Bass, Midrange and Treble individually to your liking. You can also defeat the Loudness compensation for locations where less bass is desirable. (It is on by default). There is a slight learning curve to learn all of the buttons on the remote control which have symbols rather than text labels. It does become second nature after a while but initially I needed to reference the manual to figure it all out.

Reception: Is excellent for a table radio and actually is very respectable by any standards. I’ve mentioned before that Sangean’s switching AC power supplies contribute very little noise to AM reception as long as the radio is located at least a foot or two from the wall wart itself. It is still true that battery operated radios may have slightly less background interference because even though Sangean’s power supply is not noisy in itself it may convey noise which rides along the AC line which is generally unavoidable and would pertain to any AC-operated radio. Still, I was able to listen to very weak AM signals with no problems…in the world of AC powered table radios you can’t do better. There are also screw terminals for an external AM antenna which can be a big help in some situations.

FM Reception was also first rate and slightly superior to the WR-55 with greater selectivity and easier digital tuning. RDS triggered even on some very weak signals and HD reception was also excellent. Depending on the engineering practices of the specific stations you listen to the HD signal can indeed sound cleaner than the analog counterpart and the ability to hear the HD2 and HD3 “hidden” channels can be interesting. Usually, an FM station will have an HD2 or 3 channel with a slightly (or dramatically) different music format, maybe a sports channel and sometimes some very esoteric programming you won’t find on the regular primary channels…it can be really interesting to see what you can find.

Conclusion: This is an interesting case study because the Sangean HDR-19 builds on the high-quality, high-performance building blocks of the analog-style WFR-55 yet improves on it both in performance (with greater tuning accuracy and audio control) and with the addition of Digital readout, HD, RDS, Stereo at the headphone jack and a host of digital features. This is not meant as a slight to the WFR-55 in any way…there are many things I like about that radio because it looks and feels like an analog radio, sounds great and is very easy to use. But clearly the HDR-19 adds much to the equation so if you want those features you have that choice. Either way I think these are ground-breaking radios in terms of their sheer audio power and great reception…you can’t go wrong with either

Recommended!

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Jay Allen