Unboxing and first test of XHDATA D-368: A surprisingly capable multi-function radio
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- Опубліковано 12 лип 2024
- The little XHDATA D-368 has been flying under the radar since its release in 2022, but it has quite a loyal following and I have always been curious about this one. I received one from XHDATA today to review, and my first impressions are really good. This little budget radio has a lot of features, but for a DXer like me the reception is what matters. And it does not disappoint.
This video is my unboxing and very first impressions, I will do a full and detailed review soon. But, so far, the radio seems to show a lot of promise. My initial SW scan on the whip antenna was not very successful, but when I added a 10 metre (27 feet) wire, the signals just flooded in. However, a bit later on the same evening, after my unboxing test, I did another scan on the whip and the second time round, performance on the whip was excellent.
I will have fun testing and using this one. I mention in the video that the antenna does not swivel, but I discovered later that the antenna does swivel backwards. It was just a bit stuck while I was making the video.
This radio is currently (January 2024) available from the XHDATA website at a discounted price of $21, here: xhdata.com.cn/collections/xhd... That is quite reasonable for a radio with really good reception, great sound, and various extra functions, including Bluetooth, SD card player and USB player.
This seems to be a highly versatile and capable little radio. An unboxing and first test does not really do it justice, but you can get a good initial idea of what it offers in this video.
00:00 Introducing the XHDATA D-368
02:45 Inside the box
04:18 A look at the radio
07:55 Size comparison
09:06 The manual
10:08 FM band scan - good sound!
11:57 MW band scan
14:39 SW band scan on the whip
16:14 Great SW reception with a wire
18:05 My initial thoughts - Розваги
Thanks for the nice review, André. I've had the D-368 for quite some time already and while it's definitely a loveable radio, I don't use it much. Not sure why, really. Maybe just because I have too many radios!
It has amazing sound for its size, that's its distinctive quality IMO. The SW receiver part is pretty much the same as the D-219. Same bands, same reception. The TF card/Bluetooth part I don't really need or use.
I agree that having a frequency display on the LED digits would be a big winner.
And of course congratulations for being a celebrity now, you're now part of the elite who gets freebies.
I'm sure that your reviews will be as impartial and honest as always!
(OK, I'll admit that I'm a tad jealous here 😄)
Thanks Alain, to be honest, I was a little bit surprised when XHDATA contacted me, it was nice to see that they took notice of my channel. Now Tecsun just needs to take note 🙂 My reviews will most certainly remain unbiased and honest, that is really important for me, that's the whole point of my channel.
I do quite like the D-368 already, I agree with you about the good sound. While tuning it reminded me a lot of tuning on the D-219, so I think they are indeed quite similar. This one just seems to have more functions. I think I will enjoy the D-368.
XHDATA: here is a new radio we'd love you to review, enjoy!
Andre: *plays Firedrake Jammer*
XHDATA: 👁👄👁
Now that you mention it ... Somewhat of a weird coincidence :-)
@@swlisteningdoes make you wonder…
🤣🤣🤣
And at the end of the day you’re summation of this was well done. Thank you 🙏 Sir.
It's my pleasure, thank you for watching!
Very nice new radio. You should have a great time with that. XHData seems to put together a nice product! 73 and have a great day.
@@RJDA.Dakota I agree, they don't have a huge line-up of radios, but each one they have seems to be quite good, in its market segment. I am looking forward to really testing this one.
I bought the D-368 back in 2022 and was quite impressed by its bassy speaker. It reminded me of my Sihuadon R-108 and the Retekess V-115 I bought for someone a few years ago. The Charge/Tuning and Stereo LED lights were confusing to me at first and I expected to see three LEDs and not two. It turned out that the red LED serves to indicate both the battery charge and the station indicator, while the FM Stereo indicator has its own green LED.
In terms of pricing, the D-368 is just slightly north of the D-219. I was taken surprise when XHDATA announced the D-219 in early 2023 since the D-368 was hardly a year old. I see the D-368 as a multi-function MP3 player with Bluetooth and FM/AM radio with shortwave thrown in, whereas the D-219 is more like a direct competitor to Tecsun's R-9012 and R-909. 📻😎
Andre, could you verify if the Bluetooth reception receives dual channel stereo? When I first watched an early TouYube review, the author commented that the D-368 only plays back the _left_channel from his smartphone and not the right one as well. This could have been a bug that's fixed since then. 🙂
I do enjoy the sound on the D-368! I will check that Bluetooth issue when I do my full review, thanks for the tip.
I think the D-368 seems to have quite a loyal following, it really is a radio that many viewers on my channel have mentioned over the years in comments, so I am quite excited to really explore it more.
I wholeheartedly agree with the previous comment. I’ve been toying with buying a D-368 for a while and your video finally persuaded me. At just over 16 GBP delivered from XHDATA it’s definitely worth a punt. Best wishes from Liverpool 🇬🇧
Thanks Ian! This wasn't even a full test 😀 But I think it's a safe bet, I have been very impressed so far. The sound quality really bowled me over. And they are on sale now, so it's a good time to buy!
I received my radio today from the Amazon UK warehouse. That’s less than 24 hours from ordering. Keep up the great work XHDATA!
The radio specification is similar to that of the D-219 but with far better sound quality, as you rightly highlight. It’s also far better-made than the similarly specified but flimsy D-328 I sold soon after buying.
The TF/SD card and Bluetooth features are of no interest to me. However, the sound quality means I’ll prefer the D-368 for home use. The D-219’s greater portability is better for when travelling or just out and about.
You’ve got to hand it to XHDATA for offering a variety of well thought out products at keen prices.
@@UKRO404 That was really quick! Glad you like it. I think, for me, this one might actually become a little travel radio, it is still quite small and I do like to use the SD card and Bluetooth functions, I like to play some of my own music sometimes. Until now the D-109 was my go-to for Bluetooth, but the D-368 might take its place. Sound on the D-368 is really good, I agree.
I bought one today been delivered tomorrow going to setup a10 metre wire in my garden to go with my other antenna. I said weeks ago i wasnt buying anymore but have bought two more since 😂😂😂 Cheers from Ged .
I fear you have become as addicted as I have 😂 Good buy though!
@@swlistening brother I must show u a radio I bought about a year ago with the tef6686 chip in it I would love to see you doing a review on one the same..
@@corpo33 I would love to see it! How does it perform when compared to the Qodosen?
@@swlistening u have given me an idea yo try and do a comparison video I only have my mobile phone to record on but I will still try .cheers chief .
@@corpo33 I'm looking forward to this comparison! I also use my mobile phone for recordings, phones can be quite sufficient for making simple videos.
Hi Andre, thanks for the vid! This one surprised me. Some say this radio and the 219 have the same chip with equal performance. But the D-219 is a real gem and hard to beat. I got mine as a present last Christmas and it's very good. A bit too loud too fast for my taste, but it's the first small dsp radio that's easy to tune with excellent reception. A fast bandscan is a feast. It's very sensitive and on mine the scale is calibrated. You just gotta love it. Thanks again and happy DX from Holland! 📻
Thank you so much for the info. I will not be surprised if the D-219 and the D-368 have the same chip. I will compare the two at some point. I agree with you that the tuning on the D-368 is quite good, the tuning wheel on mine is a bit stiff, but it locks on to stations very nicely. At the price I think it is a little gem.
@@swlisteningI watched a tear down of some of these small radios. They do indeed use the same Silicon Integrated chip for almost every one of these devices including some Tecsun and XHData devices. I forgot the exact number but it was an SI chip.
@@RJDA.Dakota That would be the Si 4825-A10 model. Skyworks designed this DSP specifically for mechanically tuned, analogue multi-band radios. It costs less than the Si 4734 that is found in the D-109/109WB, Sihuadon R-108 and Tecsun PL-310ET/360/380/398MP models.🙂
@@StratmanII thank you for your input and information about this subject. I’ve always wondered why all these radios were so very similar.
@@RJDA.Dakota You're welcome. I watched a disassembly video of the D-219 too but can't remember whose video it belonged to! 😀 We're fortunate that XHDATA chose genuine Skyworks DSPs as many of the off-brand or generic radios from China tend to use counterfeited DSPs. Apparently simple DSP chips like the Si 4825-A10 aren't complicated like general purpose Intel and ARM microprocessors used in PCs and smartphones/tablets, so they are relatively easy to copy and fabricate.
I learned that while three different radios can use the same DSP chip, other aspects like the overall circuit board design, onboard ferrite antenna length, AF amplifier stage, loudspeaker model and other periphery electronics will affect the performance and sound quality of the end product. 📻👍
The Bluetooth and SD cards will only play the left channel unless they fixed it. The tuning is not very selective. It grabs strong stations and holds them across a wide expanse of the dial. The D-901 was a little better value in that it did not have the left channel issues and works OK as a cheap Bluetooth speaker. Same tuning issues though.
Hi Dan, thanks for your comment! It's early days for me, so I will still put it through its paces and see what it can do. I will look out for that Bluetooth and SD card issue. I like the sound on this one quite a bit.
I like it but personally prefer a digital screen for a daily use radio. I have quite a few Tecsuns but always room for more. Lol
It would have been really nice if the screen on this one actually showed the frequency.
The D-219 comes in 10 kHz and 9 kHz MW versions, for the US/Canada and the rest of the world. It looks like there's only a 9 kHz version of the D-368.
Hi Paul, yes, I think there is only a 9 kHz version of this one.
Too bad the display is dormant when in the radio mode, not showing the frequency or signal strength, etc. Looks like a really cool small sized radio to go out and about, or just relaxing at home.
That's very true John, it would have made the radio really great if the display showed frequencies and signal strength. I suppose that would have pushed up the price.
@@swlistening I agree, the empty display just looks kind of “forgotten”. Besides that, when you fastened that wire on the antenna and made a significant difference in reception, regards it as a decent receiver. Great presentation on that radio!
@@NJF60 Thanks John!
Hi Andre sir,thanks for review this unit, i was recommended you many times its a gud radio i am using it from last one year. But there is a glitch in this model,some models have Si4836 dsp chip & some has Tsc3836 a Chinese clone,its depends on ur luck which is u received.i contact with xhdata team they said 1st we used tsc3836 chip but customers complaining about reception and then we changed it to si4836, but now days models hv also with tsc3836 chip, please investigate this, thanks best wishes from Punjab, India🇮🇳
Thank you for your comment Harpreet, I agree that it looks like a very good radio! I am quite happy with it so far. Interesting what you say about the chip, I will see if I can investigate this on my model, I will probably need to open it up and check.
Thank you for your information. I knew it was an SI chip, just not sure which one or type. These chips are used in many different types of radios. It’s basically a radio on a chip, with another for an audio section. Thx and 73!
No battery status.
That's true, but none of these DSP-based analogue radios provide battery status that I know of. Like radios in the old days, no battery status :-)