How does the HD-BLADE compare to good old-fashioned rabbit ears? It’s a good question, since you might already have an old antenna moldering in the garage or see one at a yard sale. Signal Labs guru VOS took on the challenge. Of course, your data may vary, and his tests were done at home not in a lab… but then again you don’t live in a lab, right?
Using a traditional rabbit-ears type antenna (The one shown above is just an example) he compared the HD-BLADE to the absolute best the rabbit ears can do. The antenna was extended to its full height of 33 inches, making it much bigger than the HD-BLADE. Also, the rabbit ears were adjusted to their best position before every test while the HD-Blade was in a “set it and forget it” mode, taped against the wall. The results were encouraging:
HD-Blade_vs_EarsThe HD-BLADE outperformed the rabbit ears in the critical VHF-High and low-end UHF ranges where a lot of stations are located. The rabbit ears picked up a little steam toward the high end of the UHF spectrum but other than a slight drop around channel 35, the HD-BLADE was never very far off.
VOS was also quick to point out the vastly increased “wife approval factor” of the HD-BLADE, due to its high-tech look. This “WAF” has been a big driver of consumer electronics in the last decade as TV and audio systems went from gigantic boxes to slim, easily hidden ones.
So, at the end of the day, is it worth spending just a little more? Let’s see. You get the same performance pretty much across the board. You get better performance in the critical range where you need it, and you get a better-looking product that is going to make everyone in the home happy. You decide
