HT 1000 VHF sound quality

[pisspodpete]

I just purchased an HT1000 VHF h01kdc9aa3bn (seller says narrow band) to use for a scanner for local fire departments.
They use a repeater system on the local mountain top that I can see from my house.
They use the frequency and the 151 range so that's right in the middle of the radio.
The sound quality and reception is terrible. I have also programmed in a local ham frequency in the 149 range that is a repeater about 20 miles further on a mountaintop.

When listening to the ham frequency the volume is very
loud clear, crisp almost like having your cell phone on the speakerphone function.

Now for the question, this allows the sound quality for the fire department have to do with the narrow banding?
I assume the ham radio frequency is not narrowband. I read somewhere that if you sit VIF frequency to 12.5 for this radio it is the same as narrow banding. Is this true?
Also I have a programmable scanner where the FD and HAM both sound good. Comments welcome thank you

[wavetar]

Even if the HT1000 is set on wideband, a narrowband transmission should not sound terrible, just lower in audio. Considering the ham repeater 20 miles away is received & sounds fine, it sounds to me like you have the FD channel programmed 2.5KHz or 5KHz off frequency perhaps?

[MTS2000des]

Sounds like a poorly misaligned radio, bad RF board, bad speaker. Could be a dozen possibilities.

[Will]

Sounds like a poorly misaligned radio, bad RF board, bad speaker. Could be a dozen possibilities.

EXACTLY

Put in another 150 frequency to monitor in the part of the band, does it sound OK?
check your HT1000 radio alignment and programming.