OT: Satellite Radio

[Rose Immortal]

I just got a new car that came with a 3-month XM subscription.

Is it me, or is the sound quality shitty? To my ears it sounds like a RealAudio stream...well, not QUITE that bad, but it sounds like a similar form of digital compression to me.

So far, I've mainly listened to XM 42, the metal station. But I did a bit of channel-surfing and they all seem to have the same issue.

Does anybody else agree with me about the sound quality on XM? Has anybody compared XM to Sirius, and is Sirius clearer? Or is this a technology that is just way too young to be any good?

For now, I'm going to keep listening to XM 42 some, to see if I hear any bands that I think are interesting. But overall, I'm not sure satellite radio is all it's cracked up to be.

 

[RobbM]

There's already a huge discussion about this stuff...

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200606

 

[Rose Immortal]

Hmm...a lot of that seems centered around the content rather than the technical aspects. I was looking for some feedback on the tech stuff to see if I'm just hearing things or if it really DOES have problems.

 

[NegativeVolume]

I have XM radio with my satellite TV thingy, and my friend has XM in his car; my brother has Sirius in his truck. To me, the sound quality on my TV is a lot better than the FM/AM stations, and the Sirius sounds about the same as the regular radio when my brother switches back and forth (he mainly uses it to listen to Howard Stern...whose show is infinitely better now). But back to XM, I've heard it a handful of times, and if anything, it's just the same/better than FM/AM in my experiences.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

You have to pay more each month to get it in stereo! lol j/k

J-Dubya - Who spent a 14 hour roadtrip delivering a new car with XM, and didn't really think it was worth all the fuss. That's why they invented the cd & tape player......

 

[Rose Immortal]

It also surprised me when I pulled into my garage and lost the signal. Standard radio doesn't do that unless you go into a really long tunnel...

 

[snakeey11]

I have Sirius and have no complaints with the quality of the signal. To me, it's close to a CD; I have a direct connection to my head unit, so no FM modulation or anything. Both services boast digital sound, so I don't know why it would sound bad for you? As for the garage thing, you are going to lose the signal anytime you don't have a direct line of sight to the satellite, but that is why both services are increasing the number of terrestrial repeaters in large metropolitan areas. For example, I was in Vegas awhile back and in the parking garage of Ceasar's Palace I didn't lose the signal once because Sirius has (I think) somethine like 3 repeaters in the Las Vegas area. As soon as these repeaters become more widespread, the area of reception will be even better.

For me, the vast amount of positives FAR outweigh the negatives of satellite radio.

 

[Rose Immortal]

I think at least in part, digital sound IS the problem. I can hear the compression and it's really aggravating, like hearing a RealAudio file. I don't get that on the FM stations around here. I just talked to another person today with XM and he agreed about the compression.

It also doesn't help that I have an upgraded sound system in my car that shows all of the flaws on anything I have. The comparison between a strong, local FM station and XM is truly embarrassing for XM. Local FM is almost CD quality where I am. XM is MP3 quality.

 

[Rose Immortal]

More reasons not to like XM--apparently they will be airing more commercials. As far as I've heard so far, Sirius has not pulled that kind of stunt. Why should I PAY for commercials when there's a free alternative? It's understandable for FM because you don't pay for it, but where there's a subscriber fee it's ridiculous.

What's more, I heard from a good source that people who have tried to cancel their subscription and get a refund for their 1 year's worth they paid are being told they can't have it back.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060413_150389.htm

http://www.dbstalk.com/archive/index.php/t-12019.html

So far I haven't heard one on XM 42, but I think I haven't stayed on it long enough to hear one.

BUT--definitely another reason for me not to renew the free subscription.

 

[scanner313]

Sirius doesn't have any commercials on their music channels. Howard Stern does air a few commercials every hour or so, but the length of the breaks he takes are very short compared to the endless string of crap you had to sit through when he was on terrestrial radio.

My Sirius receiver has great sound. No complaints there. My only complaint is with the antenna. I've had my system since January, and already my antenna wire has basically broken off the antenna. The inner wire is still firmly in the antenna, but the outer segment has broken free and I lose the antenna connection frequently. I've been told that Sirius is pretty good about replacing these at no cost, but they certainly need to do something to improve it's durability.

Aside from that, I love the system and feel the $13 a month is well worth it.

 

[Rose Immortal]

Sorry for the stupid question, but my car came with an XM receiver...will I have to get a new one if I ever go to Sirius?

 

[snakeey11]

Sorry for the stupid question, but my car came with an XM receiver...will I have to get a new one if I ever go to Sirius?

yes.

 

[scanner313]

...The inner wire is still firmly in the antenna, but the outer segment has broken free and I lose the antenna connection frequently. I've been told that Sirius is pretty good about replacing these at no cost, but they certainly need to do something to improve it's durability.

Just a follow up on this... I called Sirius and they told me that Radio Shack (if you bought your system there) handles warranty issues like this. I called them and they are sending me a free antenna ASAP. It was no hassle at all. I just told them it was broken and they asked where to send the new one.

 

[Matt]

stay with XM for at least a year or so.....I have it in my truck and I love it.

 

[Platinum Maze]

XM only advertises that their music channels are commercial free - which they are - not any other sports, talk, or news channels. The only music channels you will hear commercials on are the ones programmed by Clear Channel. Clear Channel was with XM since day 1, and they recently informed XM they wanted to have commercials on these channels. They are labeled 'cm' on your radio's display. I thought there were about 10 of them but the only ones I can find right now are 11-Nashville, 21-KISS, 22-MIX, and 24-SUNNY. I don't know about you, but no big loss there...

I've had it for 20 months now, and I don't know what I'd do without it. Where else can you hear Flotsam's 'Metalshock' at 1 in the afternoon like I did last Friday on my 300 mile trip back from Rochester, NY?!?

and btw, O & A rule.

 

[rockyracoon]

Sorry for the stupid question, but my car came with an XM receiver...will I have to get a new one if I ever go to Sirius?

A few months ago I updated all my car audio to Alpine. And, although I currently use Sirius, my system can carry both Sirius and XM, which I think is pretty cool. I'm not exactly sure off hand what Alpine model it is, but I'm pretty sure they are the only ones offering that right now. Unless some has seen another head unit that runs them both? I think if I had the money, I would probably consider subscribing to both Sirius and XM, just for the hell of it.