SiriusXM sound is flat and, well, crappy

I picked up my new TRD Sport last week and over the weekend I initiated my 3-month trial for SirusXM; all I can say is, ewwww!

The last car I had satellite radio enabled in was my 2006 Acura TL, and I remember thinking the sound sucked; fast forward 16 years I thought, apparently incorrectly, the technology for satellite radio would have improved. Long story short, I will not be extending my subscription. Am I the only one who notices the crappy audio from SiriusXM compared to a good old fashioned FM radio station?

 

Do you have the JBL system?

 

8 track is where it's @

 

Nope, those of us with 3 pedals under the dash cannot opt for the JBL system.

 

Five or six of my first cars were built during the 8-Track tape era; oddly enough, I never had a player in any of my cars; I did have a number with in-dash Cassette tape players, most recently my 2006 Acura TL (which covered the bases with Radio, Satellite, in-dash Cassette, and in-dash 6-CD Changer). I used to ride in my friend's cars and absolutely hated when the 8-Track player would change tracks, I mean, yeesh, right in the middle of the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida drum solo you'd get the pause, click, click, unpause. No thanks!

 

That's just the way it is. It's highly compressed and processed poorly. I will say, that the OEM+ sound system really made it sound leaps and bounds better, but it's a lot of money. Other aftermarket options could probably sound better as well, it's just that I distinctly remember sitting in my truck one day thinking that Sirius had finally upped their sound quality.

Something else of note: Reception also plays into it. I've noticed the sound quality dropping on stormy days, etc.

 

I have the premium audio (Non-JBL) and for me it's ok. Not concert hall quality by any means, but not bad enough to make me do anything about it. That said, sound quality on MP3 files is much better than SXM.

 

SiruisXM did and still stinks. My GF's 4R has it, and it is the same shit over and over, and I don't even ride in or drive the thing as much as her. The sound is not good either. She thought she loved it, but has grown tired of it, but whoever owned the truck before must not be checking their e/mail

 

Yesterday was a bright sunny day; it just so happened one of the XM channels was playing the exact same song as on one of my local FM stations; flipping back and forth was very telling; the FM was crystal clear, the XM was flat and muffled.

 

Unfortunately for me all the FM stations in my area suck donkey balls, so SXM is the only way. I don't think it sounds that bad honestly. Sounded worse in the 2014 I briefly had.

 

No surprise there. Was just putting it out there if someone hadn't made that math problem work.

I'm okay with it because there's a handful of non-music channels I really like. Broadcast radio in my area is terrible. So I'm limited in choices. It's either streaming, my own stuff, or Sirius. Sometimes Sirius is easier. And I rarely stick with an OEM sound system.

 

Yes, SiriusXM is compressed and sounds flat. But I'm pretty sure you have tonal controls in each "source". If you've kicked up the treble on your FM, you'll more than likely have to kick it up one or two more clicks on Sirius.

 

At the moment, all of my settings are stock "in the middle"; I haven't had the truck for a week yet and after some more seat time may well tweak the audio settings. That said, my SiriusXM subscription will expire in three months and the odds are like 99.9% I will not be opting to extend it.

 

I've been a customer of Sirius from the beginning. Left XM for Sirius only to have them merge. Anyway, if you travel, it's a nice option to have and worth the $6 a month. We drove from Seattle to Salt Lake City and back listening to Road Trip Radio, Lithium or Classic Rewind the whole time. Not a single commercial. Try adjusting the audio settings a little. You may change your mind.

 

I've canceled mine a few times, but then find I miss some of the channels. I really like some of the non-music channels. They keep me a little more engaged and not on auto-pilot.

 

I'm thinking Spotify is a better deal and at least from what I've experienced, the audio quality of Spotify is superior to that of SiriusXM.

 

My issue with cell based services is we are often times out of cell range. And sports. . Although listening to baseball without the AM hiss still seems wrong to me.

 

For the exceedingly rare occasion where I'll be away from cellular network services, I'll fall back to either standard FM or the extensive music collection I already have on my phone.

Regarding the AM hiss, yeesh, I remember listening to CKLW in Detroit in the early 1960s when Motown was all the rage; fortunately my ear tuned out the hiss.

 

I am in the same boat. My local radio stations are terrible and the local commercials are even worse. (especially now that it is election season)

But, I find myself in places where there are no radio stations so the SiriusXM is nice for that.

And yes, SiriusXM sound quality is mediocre at best. It does seem to play the same dozen bands over and over but I can deal since there is no commercials. The DJ's need to go though!

Keep in mind, you NEVER have to pay full price. Just call to cancel when your trial is up. They will lower and lower and lower your price. They would rather get some money from you than none. I have it down to a science, just don't forget. They are sneaky and will hit you with that full price if you are not paying attention.

 

Yeah, I've heard if you play hard to get the price drops to a very small amount; my point is, why pay for something I will virtually never use?