[headchange4u]

I guess it's a little late to be asking this since I have already purchased an XM MYFi from Crutchfield. Like many here, I have wanted to get into satellite radio for a while, but due to the expense of the equipment I have avoided making the plunge.

The MYFi recently had a $50 price drop (349.99 to 299.99) which I thought was a little better. Crutchfield had some scratch and dent units for 254.00. My salesman said that normally means the box is crushed, but all scratch and dent units come with all accessories and warranty. He even said if I got one that was scratched that he would exchange for another unit. XM is also running a promotion until the end of the month where you can get a free Roady2 with the purchase of another XM receiver. So basically I got an XM MYFi and will be getting a XM Roady2 for 254.00 (free shipping). I didn't think it was a bad deal. One for the wife.

You can also add a DIY battery pack and use the supplied antenna to convert the Roady2 into a portable unit.

I have read through the posts here and I have read a few reviews online. I wanted to get the opinions of people who own a MYFi, especially sound quality and line out features. I am also interested in the quality of reception you get from your MYFi unit both indoors and outdoors. Please include details about the area you use your MYFi, like whether you live in a city or in a rural area, or inside or outside. If you use it indoors, please let me know what type of buildings (metal, concrete,block, wood/drywall) get the best and worst reception. Thanks

 

[nsx280ps]

if you read xm forums, you will find that the SQ is barely acceptable.... if you ask in this forum, i assume you want quality sound but satillite radio will not give you that... it is ok for very casual listening on ur car's stock stereo but if you use headphones it will sound pretty bad IMO. I have the SkyFi2...

the SQ i would say is around 64kbps mp3...thats for music channels, worse in talk shows.. so think for urself

i would not recommend the myfi certainly... as a portable its big and bulky, battery life is not good at all... the SQ recorded in it is not good either... i would recommend getting the non portable units for ur car or home more...

The MyFi is still a 1st gen product... still needs major improvements IMO... I heard pioneer was coming out with one soon, you might wanna check into that

 

[headchange4u]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsx280ps i would not recommend the myfi certainly... as a portable its big and bulky, battery life is not good at all... the SQ recorded in it is not good either... i would recommend getting the non portable units for ur car or home more... that

So are you saying that the home/car based units have have better sound quality that the MYFi?

 

[nsx280ps]

no but assuming ull be using the MyFi with headphones the poor SQ will be even more noticeable... plus the bigger size and battery life is not worth it... also the recording bitrate is not adjustable.... so the sound quality maybe worse than live even

 

[headchange4u]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsx280ps no but assuming ull be using the MyFi with headphones the poor SQ will be even more noticeable... plus the bigger size and battery life is not worth it... also the recording bitrate is not adjustable.... so the sound quality maybe worse than live even

I knew from the start that all satellite (XM and Sirus) radios were miles away from being a reference source, but from what I've read XM does have better sound quality than Sirus.

 

[audiosceptic]

I just picked one up from Best Buy yesterday. So far I'm impressed. The sound is very good for listening outside on the patio or in the car. I'm listening now via a pair of Grado SR225's and it not that bad. Not as good as my home system but really not that bad. The signal level is 2 bars while in my office with the car antenna in a south side window sill. I can't get any reception with the portable antenna while in the house. The portable antenna works OK while walking outside. The programming is outstanding...and NO COMMERCIALS.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by headchange4u I knew from the start that all satellite (XM and Sirus) radios were miles away from being a reference source, but from what I've read XM does have better sound quality than Sirus.

This is has been debated as they use different technology to compress and maximize bandwidth, but what I hear most often repeated is Sirius is better for music channels, but XM for talk. I think the idea is Sirius overcompresses expected voice only channels to give more kbps to the music stations.

 

[headchange4u]

[size=large]UPDATE:[/size]

I have had my MyFi for about a week now and I must say that I am really happy with it. The portable reception is not as bad as some people may lead you to believe. I get pretty good coverage in my area. It does occasionally cut out on me. I have no problem getting a signal with the home antenna. I can put it just about anywhere in my house and get a 3 bar signal. I have yet to hook it up to my truck.

The programming on XM is great. My only problem is trying to choose something to listen to. There are so many choices.

I was surprised at the sound quality I got when it is hooked to my home theater system. I was not expecting much, though. It did have a bit of a "tinny" sound, but that is to be expected from a compressed digital source. It also had a pretty decent low-end punch. I ended up making a mini to RCA cable from Canare Star Quad to replace the cheap cable that came with the MyFi. There was a very audible and immediate improvement in the sound. The ear buds that came with the unit were, IMHO, better than stock iPod buds.

Overall I am very happy with my MyFi. It is still new to me and I haven't explored all the features like the XM2GO recording, vehicle signal quality, vehicle sound quality via FM modulation, and I want to try it on the go some more. I will keep you guys updated.

One other good note is that I still have a free XM Roady2 on the way! I have read in other forums that it only takes 2-3 weeks to get your Roady2 instead of the 8-10 weeks it states on the mail-in form.