[Welly Wu]

I would not categorize myself as being a part of the generation that literally grew up listening to AM/FM radio but I strongly believe in the concept of radio. Radio is a wonderful medium. I still get giddy whenever I'm stuck in traffic and my favorite artist / song pops up on the air. It is also a good way to preview new artists or songs before I take the plunge and I purchase the full album from a brand new artist making his or her debut. Talk radio provides much food for thought while I'm inching my way back home from work as well.

However, AM/FM radio has become a corporate entity itself. Marketing, research, and cookie cutter playlists that repeat endlessly ad infinitum have transformed radio into what it is today. Too many commercials hog up precious air time. Too few radio stations offer too little variety every hour. Sometimes, I get sick and tired of being pushed to buy the latest weight loss, skin tanning formula, or get rick quick gimmick. Sometimes, I think that deejays have absolutely no control over playlists that try to cater to the youngest demographic market in our society.

My thoughts about XM Satellite Radio:

First of all, both XM and Sirius satellite radio are risky investments. Though there are new subscribers each week, it is still in its infancy stage. Both companies are literally losing precious revenues each day they are in business. Both XM and Sirius still face enormous financial obstacles and both are losing money each day they are operational. It will be at least one or perhaps two years before either company starts making profits. In essence, investing in either XM or Sirius is a financial risk because one can not tell whether they will survive or fail to thrive based upon an enormous number of challenges: digital radio, traditional AM/FM radio, streaming radio on the PC, etc.

Second, there are two satellite radio companies to choose from. For the past few years, XM has been able to attract a lot more people to their service as compared to Sirius. XM has a little over 500,000 subscribers. Last time I checked, Sirius has under 100,000 subscribers. Again, neither of these two companies has a guaranteed blueprint that will ensure that they will survive come the next couple of years. To be honest with all of you, Sirius' future is questionable in my opinion because of the relatively low number of subscribers and their slow adoption of home adaptor kits (though they have one on the market today).

Third, which one to choose? Basically, it comes down to reading over their channel lists. Sirius offers channels such as NPR while XM does not. XM offers a more extensive lineup of rock / urban music channels than Sirius. Sirius is said to have better techno / electronica music than XM.

Since I do not subscribe to Sirius, I thought to make my own subjective grading system of XM and the Delphi SKYFi tuner & home / car adaptor kits:

XM'S STRENGTHS:
National coverage: A+
Signal strength (home / car adaptor kits): B+ / A-
Variety of programming: A / A-
Cost of monthly subscription (9.99 or 6.99 for additional family subscriptions): A / A+
Commercial air time: A / A-
Versatility / Flexibility of the Delphi SKYFi systems: A+
Over 500,000 subscribers (growing): Definite plus!
Customer Service: A
Ease of installation: B+ / A-

XM'S WEAKNESSES:
Sound Quality: Varies [B+ / A-]
Number of subscribers: < 1,000,000 [as of today]

Overall experience: A- / A

So, those are my own opinions. As I have said before, one gets XM or Sirius for the variety of programming but not necessarily for the sound quality. What I and other XM subscribers are hoping for is for more subscribers and better sound quality. Hopefully, when XM starts to become more profitable, it will focus more of its attention on better programming and increased sound quality. Yet, a part of me suspects that the latter will fall on the wayside as XM seems to be dedicated to better programming. On the whole, I would recommend XM to the general populous who really are not terribly concerned with sound quality and want better radio service.

 

[timoteus]

I think it's a shame and a tragedy that a pay service has become what AM/FM should have evolved into.

The same goes for cable TV.

I don't plan on subscribing to either pay radio or pay tv, instead I will concentrate on fine tuning my mind in order to more effectively filter out the crap and commercialism.

 

[john_jcb]

AM and FM radio stations need revenue to exist. The major source of this revenue is advertisers and their adds. I remember the early days of FM where it seemed that the music was played with very few commercial interruptions. I think this was possible then because all of the FM stations that operated like this had an AM counterpart that was the cash cow. Now the FM stations are on their own and need considerable money to stay afloat.

With either of the pay radio systems you are paying about 30 cents a day instead of listening to commercials. By any measure this is a deal.

Another advantage for a smaller group is coverage anywhere in the US. I recall many a drives where I lost FM then most of the AM finally only getting some Christian station before it was static. I will be driving from Chicago to Seattle in a month and I am really looking forward to my XM.

 

[gloco]

I definitely look foward to getting xm one day, after hearing a toad the wet sprocket concert recorded off of xm, i'm sold on it...the sound quality was/is excellent. If this is what i can expect, i'll definitely find myself recording many events for personal use.

 

[john_jcb]

I listen to it almost exclusively at work having given up taking Cd's back and forth. THe other thing you find is that they are playing some pretty obscure tracks on occasion. On the Loft (Acoustic rock) they play tracks that are only on vinyl along with Cd's we are familiar with. Another nice feature is that if you enjoy a song you can hit memory and the artist and track info are saved for future reference. I have found several of my new Cd's this way.

Well back outside I must go to finish the install of the XM antenna on my truck.

 

[john_jcb]

I just finished my install. All the wires are tucked away behind the moldings and headliner. Pretty nice job if I do say so myself. I bought a glass mount antenna and it works great at least in my driveway

. One note if anyone is going to do an install. The FM modulator if you use it gets very warm. I mounted mine to a steel support under the dash behind the radio. Tuberoller warned me about this, he said it melted some plastic in his car. Another thing about the modulator that I do not think they tell you. To listen to FM the XM receiver must be off.

The sound is great too. Seems richer than my FM. It will take a bit a time as my listening may be clouded by the fact that it worked perfectly the first time.

 

[Nightfall]

"XM'S WEAKNESSES:
Sound Quality: Varies [D- to B]"


I thought that XM radio was supposed to have very high quality sound. I was planning to get it specifically to listen to via my headphone rig at home. Is the sound quality really that disappointing overall?


JC

 

[Welly Wu]

How should I word this response?

Please remember two things about what I am about to say about XM Satellite Radio's sound quality: 1. My opinions were formed after months of evaluation between my Delphi SKYFi tuner and my NAD C 541i using the same audio equipment listed in my profile, and 2. I am "different": I tend to go against the grain without too much effort on my part...

Based upon my subjective evaluations, I made a couple of finite conclusions: 1. XM employs a lot of sophisticated technology to compress its' enormous library of Redbook CDs and it transmits its streams from satellites down to XM subscribers within the Continental US, 2. In doing so, there seems to be a definite variance in bit rate encoding / decoding among the 100 channels, 3. The digital artifacts do not seem to disappear completely on any of the channels. For example, the "hits" orientated channels such as Top 20 on 20, The Mix, etc. tend to reproduce a perceptually smaller degree of such digital artifacts than their extensive "news" orientated channels. However, I must reiterate my opinion that these digital artifacts never seem to disappear completely no matter which channel I tune into. Furthermore, comparing the sound quality between XM and my NAD is no contest: my NAD sounds "better" than XM on my audio equipment. In other words, uncompressed Redbook CDs sound much "better" than the highly compressed digital streams provided by XM.

If you are thinking that I am into a "pure" or "natural" reproduction of sound / music, then you are right...

Yet, I still strongly believe that I invested in XM and the Delphi SKYFi system because I needed to discover "new" artists and music genres. To that end, XM has surpassed my wildest expectations.

However, I am slightly miffed by the overall sound quality of XM after having listened to it for the past few months. I have lent my XM / SKYFi system to my family members and friends; they were flabbergasted by its sheer programming content and sound quality (though they are of the persuasion that BOSE makes good audio products). This may come as a bit of a surprise to some but I hardly listen to XM anymore because I just can no longer tolerate its "digital sheen" over my favorite artists / music genres. On the whole, I am a satisfied XM subscriber and I will continue my subscription every quarter because it is greatly loved my family members and friends.

As always, I would wholeheartedly recommend auditioning XM and the Delphi SKYFi system(s) prior to making an investment. For further research, go to http://www.xmfan.com. It is the only discussion forum that I visit daily which seems to provide a wide range of opinions about almost every conceivable topic pertaining to XM Satellite Radio. By the way, they happen to sell Delphi SKYFi systems and associated products. I also got a special deal that included the Delphi SKYFi tuner, a home adaptor kit, six months of XM subscription, a fee waiver for the initial registration process for new subscribers, and shipping / handling costs for only $100 USD. Ask Ryan, the discussion forum administrator, or Ziggy, a chief moderator, for the "special deal" without mentioning prices to see whether such a deal is still being offered.

 

[meat01]

XM Radio now has >500,000 subscribers and Sirius has 100,000 subscribers. I believe XM expects to turn a profit in the next year or so.

 

[john_jcb]

I agree that you should audition it if possible. I find it better than FM but not as good as redbook. Overall I have been extremely pleased. I use it at work and after this weekend in my truck. I have a diesel truck so it is a bit noisy but on the hour drive I had each way thids AM it was far better than the FM channel. Plus I did not need to change stations as I got out of range. They also play songs that you can only listen to on vinyl. Another plus.

 

[Thump]

Very interesting discussion. I think for now at least, I will continue to get my new bands fix by concerting trading (via snail mail and bit torrent, among others) and by contributing to my local college stations. They aren't perfect, and reception is spotty, but I'd like to see them stay around and thrive.

 

[Tuberoller]

I have XM in all my cars now and I just got the boombox and have two home kits.I pretty much listen to XM instead of FM or AM radio.I think the sound quality is superior to FM in every way.The only times I hear clearly inferior(to digital) sound is when using phones and a good amp.I have zero complaints about programming,it's fantastic and I love being able to call and speak with a personality often.Every song I have requested has been played or added to a mucic rotation.I have even heard one of my phone messages used in an XM AD that is played during NASCAR races on FOX.XM has become a clear threat to FM and you can see the effects and reactions form companies such as Clear Channel who will no longer run XM ads and prevents XM from running ads at many music venues.There is a minor dispute brewing here in Chicago about the large XM radio ads placed near the Clear Channel owned radio station booths at the Taste OF Chicago food and music fest.

 

[john_jcb]

Tuberoller

Thanks again for the heads up on how warm the FM modulator gets. I mounted it to a steel brace in the dask and it is the perfect heatsink. While oon aa drive Sunday I kept waiting for that commercial that never came.

And thanks for introducing me to XM at the Chicago meet.

 

[Tuberoller]

Quote:

Originally posted by john_jcb Tuberoller Thanks again for the heads up on how warm the FM modulator gets. I mounted it to a steel brace in the dask and it is the perfect heatsink. While oon aa drive Sunday I kept waiting for that commercial that never came. And thanks for introducing me to XM at the Chicago meet.

I've been driving the Vette more recently and I still haven't had a chance to replace the burned console side panel.I ended up placing it right near the lower air duct which helped a bunch.

 

[Welly Wu]

I got the XM Car Adaptor Kit a few days ago and I put it in my cousin's brand new 2002 Honda CRV. She has the factory car speakers and the AM/FM / 6 CD Changer / Tape Deck console. Listening to XM on the road is just wonderful! No more annoying commercials sweeps that last 20 minutes or so on our most favorite channels -- Top 20 on 20, The Mix, XM Classics, XM Pops, VOX, Watercolors, and Frank's Place. There is just pure musical bliss. So much so that we hardly listen to AM/FM anymore. There simply is no reason to do so with XM. As I said before, the programming content and sheer volume of variety is unbeatable given the fact that this is radio after all. Sound quality was remarkably good through the factory car speakers and audio system. Highs were crystal clear and well defined. Mids were rich and the multi speaker placement made it enveloping. Bass was not to be heard through two mini speakers placed 1" away from your ears but it was to be felt through your body fat and bones. It was really an ear opener to feel bass and not to hear it. I guess I have been listening to headphones too long...

XM Satellite Radio is meant to be auditioned especially in a vehicle! Buying the car adaptor kit and being able to enjoy the overwhelming number of strengths of XM Satellite Radio made the entire sound quality issue moot. It sounded good and it was good!

I got my hard earned money's worth today as I sat in traffic for an hour with my family before going to work. If only Staples could hook up XM! Nah! Boring elevator music will prevail. However, as soon as I hop into my cousin's Jap car, then music washes away all of the sweat, sore muscles, and exhaustion. I got my money's worth again on the ride home tonight.

So, sound quality will be revealed to be passe to very good depending on the channel you tune into. Headphones reveal XM's deficiencies in the SQ department but it isn't the same as saying it is unmusical (which it is most certainly not)! Put it in your vehicle with the factory audio system / speakers and treat yourself to much better sound quality. Much better than AM. Better than FM.

I might buy myself another home adaptor kit and a pair of Grado SR-60s with a 1/4" plug just to hook up directly to the back of the kit so I can sit back and just enjoy the music without being too fussy about sound quality. Or, I might get XM PCR (being that it's a newfangled thingie and I like tech stuff).

I would still recommend XM to the casual listener or music enthusiast. The variety of programming can not be beaten. The reception is very good. The cost is relatively low. Yet, the sound quality is very much dependent upon the quality (i.e., $$$) of your audio equipment. Sub $100 USD speakers or headphones should do it justice without revealing its rather nasty digital artifacts. Highly recommended!