Sirius sound quality so bad

[Donelam304]

I can be parked next to my wife's car and she has signal. And I can switch places and it's still the same. Doesn't make any sense.

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[jeepguy_1980]

Satellite radio is going to sound bad. It's so highly compressed. The highest bit rate any of the channels have is somewhere around 50kbps. This is a far cry from 128 or 320kbps mp3. Many of the talk channels and less mainstream channels are 10-15kbps.

This makes satellite radio the worst audio source you have in your truck, besides AM. HD radio is much better quality than satellite. But it's quality will vary by station. IIRC, the standard allows for stations to broadcast up to 300kbps. Most are going to be over 100. Analog FM doesn't have a bitrate associated with it. But it sounds equivalent to ~100kbps, based on signal quality.

 

[Donelam304]

I don't mind the sound quality of it. I know it's gonna suck. I'm just pissed about my reception. Lol.

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[hemi1282]

I knew the sound quality sucks on sir/xm but didn't realize how bad until I installed a kicker front row the other day, iheartradio n the apps and usb sounds so damn good an crisp compared to satellite, the kicker front row is a big difference in sound quality hooked up to stock radio

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Good to know I'm not the only one with ****** SiriusXM reception. I've had SiriusXM on every vehicle I've owned for the past five years, and rarely ever lose reception. However, on my Ram, I lose it all the freaking time. I'm in the satellite business too, so I know a thing or two about coverage, footprints, and reception. This is just a garbage antenna, period.

 

[rpr]

I'm just surprised there are so many folks that are surprised how bad sat radio sounds, I've never been able to listen to it, it's like listening to a transistor radio through a tin can.

I'm serious , that's what it sounds like to my ears.

It is worthless to me, I can't even listen to the news or talk radio on Sirius.

What's upsetting is the overall quality of the 8.4AN system, and the fact that my FM reception is terrible.

 

[jadocs]

That's weird. My 8.4an seems to be ok. I guess it depends on the station and signal strength. Here is the order of sound quality where I'm at:

1. IPod/ iphone
2. FM HD channels
3. Satellite Radio
4 FM SD channels

 

[rpr]

Hard to believe Sirius is giving better quality than FM.

If you get a chance, try the Sirius Octane station and let me know if that sounds OK on your end.

 

[jadocs]

I take that back, in the truck now. My Sirus sounds just as good as my FM HD channels.

Sirus octane (ch 37) actually sounds bad ass. Just as good as my iPod.

 

[rpr]

Wow, speechless. Don't know what the issue is then.

All I can surmise is that everyone's hearing is likely highly variable and subjective to the affects of compression.

Thanks for checking.

 

[jeepguy_1980]

That's weird. My 8.4an seems to be ok. I guess it depends on the station and signal strength. Here is the order of sound quality where I'm at:

1. IPod/ iphone
2. FM HD channels
3. Satellite Radio
4 FM SD channels

FM non-HD, though analog, has a higher effective bit rate than most channels on Sirius.

The highest bit rate of any Sirius channel is still less than 50kbps.


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[jadocs]

I don't know, all I can say is that it sounds great (lots of bass and plenty loud). Regular FM doesn't hold a candle to FM HD, or SAT.

For all those having issues, have you checked your speaker balance and fade?