Why does Sirius XM sound so much better than other inputs?

[FXLRRAM]

To be honest, I've found that Bluetooth audio sounds better to me than SiriusXM.

I would completely agree with this assesement.

 

[Marshall]

I don't have android auto / car play on my head unit, so nothing plays by USB. Haven't tried an aux cable yet, but I doubt that would be any improvement. Bluetooth's bitrate max is 1600 Kbps, 24 bit, 96kHz... which should be plenty to sound decent.

If your source is paid/premium Apple Music, then the bitrate/quality will be much higher than Sirius from what I can see... so your situation would make sense. I haven't heard the newly supposedly-downgraded Sirius, but this past summer the sound quality of it was WAY better than my *free* spotify and tidal.

in my '14 the usb hook up is under the center consel lid , power out for the phone and media in to the radio , I have Sirius, but I have not really compared usb to blue tooth, My ears are not that great, bass is good, highs not so much.
I have the factory sub woofer under the back seat, and 8.4 touch screen w nav. and it says Alpine on the dash.

Most of my listening to Willey's Roadhouse , so don't really matter . Think I am off as they did not get renewed end of Dec and I delete their emails. I just looked on the I phone and looks like its gone on it as well.

 

[Marshall]

Re boost power, in another life I was a engineer in radio / TV station.
when we where recording commercials on tape , the meter was always cranked up for them, then regular broadcasts , it was turned back to normal on the VU .

 

[markabby]

To be honest, I've found that Bluetooth audio sounds better to me than SiriusXM.

i found that too, but with usb. Bluetooth connection is much more clear than using a usb connection

 

[markabby]

Re boost power, in another life I was a engineer in radio / TV station.
when we where recording commercials on tape , the meter was always cranked up for them, then regular broadcasts , it was turned back to normal on the VU .

ha....so you were one of them guys i cursed for loud commercials!!!

 

[RamDiver]

Re boost power, in another life I was a engineer in radio / TV station.
when we where recording commercials on tape , the meter was always cranked up for them, then regular broadcasts , it was turned back to normal on the VU .

Are you the one who started the commercials running at 6dB louder than program level?

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[Marshall]

Well I guess, but it was the DJ running his mouth that cranked the knob up to the stops, I just made sure the BS got out in the airways and fixed screw ups.
CKCK Regina. I did not really like that gig.
Color was just a new thing.
With hearing aids it's a real pain when commercials come on with b.t. feeding into the hearing aids

 

[RamDiver]

Well I guess, but it was the DJ running his mouth that cranked the knob up to the stops, I just made sure the BS got out in the airways and fixed screw ups.
CKCK Regina. I did not really like that gig.
Color was just a new thing.
With hearing aids it's a real pain when commercials come on with b.t. feeding into the hearing aids

ABC, CBS, and NBC were all doing it back in the mid-80s when I started working in Cable TV Headends.

Back then we had baseband audio feeding the audio input of modulators that all had to be balanced somewhere close across the 36 channels.

You must have started it in Canada.

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[CanRebel]

Thanks for the tip, just checked my Amazon music app to see if this was a thing and it had the same options! Even though I download and purchase all of my music, the app streams it for some reason. Changing those settings make it sound MUCH better! I was looking around and apparently the music quality of the SXM streaming app is much better than OTA too if that's something you want to try?

Curious as to your meaning the app still streams it? I'm using Amazon app with all music downloaded. I do know if you don't put it on Off-line mode, it will stream. In Off-line mode, it doesn't, it plays off the phone. Is that what you mean?

I also leave normalize volume to ON. Reason. I have Amazon app download the highest possible quality(default is auto, noticed it usually doesn't always get the best). Since not all music I have is best quality, the volume of certain songs changes, sometimes by a lot.
I prefer not have keep playing with volume.

 

[SitKneelBend]

Curious as to your meaning the app still streams it? I'm using Amazon app with all music downloaded. I do know if you don't put it on Off-line mode, it will stream. In Off-line mode, it doesn't, it plays off the phone. Is that what you mean?

I also leave normalize volume to ON. Reason. I have Amazon app download the highest possible quality(default is auto, noticed it usually doesn't always get the best). Since not all music I have is best quality, the volume of certain songs changes, sometimes by a lot.
I prefer not have keep playing with volume.

Didn't know there was an offline mode to be honest. I assumed that if I had downloaded the track it would default to that and not require me to turn on mobile data to play.

 

[CanRebel]

Didn't know there was an offline mode to be honest. I assumed that if I had downloaded the track it would default to that and not require me to turn on mobile data to play.

same with me Been using it for about 8 years or so. Noticed it would use my "online" music even though I downloaded all the songs.

On my phone unless, I'm looking for new music. I leave the app in offline mode. Then it actually uses the downloaded music.
I have the family plan, make sure my kids keep theirs app in offline mode as well.

You just go to the cogwheel in top right select offline mode.

 

[SitKneelBend]

same with me Been using it for about 8 years or so. Noticed it would use my "online" music even though I downloaded all the songs.

On my phone unless, I'm looking for new music. I leave the app in offline mode. Then it actually uses the downloaded music.
I have the family plan, make sure my kids keep theirs app in offline mode as well.

You just go to the cogwheel in top right select offline mode.

Thanks! I actually really hate the app now that they try to push you to streaming subscriptions. I only listen to music I've purchased and over the last five years they have made that part of the app more and more inconvenient for the users (IMO).

 

[CanRebel]

Thanks! I actually really hate the app now that they try to push you to streaming subscriptions. I only listen to music I've purchased and over the last five years they have made that part of the app more and more inconvenient for the users (IMO).

Ah. Not sure you have noticed this or not. Only happens with my Ram. On the Truck display if you are searching for song or album. It only shows a very tiny amount. Works fine on Phone.
I have around 800 (editted I put 8K ) songs downloaded. The On screen in truck will only show A to F and not all songs in A to F. Can only find music if I keep pressing the forward button while playing from Playlist.

Works fine with my other vehicles.

 

[wes8398]

Re boost power, in another life I was a engineer in radio / TV station.
when we where recording commercials on tape , the meter was always cranked up for them, then regular broadcasts , it was turned back to normal on the VU .

Sounds like exactly the reason apps/programs had to come up with this volume/sound normalization setting that's ruining our output! Ha

 

[Marshall]

Sounds like exactly the reason apps/programs had to come up with this volume/sound normalization setting that's ruining our output! Ha

I still hear that on the computer and Radio and TV when adds come on .
On the truck I seem to remember in radio settings there could be one to help level it out.
But it has been quite a while since I looked thro it. With hearing aids , a change in volume is quite noticeable.
Still don't seem to help with the wife.

 

[RamDiver]

I still hear that on the computer and Radio and TV when adds come on .
On the truck I seem to remember in radio settings there could be one to help level it out.
But it has been quite a while since I looked thro it. With hearing aids , a change in volume is quite noticeable.
Still don't seem to help with the wife.

That's what volume adjustments and battery failures are for.

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