SiriusXM sound is flat and, well, crappy

It’s funny but you can just about tell the age of the ones bitching about sound quality. Those of us that remember car audio in the 60s and 70s are mostly satisfied with what is offered today because it’s leaps and bounds ahead of where we came from.

Behold a vintage Pioneer Supertuner from the mid 1970s. This was top line audio and cost about 170 dollars back then a shitload of money. Pair this up with some Jensen tri-axle speakers and a 20 watt graphic equalizer and you had the pussy magnet. I’ve had Sat radio since the XM days and Al Franken.

 

I live in the boondocks, I like Sirius. O also have several thousand songs downloaded on my phone. That's more for when I am offshore fishing.

 

Forgot to add. Buddy has 2019 off road with cloth seats. Music sounds better in my truck, I’ve got leather seats. I think the sounds bounces off the leather making music sound better. My dumb theory anyway.

 

Do the new trucks have the dual antennas?

I have my BIL’s subscription but don’t get the 300s which has a few channels I’d be more interested in. My Mom had it for awhile so there was the app which had more options.

I listen from time to time, but I cannot deal with Madison and she’s all over the rock stations when I listen. Stop talking over the music and for the love of God please stahp singing! Tom Morello may be a gifted guitarist and very intelligent but the limited times I’ve heard him talk he seems very impressed with himself.

I do notice a difference in quality. I have caved and picked up Spotify which has finally given me some new music to listen to. I usually have 1,500-2,500 songs on my phone at any given time but find they’ve gotten stale over the past 15 or so years with them there.

 

Hmmm, I don't think your theory holds up, I well remember the AM only world and all gains in audio technology since, however, I am definitely bitching about the crappy audio quality of SiriusXM.

 

I've always found the SXM audio quality lacking....they compress it to death. Try listening to the sports broadcasts...tin can city. I still subscribe though.

 

100% the same for me have had XM in my last 3 vehicles all of which have had the upgraded stereo systems and the sound is great never had an issue. Also I have like 125 channels so whoever said they play the same songs and groups is crazy I can always find something to listen to plus at $7 a month it’s a deal.

 

Right on. I don’t have JBL though, my sound system is 100% stock.

Also, I have an XM app on my phone with about 300 channels which is great.

 

I'm in small town Dover, Delaware...so I get the local FM stations not being up to par.

Wife has 2017 Elantra that came with SiriusXM. Wife battled with them every time renewal came up--eventually cancelled it after 2 years.

I get my 2021 Sport in May 2021 and renew subscription after 3 months...at a reduced price I can't remember...lol

When subscription came up again in May 2022, I was given a reduced price and added my wife's car to my account.

As for the sound quality of SiriusXM...first, I don't have JBLs in my truck...stock system.

I navigated through the display and found the "Sound" option to adjust the Bass/Tremble/Mid Range.

It's not Bose quality but the stereo system works fine for me. I mostly listen to 1stWave, 80s, BPM, and Ozzy's Boneyard to name a few.

 

I had the SiriusXM as a trial when I bought the truck, the sound quality was underwhelming at best. My truck still has a CD player and I have around 2000 CDs so I'm good for music.

A year or two later they offered me the $6 deal and again the sound just didn't do anything for me.

I bought a used home dock/speaker system and had the subscription transferred to that - much nicer sound, I use it every day.

For anybody who doesn't know the Subaru/Kicker tweeter mod is easy and really improves the stock non JBL system for less than $100.

 

I've been using Sirius, then XM/Sirius for close to 20 years now, have it in my truck, have it in my house. I find the sound to be fine with the stock radio, but I'm no audiophile and my ears are shot from decades of motorcycle riding and other loud stuff.

I just set a reminder in my calendar to go on the website every year, negotiate the new low price for the next year (takes like 5-10 minutes), and move on with my life.

 

I do the exact same thing you do. Have Sirius for the last 15 years, set a reminder to call and renew at the same price. Used to be a hassle, but each year it gets easier. No argument, they just renew and in a couple of minutes it is all done. I too have a motorcycle so the sound is good for me.

 

I haven't listened to 'radio' in probably two decades. Not a fan of it.

I just Bluetooth from my phone, either my music, or YouTube music.

 

Claiming to be old enough to remember 60s while also having very good hearing is suspect in itself. A lifetime of working in extreme noise has left me a little compromised. Military, offshore oil rig work and jet engine mechanic has taken a toll on me for sure. But, listening to music via Sat on a JBL or Mark Levinson factory audio in my Lexus I have no complaints. As someone else noted you should be able to adjust the sound quality. It was the aftermarket that addressed consumer needs though because factory audio was a joke in the 70s and early 80s.

 

I'm not sure I understand your point; I have good hearing, in spite of being with Uncle Sam's Misguided Children back in the 1970s (with all of the noise that entailed). The simple fact is the audio quality from SiriusXM is poor, even by 1960s AM radio standards.

 

Yes, I do the same for the same reasons. Everyone knows XM signal is highly compressed. However, streamed over the internet onto my Sonos speakers at home sound great due to the fact they don't compress the signal over the net. I have the $4.99 CDN a month basic plan for 1 year. Fills the gaps nicely on long road trips.

 

i got the SXM service when i got my truck in February, i got the 3 free month never renew it since the only thing i listen was the comedy channels, but they offer me the service for $40 for the whole year + an Amazon alexa speaker ( usually $25-30) and i do use the speaker at my home so i got the service for like $15 for the year.
i do concur that the audio is super flat and muddle via the radio i have to raise the volume higher than when im using my phone. now i have setup the decades station, lithium, turbo, tiktok, top hits, the caliente spanish station and the comedy channels. i probably just use the satellite radio when i don't have a podcast or I'm with other people in my car since "the top hits from 2010's" wont offend anyone.

for the price i got it is worth it since i like the consistency on the radio while i'm driving up and down through Florida