XM radio quality?

[Newf4R]

XM sounds clear on mine... Way better than FM. Signal is my biggest problem. Sirius signal here is damn near perfect, but XM is garbage unless on the highways. All the mountains and trees block the signal and it's not even worth trying to listen to a song while in town. If I wasn't on the highway so much I would just cancel.

XM has been good about it though and I get my subscription for half price! I've had some friends do even better than that. When you cancel your subscription they begin to negotiate the price pretty quick to hold onto you.

 

[cbreze]

mine comes in very low and the reception sucks unless I am in the wide open interstate. tress bridges etc make it cut in and out. utter shit if you ask me

Since mine was also like this I chose to not renew it after the initial subscription. Pandora is way better every which way and doesn't cut out either.

 

[Whiteshadow89158]

It's interesting to see all these negative reviews. My '13 SR5 satellite sounds great and way better than FM. I drive all over the country for work and never had issues with signal or quality and I listen to it 100% of the time. I've driven 30k miles in 4 months, so that'll give you an idea how long I spend in the 4R. I'm curious if something changed in the '13 models, either technology or hardware. Perhaps you guys just need to tune your settings better.

 

[c2one]

My '13 sounds clear as day. Haven't had any issues with it... Unless going under a bridge.

But I will also say I am a huge fan of Spotify/Pandora/iTunes Radio on my iPhone. I pay for Spotify Premium ($10/month) and have access to practically any song at any time. I can make my own playlists and even download the songs to my phone to be able to play when I don't have service. (Downloads can only be played through Spotify app)

Since Bluetooth was standard I don't even have to plug in my phone. Playlist starts back from where I left off as soon as I get in.

Spotify also has a Pandora type radio feature but I feel it's not as good as Pandora. I like how in Pandora you can mix multiple 'stations'. My daily mix is Texas country/dance/rock/jam bands mix... And it rotates pretty evenly through those songs. This is my early morning mix as I am usually too sleepy to decide what to listen too.

Then there is iTunes Radio which is good for finding new songs/music.... Songs that are trending/up and coming songs. But still find Pandora is a better option overall compared to iTunes Radio.

So for anybody already paying for XM, I would recommend dropping that service and subscribe to Spotify Premium. You won't regret it.

 

[NoDak]

It's interesting to see all these negative reviews. My '13 SR5 satellite sounds great and way better than FM. I drive all over the country for work and never had issues with signal or quality and I listen to it 100% of the time. I've driven 30k miles in 4 months, so that'll give you an idea how long I spend in the 4R. I'm curious if something changed in the '13 models, either technology or hardware. Perhaps you guys just need to tune your settings better.

well in my situation i cant justify the price for SXM, i only drive 20min one way to work and most times i dont even turn the music on cause i like the peace and quiet.

i found free alternatives before sxm became popular and have stuck with them for the little to non existent use of music i care for. only time i usually listen to music/radio is on long trips when the warden is with, but then again, she brings her own ipod/iphone cause she doesnt like my music.

and once black friday comes around, local radio station plays nothing but xmas music 24/7 until after xmas and man does the warden love that radio station.

 

[cbreze]

I don't think its an issue of needing to be tuned better. Your either on your station or your not. Mine would go out in certain places in my town. When driving down highways with tall pines on both sides it would stutter in and out and just be annoying. I'm paying for this? I would think, then turn on Pandora using my Verizon cell signal and have perfect music, not to even mention I can select just what I want. So to each their own and not every one's satellite works the same. Yes, on flat wide open spaces it was fine. Not everyplace is flat and wide open. Unlimited Pandora, commercial free is $4/month. A better deal for my needs, plus it works in the house and on various radios no extra charge! A win/win in my book. xm can go suck an egg. I'm done with them.

 

[Auntie Soshul]

Pandora is way better every which way and doesn't cut out either.

Unless, like me, you don't have a smart phone.

 

[Auntie Soshul]

Not sure how the SR5 is set up but with the Limited/JBL you have to tune each audio function/option individually. I listen to Sirius 95% of the time so that's what I tuned first on my test drives. A few weeks into ownership I was wondering why the FM setting always sounded so crappy and sure enough I checked the audio settings/equalizer when I was on FM and everything was tuned to default. Fixed the problem. Again, I don't know if the SR5 sound system works this way.

The basic audio system in the SR5 is, in fact, the same way - you need to tune each source separately to get the best quality sound.

 

[2013Trail]

XM in my TE sounds excellent. Clear, no noise. Nice stereo separation. Good bass and treble.