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Otto Man, my understanding from the Sirius website is that the $2.99 per month CD-quality sound is for the internet radio only. Maybe I am wrong.

 

I am still on my six month free service. I have audio cutouts all of the time when going under overpasses and such. I am wondering if it was possible to put a higher gain sat antenna on the Edge? Is so, where could one be purchased and how much?

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I have audio cutouts all of the time when going under overpasses and such.

 

yeah.. but that makes total sense and everyone gets those for the most part. I get those as well at those times (get stuck under a bridge will trying to get on the freeway for example).

 

But what I do NOT have - ever - is it just cutting off randomly. And like I have said, I listen 8-9 hours a day (at computer and in car - and now have had it in 2 cars now, plus my chick has it in hers) and it is not an issue in the car (you would expect it not an issue on the computer of course). So now sure if the people that complain of these random cutouts are not giving the full information on the situation which might shed light on why. For example, the environment you drive in: are some of these people in downtown cities with buildings and bridges? deep mountain passes? I live and drive in pretty open suburban environment and report no random cutoffs.

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yeah.. but that makes total sense and everyone gets those for the most part. I get those as well at those times (get stuck under a bridge will trying to get on the freeway for example).

 

But what I do NOT have - ever - is it just cutting off randomly. And like I have said, I listen 8-9 hours a day (at computer and in car - and now have had it in 2 cars now, plus my chick has it in hers) and it is not an issue in the car (you would expect it not an issue on the computer of course). So now sure if the people that complain of these random cutouts are not giving the full information on the situation which might shed light on why. For example, the environment you drive in: are some of these people in downtown cities with buildings and bridges? deep mountain passes? I live and drive in pretty open suburban environment and report no random cutoffs.

I have had Sirius in my car for a number of years. My wife also has it in her car. For the past couple of months we have been experiencing the signal cutting out in both cars. It has gotten bad enough to shift to Ipod and cds. The problem is occurring along an open road (interstate highway) where we have never experienced problems before. It also only happens on the way home from work - 5-6 pm. Reception is good in the morning. We are in south Florida.

 

I am curious as to the location of the people having problems. I suspect that locations like south Florida, which is at the corner of the coverage area, may be experiencing more problems that other parts of the country.

 

This is not the standard signal loss due to an obstruction - tall buildings, bridges, etc. It is something else. I thought it was my equipment starting to give out - it is old. But my wife's radio is much newer and she has been having the same problem (although tonight she had no problems).

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I don't know, same thing in the EDGE and S80, only reason why we even listen to it is because it's free, or was. This was all last year when we first bought the cars.

 

It just had horrible reception in so cal, the slightest thing would make it cut, trees, little stuff, our XM kit (bought at Target, not intergrated, the sportscaster) in the Audi on the other hand, nearly never cut, even under overpasses and such.

 

I still have my handheld XM radio and it's awesome, I can get an ok signal inside my house.

Edited by CreamEDGE.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Favorite Channels

 

Me: 040, 045, 106, 124

Wife: 068, 106, 132

 

As for the cutting out thing, I do get it when I am going under overpasses or even parking underneath the carport. However, it may go in and out when we are around certain parts of Mesa. I initially thought it may have been such because of the power lines that criss cross the area.

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SZone did not continue the radio service. Even with Sirius the music on the radio isn't good enough to listen too. I listened only twice in 6 months. Both times I got board with trying to find two songs onany station that didn't sound the same. I burn my own music playing my mp3s in the car. Not enough variety on any station for me.

Edited by szone
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Not enough variety on any station for me.

 

holly cow... nearly 200 channels of news, sports, music, talk, general entertainment... is not enough of a variety???

 

of course not much variety on each channel... but each channel is a specific genre.. that is the whole point.. so you jump channels to get that variety.. heck, even terrestrial radio is that way... soft rock channel is soft rock, hard is hard, classical is classical... so how is there any less variety on a Sirius station than a terrestrial station???

 

I have heard all kinds of reasons.. variety not being one... heck, there is even a channel just for gay & lesbian folks... does terrestrial offer that type of variety?

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SZone did not continue the radio service. Even with Sirius the music on the radio isn't good enough to listen too. I listened only twice in 6 months. Both times I got board with trying to find two songs onany station that didn't sound the same. I burn my own music playing my mp3s in the car. Not enough variety on any station for me.

 

That's why they give you 18 different station presets and a steering wheel control to flip through them.

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Well they finally cut off my free Sirius and I won't miss it.

 

I was listening to the comedy (everything else can be found on free radio or my mp3). The stuff on the comedy channels is actually fairly repetative and the constant commercials are a complete turn off. I swear the free radio has fewer commercials than the Sirius.

 

Won't renew and won't miss it.

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Well they finally cut off my free Sirius and I won't miss it.

 

I was listening to the comedy (everything else can be found on free radio or my mp3). The stuff on the comedy channels is actually fairly repetative and the constant commercials are a complete turn off. I swear the free radio has fewer commercials than the Sirius.

 

Won't renew and won't miss it.

I can't totally agree on the commercial comment, however, they do have more "talking" about crap I could care less about than I would rather have on satellite...

I really thought there would be less "talking" than there is, but some of these folkds just love to hear themselves talk...lol

Overall though, I LOVE satellite and never listen to AM/FM anymore...

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My wife's 2008 Edge came with the complimentary 6-month subscription that ended this month. She didn't want to renew it. Didn't think it was worth the money to pay $150 a year to listnen to the radio. In town there are too many local stations playing the music she likes and when she goes on an extended trip she plays her CD's or MP3 and listens to the exact music she wants to hear. I was surprised that there was as much chatter on "commercial free" satellite radio as well. I hear more promos and DJ talk on some of the Sirius stations as I do on local radio. In the end it boils down to a cost/benefit for her and she simply didn't think the benefit was worth the cost. My son and daughter both have satellite radios in their cars and both insist that I keep their subscriptions up for them though. Different demographic.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
I like the stuff thats not on FM or AM

 

NASCAR Channel, MADdog sports radio, college football games, all the pro fottball games, and I have not tried yet but I hope I can hear all the NHL games. Right there its worth it for me.

 

 

I'm with you on the NHL, but they play very few to no games on sirius. They play most on XM. I wish we could get the NHL games though.

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  • 1 month later...
For those of you that claim to hear such bad sound quality.. post up some actual channel numbers as I am dying to hear what you think sounds so bad.

 

Granted, I have not been through all the possible channels, but I have had Sirius for many years (home and car kits) and as I said above, cannot discernibly notice this bad compression quality a few of you mention. I have my die hard fav channels, and they cover a gamut of genres, and just do not hear what you claim to hear and would think on at least one of my fav channels, I would sense this.

 

so post up some channel numbers you think are bad I want to have a listen. maybe I have just listened to satellite for so long now, I have adapted to it and those of you coming right from terrestrial are freshly in tune to it.

 

Lex not sure which quality of FM you have around in your area, but here in the tri-state area NY-NJ-CN we have pretty good FM stations, and even while they do talk, they are funny and make the ride smooth...

 

Soundwise, to be 100% honest, I was expecting the XM to be far superior to the FM in quality, given that you pay for the service, but the sad truth was that I was really disapointed, the XM till now had proved me nothing in being superior to other radio bands (with the exception of AM)

The FM around here sounds far better than the XM...once I get the new speakers installed, I'm expecting the difference to be a lot more noticeably...and with a good CD in, the XM have nothing to do around...Some of my CDs literaly crash the better of the XM stations...honestly I asked those guys to improve the service in some of my communications with htem, otherwise they will not get my cash anymore...

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Lex not sure which quality of FM you have around in your area, but here in the tri-state area NY-NJ-CN we have pretty good FM stations, and even while they do talk, they are funny and make the ride smooth...

 

Soundwise, to be 100% honest, I was expecting the XM to be far superior to the FM in quality, given that you pay for the service, but the sad truth was that I was really disapointed, the XM till now had proved me nothing in being superior to other radio bands (with the exception of AM)

The FM around here sounds far better than the XM...once I get the new speakers installed, I'm expecting the difference to be a lot more noticeably...and with a good CD in, the XM have nothing to do around...Some of my CDs literaly crash the better of the XM stations...honestly I asked those guys to improve the service in some of my communications with htem, otherwise they will not get my cash anymore...

 

Though I do not listen to FM as a rule of thumb - period - I know the stations to be plentiful, but to say FM is "quality" is an oxymoron. terresterial radio just does not compare. period. I listened to it for +30 years of my life, then got Sirius, and will never go back. The endless droaning commericlas every 10 minutes, the cookier cutter format radio that is so contrived and controlled, the retarded lame DJ spiel... no :censored: way. simply can't take it.

 

as of the last 2 months, and now official on like Nov 11 when they combined channels, XM and Sirius are now one... a lot has changed since this topic started.

 

can't debate the "sound" quality with you as I agree not much difference to my ear, but never has that been a big concern for me. it is content.. and content on terrestrial just plain sucks!!! silence is better.

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Though I do not listen to FM as a rule of thumb - period - I know the stations to be plentiful, but to say FM is "quality" is an oxymoron. terresterial radio just does not compare. period. I listened to it for +30 years of my life, then got Sirius, and will never go back. The endless droaning commericlas every 10 minutes, the cookier cutter format radio that is so contrived and controlled, the retarded lame DJ spiel... no :censored: way. simply can't take it.

 

as of the last 2 months, and now official on like Nov 11 when they combined channels, XM and Sirius are now one... a lot has changed since this topic started.

 

can't debate the "sound" quality with you as I agree not much difference to my ear, but never has that been a big concern for me. it is content.. and content on terrestrial just plain sucks!!! silence is better.

 

 

I can understand on the content issue, and I feel that if you do not like the commercials and the DJ (that BTW we have also a lot of very retarded ones in satellite as well, and on top not even well informed as I have heard a few errors in band members, band albums etc...) but the sound is day and night difference, the satellite quality really sucks for been an expensive service (as opposed to the traditional free ones) They must work in improving the sound quality a lot to be at the same level of the local FM we have around. I have been an home audio dealer for years and an audiophile by hobby and I can tell you what sounds good and bad, satellite radio sound wise sucks...period, a real shame as it is a very good service content wise...

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  • 2 months later...

I just bought a 2009 Edge and this is my first exposure to satellite radio--I have to say the sound quality is absolutely HORRIBLE. I listen mostly to "Lithium" and "Octane" (don't remember the channel #'s), and it really sounds like 80 kbps. If you flip back and forth from FM to satellite, the contrast in clarity, tone, and crispness is unbelievable.

 

The only way I'll continue is if I get hooked on the content. I like Stern, but I have to say the reduced sound quality is making me want to endure FM commercials. One more thing absent from satellite is the local broadcasting--on Sirius, you can't hear about concert updates, events, or news because it's national.

Edited by trelli86
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I just bought a 2009 Edge and this is my first exposure to satellite radio--I have to say the sound quality is absolutely HORRIBLE. I listen mostly to "Lithium" and "Octane" (don't remember the channel #'s), and it really sounds like 80 kbps. If you flip back and forth from FM to satellite, the contrast in clarity, tone, and crispness is unbelievable.

 

The only way I'll continue is if I get hooked on the content. I like Stern, but I have to say the reduced sound quality is making me want to endure FM commercials. One more thing absent from satellite is the local broadcasting--on Sirius, you can't hear about concert updates, events, or news because it's national.

 

 

Trust me that you are not alone on that, I will never renew my subscription, not even with upgraded expensive audiophile speakers, I could bear it...

You are not alone on that, go to any forum of Sirius or x-m, and you will hear the same complaints all the time, let alone audiophile circles, which I visit frequently, satellite radio is not even an option while talking of sound sources in the audiophile world...LOL...

IMO the main source of complaints about the speakers on the Edge, came from the fellows who listen mainly the satellite radio. I can tell you that after listening a few upgraded systems, the main reason is the position of the speakers, which most of us preserve and the material to listen, and not the speakers as such, they are not that bad...there are better, of course, but not all of the ones what have been told here as upgrades, are IMO real upgrades, maybe just different flavors, and in some cases even a worst sound...remeber that sound is also influecned by education, instruction, etc...not all boomboxes we listen all they along are a sign of a good bass or a good sound

I placed an expensive and refined sounding DLS sets in each door, and even while they are better the sound quality is still horrible for satellite radio, and I feel that I somewhat wasted my money on those...the order is as follows:

 

AM - Satellite - FM - Aux (if you use a good bit-rate or lossless) - CD...

Edited by Kanatronic
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content.. it is all about content.. for me at least.. sound quality? well, 2nd on the importance scale to me if even. I can deal with lesser sound quality versus :censored: :censored: :censored: HORRIBLE, pandering, regurgitated, censored, cut-n-paste, weak terrestrial radio with their incessant commercials, canned content, and lame ass DJs with all their dumb sound effects and .. oh god, makes me want to put a gun to my head

 

anyway... now that being said, I have 3 subscriptoins with them and given the recent merger, and now annoucned price hikes they SWORE would not come with the merger, I am likely going to drop 2 of them. not because of quality, not becuase of content, but becuase I cannot tolerate getting jacked around after public promises were made about pricing on a 'luxury' item (like cable TV) I do not really even 'need'. They are now increasing cost on base subscriptions, charging for (what was free with your subs) internet listening, increased cost on extra subscriptions. So in the end, it would be a major hike in price across the board for 3 subs. in these times, bad idea to raise prices as people just start cutting out what they do not need. I just did the 1 year renew on them in early Jan so got the original rates on all those variables, and then they started mass emailing and public announced the price increases 2 weeks later. so, come next Jan, likely say goodbye to them all but 1 subscription.

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content.. it is all about content.. for me at least.. sound quality? well, 2nd on the importance scale to me if even. I can deal with lesser sound quality versus :censored: :censored: :censored: HORRIBLE, pandering, regurgitated, censored, cut-n-paste, weak terrestrial radio with their incessant commercials, canned content, and lame ass DJs with all their dumb sound effects and .. oh god, makes me want to put a gun to my head

 

anyway... now that being said, I have 3 subscriptoins with them and given the recent merger, and now annoucned price hikes they SWORE would not come with the merger, I am likely going to drop 2 of them. not because of quality, not becuase of content, but becuase I cannot tolerate getting jacked around after public promises were made about pricing on a 'luxury' item (like cable TV) I do not really even 'need'. They are now increasing cost on base subscriptions, charging for (what was free with your subs) internet listening, increased cost on extra subscriptions. So in the end, it would be a major hike in price across the board for 3 subs. in these times, bad idea to raise prices as people just start cutting out what they do not need. I just did the 1 year renew on them in early Jan so got the original rates on all those variables, and then they started mass emailing and public announced the price increases 2 weeks later. so, come next Jan, likely say goodbye to them all but 1 subscription.

 

The satellite radios is like this server, I was now like 10 minutes just to reply to you, and I'm on cable...LOL...

 

I agree with you Lex, if the satellite radio were a free service, but IMO there is absolutely no reason to stream with so poor quality, with all the technology they have, and being a paid service, any lossless format we have nowadays will let them stream in a better way using the same bandwidth...the cable is another example, we now went for digital, but what, the quality is worst than while it was analog, pixelling, scrolling, color burst, you name it, all what could be bad, is....period, that is unacceptable for the customers...

Edited by Kanatronic
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