First XM experience: Rental Car

[1290wgli]

Rented a vehicle in FLA and had my first taste of XM (upgraded to a Caddy... sweet)

1) Audio quality is very poor, it REALLY surprised me. Going back to FM was an audio quality improvement. Also, on the Cadillac radio, XM was much louder than AM or FM and there was no way to adjust the source levels. Overall, the processing and overall sound leaves alot to be desired.

2) The 60's channel is programmed well, loved the deeper cuts. Some jock named Motormouth was running out of breath talking way too fast, but the jingles are cool and the overall presentation is better than expected. I like what they are trying to do, but it's not enough to get me to subscribe.

3) The 70's and 80's channels seem to be jukeboxes, while I have only had it a few days, I haven't heard much other than sweepers and music.

4) The best thing for talk junkies and news hounds is obviously all the options from CNN, FOX and ESPN, plus MLB.

All in all, I found myself back on the local oldies station which was playing a better mix (and had better audio quality). IMHO, as an oldies fan, the 50's & 60's channels should merge to form one oldies channel that includes 70's music that fits the oldies/Top 40 era (I probably would keep a seperate 70's channel for the more obscure tracks), the 40's should be replaced by Adult Standards that includes titles from the 50's, 60's and 70's that fits.

 

[djdanska]

> 1) Audio quality is very poor, it REALLY surprised me.
> Going back to FM was an audio quality improvement. Also, on
> the Cadillac radio, XM was much louder than AM or FM and
> there was no way to adjust the source levels. Overall, the
> processing and overall sound leaves alot to be desired.

My rental car was the same way. In my own car however, i put in polk audio speakers and a nice pioneer radio (6700mp) and it sounds tons better. They where most likely using a fm mod. I hate those. It doesn't help much.

 

[Ai4i]

> > 1) Audio quality is very poor, it REALLY surprised me.
> > Going back to FM was an audio quality improvement. Also,
> on the Cadillac radio, XM was much louder than AM or FM and
> > there was no way to adjust the source levels. Overall,
> the processing and overall sound leaves alot to be desired.

People often complain the the XM audio is softer because of their limited processing. You sound like you prefer to hear your music after it comes out of a heavy processor which boosts the lows and highs and maintains an artificially high volume level to an unprecessed or lightly processed source.<P ID="signature">______________
Proud 2 B a pioneering satellite radio subs¢riber
Ai4i is always on the trailing edge of technology
______________</P>

 

[AllForADeuce]

> All in all, I found myself back on the local oldies station
> which was playing a better mix (and had better audio
> quality). IMHO, as an oldies fan, the 50's & 60's channels
> should merge to form one oldies channel that includes 70's
> music that fits the oldies/Top 40 era (I probably would keep
> a seperate 70's channel for the more obscure tracks), the
> 40's should be replaced by Adult Standards that includes
> titles from the 50's, 60's and 70's that fits.
>

In counter, and IMHO, I think the seperation of decade channels is a great comfort. I am also an oldies fan and know from the adjustments made to the oldeis station here in Boston as well as the eruption due to the elimination to the oldies station in NYC, merging the stations would be incredibly bad. Keep the 50's staion jsut 50's and same with the 60's. Your suggestion to do with the stations is what happened with a lot of the terrestrial stations over here. What gets eliminated with these mergers is a wider variety of bands being played, and a massive loss of deeper cuts with artists. The 40's station has given me a listen into music I have never found on the radio in the last 20 years since my grandmother used to listen to the LAST AM station that played music from her youth. You want Adult Standards, you needed to turn to XM 21, 22, or 25. Merging the decade stations follows exactly what terrestrial radio has done over the years and has totally lost listeners like both of my parents and a LOT of their friends. They want thier generational music, not rock, not talk radio, not adult contemprary, not Imus, not jazz...they want Herman's Hermits, Paul revere and the Raiders, the Monkees, and NOT the same 5 Motown tunes that are currently played out on Boston's only almost-oldies station.

XM and SIRIUS has done what terrestrial has not, kept generations of family listening to the radio. Terrestrial radio here and in NYC has migrated 70s tunes into an already small oldies format, and as such in NYC, eliminated to oldies altogether (replaced it with JACK I believe). Satellite radio has told people that there generation's music still matters and is wothy of more than allocating 5 songs from the entire generation in a given daily rotation. Terrestrial radio again and again tells listeners that they don't know what they are talking about, that they don't matter, and that terrestrial radio knows what they want more than they do.

Next trip, hit www.xmradio.com and you can print out the entire station playlist (with all the current changes, your rental agency might not have THE latest channel list). TRUST me, you might find yourself sitting in the car playing around the dial for a while.

To back up my opinion, my grandfather has asked for a radio for father's day because of the 40's channel, Frank's Place (American Standards) and Old Time Radio. He hasn't listened to anything but WEEI sports radio for years because he can't find his music anymore. My father loves his XM for Old Time Radio, the 60's channel, the 70's channel and easy access to multiple talk stations, the weather channels since he is on his boat all the time. PLUS he is in FLA so he stll gets to listen to the Bruins and Red Sox. My mom and step-father both love XM BECAUSE they can listen to their 60's & 50's channels and listen to TONS of tunes that they can't find on terrestrial radio anymore. My father wants to tune into the oldies and listen to Motown, not Elton John, Billy Joel or any bands like that that has found it's way on the oldies stations.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

> My rental car was the same way. In my own car however, i put
> in polk audio speakers and a nice pioneer radio (6700mp) and
> it sounds tons better. They where most likely using a fm
> mod. I hate those. It doesn't help much.
>

It's too bad most people probably use the FM mods. They're really awful. We're not all audiophiles though.