XM Radio Sound Quality - What Happened?

**tbird2340** · 07-06-2005, 08:21 AM

Please do because at this point it's almost pointless to be paying for XM..

**guino** · 07-06-2005, 12:09 PM

I'd suggest trying a different XM player or perhaps pluging the XM Audio output onto a different hardware (or straight to an AMP) and check the sound quality, that should give away if it is a hardware or software issue... you just can't be trying to solve this "blindly"..

**amthar** · 07-06-2005, 12:22 PM

This might be completely unrelated but...

I have both an XMDirect unit (that I connect to via a TimeTrax converter box) and an xm2go myfi unit. I have not tested with the XMDirect unit yet, but:

I connect my xm2go unit into some powered speakers here at work. Yesterday it was only coming out of one speaker. I have only had my xm2go for like 3 or 4 days, so I am pretty freaked out. I took it home, shoved it in my bedroom window (only place I barely get a signal if no antenna is connected) and hooked it to some headphones, still only mono. However, I tried it in the car using the FM transmitter and it works fine. However, in the car, it's hooked to a roof-mounted magnetic antenna.

I will test it a bit more today (see what I get if it's in the home kit at home which has that directional panel-stand antenna rather than just putting it in the window and hoping for a signal on it's built-in antenna).

I'll also hook up my XMDirect and see if I can duplicate the issue. Maybe I don't have to send my xm2go back after all!

**Troy McClure** · 07-06-2005, 12:26 PM

I'm going to go captain obvious here because I had the same issue. You do not want to put your line in volume all the way up. Around 50% is optimal for best sound quality. The output of the XMDirect unit is a little too powerful for the input of a soundcard.

I typically only listen to O&A in the car and their station has a lower volume than the music stations. Anytime I switched to a music station and heard how crappy it sounded I just always said, there goes XM playing with the bitrate again but it was not until I picked up one of those Pioneer AirWave's for out of the vehicle use that I realized that it was not an XM playing with bitrate problem. I then played with the line in and viola, it sounds awesome.

Troy

**tbird2340** · 07-06-2005, 12:41 PM

Troy, I think you are dead on. I'll try that on the way home..

**tbird2340** · 07-07-2005, 01:20 PM

Well... I don't know.. It still seems like I have a lot of static with the volume at high levels even with the line in volume at 50%..

Also, is it normal when switching stations for the bass and treble to change drastically? Like I go from 20 to 48 and it is so different! It kinda sucks but I'm just wondering if that's normal.

@guino, how would I test it going straight to my amp? What would control the volume? I would go from my xmd1000 rca out to my amp? Then my deck wouldn't have the rca's going to it from the amp so how would I control the volume (dumb question, I know).

**jcdillin** · 07-07-2005, 04:31 PM

just use the gain control on the amp, so connect the XMD to the amp and turn it all the way down, then start to turn it up after you start the XM program

**CrazyModGSR** · 07-14-2005, 12:40 AM

can you use this with Sirius which I'll be installing next week?

**oekundar** · 07-14-2005, 02:36 PM

Just FYI, i installed a ferite core and it definately cleaned up some of the noise and static that I have, but it has shown me that I have a greater problem, which is my wiring...I will be rewiring the entire car shortly.