I recently gave up on waiting for Directed to release a GM-LAN compatible Sirius box and subscribed to XM for a few months. If nothing else, it's a great way to remind myself of just how much I dislike XM compared to Sirius.

After a few days, I was noticing that XM music just doesn't seem to sound very good, quality-wise.

I have about ten or twelve CDs full of MP3s that I usually listen to, and as luck would have it, XM began playing a song that I had just interrupted from an MP3 CD. Switching back and forth to compare them, the sound was enormously "fuller" or "richer" coming off disc. This is how I'd describe FM radio compared to XM, too, but this back-to-back comparison was dramatic. My wife agreed there was a major difference.

(I know MP3 encoders have all sorts of settings which affect sound. I ripped these myself and I tend to leave all settings as neutral as possible.)

I'm just wondering if anybody else has experienced this. I know XM uses some kind of MP3-like MPEG-based audio encoding format, could it be a characteristic of the head unit's XM decoder? Do stand-alone XM radios sound like this? I have a hard time believing XM could have gotten this popular with this kind of tinny sound quality.

 

Both XM and Sirius use compression that allows programming content on 165 and 170 channels within the limited bandwidth that is available.
It is generally considered that XM has a slight edge in overall sound quality over Sirius however this is very subjective much like stating that a Chevy is a better vehicle then Ford.
The audio gear used plays a major role in sound quality. I have a Polk XM receiver connected to my home audio system and it delivers sound that is virtually undistinguishable from a CD however my OEM in-car tuner and even the SkyFi unit I use in a portable box and boat leave a little more to be desired especially on the upper and lower ends of the sound spectrum.
I have a couple of different MP3 players that I use during different activities and even though I have the same content loaded and are using the same headphones my Samsung unit is far better sounding then my Rio.

 

Audio quality is in the ears of the listener.

 

unless you have a non-bose LS. the system is just wack. though you would have to adjust every song to sound right.

 

oddly enough the wife and I were just talking about how much we like the XM. We've got a loaded LTZ with Bose and the sat radio is superb. We'll be renewing when the trial expires.

 

Same here. I have XM in my truck and it sounds awesome. I have the Bose system too.
My husband has a *gasp* Ford with Sirius in it. He and I both agree that my XM sounds better in my truck than his Sirius in his.
Even though he has a decent stereo system in his truck. My Bose just blows it away.