Sirius Satellite Radio: Still sounds awful after all these years

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

Don't get me wrong, I love Sirius' programming, but I hate the sound. It's grungy, harsh, with no actual high frequencies and muddy bass. The music's dynamics are squashed flat as Kansas so it sounds like a low bit MP3. Digital smigital, Sirius sounds awful, way worse than FM radio.

Ah, but the on-air talent, well, it's better than anything on commercial AM or FM, by a long shot. The fire-breathing Liberal political talk channel, "Sirius Left," crushes its ever lamer terrestrial radio counterpart, Air America, and you conservatives can feast on the Sirius Patriot channel. For everybody else, there's Howard Stern, Martha Stewart and NASCAR.

The Jay Thomas Show blows Howard away; he's on the Sirius Stars channel. Jay's show mixes current events and politics with beauty queens and all sorts of wackos. Jay's a really funny guy.

On the music side I'm a huge fan of Sirius Disorder, their all mixed up, rock, alternate, jazz, world, whatever channel. The morning DJ, Ghosty, is an odd duck, and David Johansen (he of the New York Dolls) serve up wildly disorganized shows. Over on the Underground Garage channel, Andrew Loog Oldham (the Rolling Stones first producer) spews trivia and fascinating stories amidst spinning Nancy Sinatra, the Ramones, Radiohead, Muddy Waters with music from the fifties to the present. Looking for uncensored rap and hip hop, reggae, blues, country, jazz, world music--Sirius is probably playing it, without commercials. Point is, if you have eclectic taste, Sirius has the tunes.

But squeezing so many channels through a limited bandwidth pipe, the sound suffers. Maybe, just maybe if the XM/Sirius merger goes through the combined bandwidth will give us better sound. I've got my fingers crossed.

[ecyph]

I agree that there's a "Digital" compression issue with both Sirius and XM. Some channels are worse than others, and they sound roughly equivalent to a 128kbps MP3 at best, but worse than FM? Steven, I'm shocked...There's not 1 FM station that doesn't use an overabundance of analog compression on their signal, much the way modern CD's are mixed to get the "loudness" maximized.

Anyway, I'll take the 128kbps mp3 v. the scratchy poppy overcompressed FM signal any day of the week. Even if HD radio hit, the programming is just....abyssmal. There's not 1 station I could listen to...the commercials...the bad, bland music. The annoying DJ's...Terrestrial radio as a medium is dead to me.

[Computer_Audiophile]

Please retract the statement, "Sirius sounds awful, way worse than FM radio." Nobody who has used both will find you credible if you don't.

[billecorgan]

I find this person perfectly credible and fully agree. Maybe FM sounds different in different cities? FM here in oklahoma city sounds near CD quality. Switching to crappy sirius (3 friends who have sirius) and I can tell a huge (can't stress this enough) difference. Sirius sounds more like 56kpbs audio while FM is more like 192 kbps. Don't get me wrong, I hate crappy FM stations, but sound quality of satellite radio is horrid.

[buzzvader]

Try XM Radio. It sounds really great on my computer played over my Monsoon speakers, and I'm only receiving the terrestrial signal. I also have it in my car and sounds great played over the Bose system that's in the vehicle. I listen mainly to the music and even the classical pieces sound very good. Nothing sounds as good as analog and I even have a system hooked up to my analog stereo systems and played through Advents and Altec Lansing speakers and that, too, is a really good sounding system. They're all played through analog receivers like my old Marantz and JVC (with equalizer controls).

[ndurantz]

Have to agree. I just signed up for XM and am enjoying the sound quality. Running it analog through my Yamaha receiver and some Polk bookshelves. Although, I have to agree with the Sirius programming - like it better, but I will give the nod to better sound anyday!

[shetaan819]

I used XM right when they first launched and although I loved the service I dropped it after listening to sub par fm radio quality sound.....the content was really good but it just made me really really want to listen to it with CD quality sound.....the CSR was surprised to hear my reasoning and mentioned that most people actually give compliments on the lows for music on XM...but if bass is allll you care about and you dont care about midrange, highs or quality of sound in general....sooo not worth it......I'm hoping they give that XM HD Surround option in cars one of these days....

[wjake]

Steve wrote:
"if the XM/Sirius merger goes through the combined bandwidth will give us better sound."

Get someone who knows something about satellite radio!!! XM and Sirius use incompatible satellite transmission systems, the only way to combine bandwidth is to scrap one satellite system, or make dual-mode radios. Both are likely to be cost-prohibitive measures.

[beall49]

Did you really just say the Jay Thomas show blows Howard?

Did you?

Drugs are bad mmmkay....

[deebeex]

I have a question.... But what about the receivers that are built in and that don't require that awful mini transmitter to re-broadcast to your existing FM tuner ?

I've never heard one of these receivers but I've heard some say that their quality is nothing like the junk re-broadcast receivers and that they are actually quite good

[CRSmith05]

I have listened to Sirius in a variety of configurations including factory installed to aftermarket hard wired to FM modulated. They all sound terrible all the time, every time. That doesn?t keep me from being a subscriber though, can?t beat the content. If you can?t hear the compression you need your ears checked.

[ronwoo65]

I receive Sirius via satellite and pipe it through my Denon receiver via an optical cable. The big band station sound just fine. I've been wondering about your credentials ever since you recommended that Audio Technica turntable.

[stattube]

I have listened to both Sirius and XM since soon after they launched, always using hard wired receivers into a revealing high-end home system, and not a crappy FM modulator. Early on, when both were running about 100 channels, sound quality was OK on Sirius, and just a bit better on XM. Now, squeezing a bunch more channels into the same sized pipe (170 on XM!), they both suck. Both services allocate bandwidth depending on how critical they think the audience on that channel is likely to be, with the classical and jazz channels normally getting the most. They will even jigger the bandwidth around between channels at different times if, for example, they're having a live performance on one channel. Listen to the underwater voices traffic/weather channels if you want to hear just how crappy they can make it.

I agree with Steve that at its best, FM on a non pop station with a really strong signal stomps the best SQ from either Sirius or XM, but the programming generally blows in comparison.

[kallasg]

Steve's description of Jay Thomas' show blowing-away Stern illustrates poor taste. Steve's very own description of the show proves that Thomas' show is a rip-off. Copy-cats are very rarely better than those whom they are copying.