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2010 Satellite Sound Quality

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by raidbuck, Jun 5, 2009.

  1. raidbuck

    raidbuck New Member

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    I just read a post from a new 2010 owner who had problems with his XM satellite reception and several others concurred.

    Have others had any problem with XM reception? So far this is the only negative I've heard about the Gen3 that has me concerned since I listen to XM exclusively when in the car alone.

    Thanks,

    Rich N.
     
    #1 raidbuck, Jun 5, 2009
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  2. Dick Bosik

    Dick Bosik New Member

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    In the Olympia, WA area the XM radio cuts out a lot when going through areas where there are very small hills along side the road.
     
    #2 Dick Bosik, Jun 5, 2009
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  3. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I'm thinking there are quite a few repeaters in the Phoenix area. I've only heard it drop out once while exiting 7th Street off of I-10 in downtown Phoenix just after coming out of the tunnel (maybe bad hand-off). I've yet to go into the mountains or anywhere with obstructions outside of a metropolitan area though to verify.

    As far as "quality", this system does "reveal"the compression artifacts in the audio, especially on "talk" stations, but I kind of expected it from the get go.
     
    #3 HTMLSpinnr, Jun 6, 2009
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  4. shagly

    shagly Junior Member

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    I have not had my xm fade on me yet, even in parking garages or my own garage it still works.
     
    #4 shagly, Jun 20, 2009
  5. snead_c

    snead_c Jam Ma's Car

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    This may be more of an XM issue rather than 2010.
    In mtns and areas without repeaters where thick trees and buildings block the sat sig dropouts will happen (at least for me with a 2009.)
     
    #5 snead_c, Jun 20, 2009
  6. golfette44

    golfette44 New Member

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    I've had my Prius for over a week and the XM works great. It cuts out in normal places like freeway overpasses (when stuck in traffic), tunnels, etc. Otherwise it sounds great.
     
    #6 golfette44, Jun 21, 2009
  7. moner

    moner New Member

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    So far, here in Vancouver BC I've found that my XM is cutting out much more than I expected it would, especially near large buildings or heavily wooded areas. Sometimes the XM works fine for hours on end, sometimes I have to turn it off because it cuts out several times a minute. If anyone knows Vancouver, an especially bad zone seems to be on Marine Drive near Boundary... an area that also seems to get weak FM reception.
     
    #7 moner, Jun 21, 2009
  8. msirach

    msirach Member

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    We drove through West Virginia a couple of weeks ago and the XM/Sirrius worked great. It lost signal a few times, it was nothing compared to the fade of FM and lack of stations on the last trip. It drops out in 1 place where we live. It's next to a 12 story building that has a radio tower on it. It only dies for a few seconds.
     
    #8 msirach, Jun 21, 2009
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  9. crimsonbrian

    crimsonbrian New Member

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    Sorry to revive an old thread but I am really unhappy with the XM quality. It sounds so compressed next to even just FM stations. When I had Sirius in my other car, it sounded WAY better than XM does now. I am even considering putting a Sirius tuner in the car, hoping that will improve things. Does anyone have any suggestions? Not suprisingly, XM is no help whatsoever. Thanks!

    Brian
     
    #9 crimsonbrian, Jul 9, 2009
  10. Manolo1

    Manolo1 New Member

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    No issues in my car!:D
     
    #10 Manolo1, Jul 9, 2009
  11. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    There's no way around the Compression in XM, though some stations are far better than others (probably due to better pre-processing). Cinemagic (XM 76) and Pops (XM 77) sound pretty clear most of the time (though lacking in dynamic range), whereas 20 on 20 (XM 20) or Radio Disney (XM 115 - I have girls) can come off a bit more compressed for pop music. BPM (XM 81) varies depending on content, but the electronica type music seems to do okay despite the compression (sometimes the sound is intentional, so who can say?). 90's and Alt rock stations are generally "OK".

    All in all, I consider the trade-off being commercial free music choices (though sadly, not all of them) and "availability" nationwide for long trips. That and my tastes vary by day, so having a wide selection is pretty nice.

    Combined w/ XM Traffic being generally useful, I'm good w/ it.

    I do wish we had an HD Radio receiver though for higher quality local selections. I still find myself flipping to an FM news station for local news on the hour or half hour - HLN's (XM 123) recently almost exclusive coverage of Michael Jackson doesn't cut it and listening to Fox News (XM 121) seems oxymoron in a Prius. ;)

    If the compression bothers you too much, burn a bunch of your favorite MP3's at 256-320kbps (VBR if you can) to 4 or 6 CD's and call it a day. But don't complain when the finite selection becomes a problem ;)
     
    #11 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 10, 2009
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  12. crimsonbrian

    crimsonbrian New Member

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    OK, thank God someone else hears it too. I realize there is not much that can be done and when I get free and clear of obstructions, things seem to sound a little clearer. I have my iPod hooked up, so thats 80GB of music right there. I just wanted to make sure I wasnt totally insane. Thanks for the validation!

    Brian
     
    #12 crimsonbrian, Jul 12, 2009
  13. dc202

    dc202 Member

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    I have a Honda CR-V with factory XM and my 2010 Prius with factory XM/Sirius. I have found absolutely no difference; weak signal areas are weak signal areas and XM/Sirius audio quality ranges from bad to fair on both.
     
    #13 dc202, Jul 21, 2009
  14. Vincent

    Vincent Don't Wait Until Tomorrow

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    NOT subscribing to XM after my free 90 days.

    The XM sound quality of the mostly talk shows I listen to here in flat South Florida is so poor that I'm back to swithing between local stations, podcasts and 3G broadcasts I receive on my iPhone 3GS.

    Given the quality issues, plan costs and my selection of alternatives, I think XM is in big trouble.
     
    #14 Vincent, Jul 22, 2009
  15. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    My XM quality is no where near as good as my Sirius. It's only marginally better than the FM I get around here. However the car sounds great with the bluetooth running the iPod Touch. I'm going to let XM go and just buy the songs I like for 99 cents on iTunes. Will probably spend my money now on the NAV upgrade to attach the Touch in September.
     
    #15 wvgasguy, Jul 22, 2009
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