Poll: How is the reception of your dealer-installed Sirius satellite system?

[NDallas40]

As a former XM Satellite radio subscriber, I know what good reception is, and I'm not getting it out of my 2010 FFH's Sirius system. When I mentioned the lousy performance to my dealer, they ran a diagnostic and ended up replacing the entire Sony/Sync system. (About $5000 under warranty). No improvement at all. I'm thinking the antenna used in certain Ford vehicles is substandard. Which really blows, since that antenna is tied to your Nav, your other radio signals, and who knows what else. So it can't be replaced with an acceptable alternative without major surgery which Ford has yet to offer us. I experience signal loss if I get even close to a bridge, overpass, or even large tree. I miss my XM, big time! I cancelled my Sirius even though I am satellite radio's biggest fan.

Edited August 27, 2012 by NDallas40

[jeff_h]

My reception is great, never had a problem. I have one of the earlier (but not the earliest) of the 2010 FFH builds, built in June 2009.

[robertlane]

As a former XM Satellite radio subscriber, I know what good reception is, and I'm not getting it out of my 2010 FFH's Sirius system. When I mentioned the lousy performance to my dealer, they ran a diagnostic and ended up replacing the entire Sony/Sync system. (About $5000 under warranty). No improvement at all. I'm thinking the antenna used in certain Ford vehicles is substandard. Which really blows, since that antenna is tied to your Nav, your other radio signals, and who knows what else. So it can't be replaced with an acceptable alternative without major surgery which Ford has yet to offer us. I experience signal loss if I get even close to a bridge, overpass, or even large tree. I miss my XM, big time! I cancelled my Sirius even though I am satellite radio's biggest fan.

 

What was the resolution? Did you take it back?

[JimArch]

For me the SiriusXM reception is very 'under water' sounding, and it never sounds crisp, clear and digital. I asked the service department, and they said that this is how they sound. I don't imagine I would subscribe after trial.

[djminfll]

For me the SiriusXM reception is very 'under water' sounding, and it never sounds crisp, clear and digital. I asked the service department, and they said that this is how they sound. I don't imagine I would subscribe after trial.

That is exactly how I would describe mine as well - "under water"! I just got my letter from Sirius advising me that my 6-month free trial is expiring on 8-23-2013. I'm on the fence if I should renew. I'm searching for the prior thread on this forum about the deals they might offer.

[Sleddog]

No problem here...

[arob]

I had cutouts before the latest Sync update. Now, rarely cuts out.

 

It does not sound as good as direct digital media (iPod). But, it is good for news/talk (far superior to AM) and acceptable for music (about the same as FM radio but without the annoying commercials).

[neod192]

Comparing to HD radio, FM radio and Sirius sound really bad ... Just turn HD radio on and off ... (of course, you have to have a Titanium with the Sony sound system to do this). If you just have an SE you won't notice it as much. Can't listen to differences on the same song and the sound system isn't as good :)

[acdii]

I have yet to turn on Sirius in either car. I think they are still set to the default channels.

[Gigi]

Sirius sound quality on my SE audio system is lousy. It sounds as if they use too much compression on the audio stream which leaves high pitched artifacts in music. It's okay for talk radio, but not for music. FM radio provides better sound quality, Bluetooth better yet, and USB or CD provides the best. I cannot think of a reason to pay for Sirius when I can listen to high quality Pandora streamed by Bluetooth for a fraction of the cost.

[JimArch]

Agreed. I did not renew my trial offer, I like the concept, but the audio quality was just not there, in my car. This was disappointing to me, but when the dealer told me that was as good as it gets, I didn't renew.

[Riggo]

This is the first car I've had with Sirius and I agree that from the start I thought the sound quality was subpar. Have any of you had Sirius in other cars and found it digital quality? I'm wondering if it's Sirius' compression technique that causes bad sound quality on any Sirius stereo or if it's specific to the Fusion Sony system. Like neod192 stated, compared to HD radio, the Sirius sound quality is terrible.

[hybridbear]

The reception is definitely worse than the XM radio used by Toyota that's in our Prius.

[murphy]

The reception is definitely worse than the XM radio used by Toyota that's in our Prius.

After the Sirius subscription expired in my car I put one of my lifetime XM radios in it. On my regular route, where Sirius was always dropping out where the trees overhang the roadway, the XM radio has no drop outs at all. The XM satellites must use a lot more power than the Sirius satellites do.

[Riggo]

What about the actual sound though, do you notice crisper highs and mids and generally less "under water" sound with the xm compared to the ford Sirius system?

[murphy]

I'm too old to hear highs other than the tinnitus that is always there. My ability to be critical of music no longer exists. As long as there are no dropouts it usually sounds fine.

[airbusguy]

I had XM in my Santa Fe. In the mountains north of where I live I was without XM coverage up to 10 minutes at a time on the highway on road trips. This was in relatively wide mountain valleys. Sirius rock solid in these same locations. They use 2 satellites and XM has only 1. Both systems use "booster" signals (iirc they are FM and are picked up automatically by the sat receiver) in areas of tall buildings that block the sat signals. It all depends where you live where the most boosters are.

[jsolan]

Yes sirius is highly compressed. Though I understand some channels may be more compressed than others and it can vary throughout the day? While it may not sound as good, I gladly pay for it because I have a very wide range of musical tastes and hate commercials. The ability to choose from a massive variety of genre's without having to listen to commercials or look for a stronger signal every 20 miles is well worth the $220/year (retail price). I spend more time listening and get more enjoyment from my sirius subscription than I do from my cable provider at a fraction of the cost.

 

 

Reception for this radio has been pretty decent. I've only had a handful of dropouts when driving through heavily wooded areas while all the leaves were still on the trees. My coworker's older vehicle unit dropped signal significantly more often.

[lolder]

The Sirius quality in my excellent 2010 Sony system was bad. The compression was so strong that on the classical channels, a solo violin was as loud as the full orchestra finale. Cars have high base noise levels so some compression is desireable but the Sirius was awful. The frequency response didn't even sound very good. Low bandwidth was probably the culprit.

[acdii]

This is why I prefer Pandora. Sound quality is superior to XM/Sirius. Even better over USB. Since the 5S is a battery hog, I can charge and listen at the same time. If I want to get rid of commercials, its $3.99 a month.

[corncobs]

This is why I prefer Pandora. Sound quality is superior to XM/Sirius. Even better over USB. Since the 5S is a battery hog, I can charge and listen at the same time. If I want to get rid of commercials, its $3.99 a month.

Which reminds me about my subscription renewal coming up! ;)

[lolder]

But isn't Pandora a cellular internet service? Doesn't it require good cell service and a data plan to work? I have neither.

[acdii]

But isn't Pandora a cellular internet service? Doesn't it require good cell service and a data plan to work? I have neither.

It's internet based and yes needs a data plan, and since work pays for 1/3rd of my phone bill, I have excellent service. I can log in from any PC to listen to my music lists for free, just have to put up with a periodic advertisement for 30 seconds every so often. For $3.99 a month, the ads go away and I can skip a lot more music I don't want to hear. Haven't decided if I want to do that yet, so still putting up with ad's and haven't really hit my skip limit in a while.