Satellite Radio?

I'm ordering a new 3 series this coming year and I'm debating the satellite radio option. I know that when satellite radio first came out the blogs were full of complaints about sound quality. Something about too much signal over too little band width. I've never owned a satellite radio but the concept sounds good of picking your style, not having to listen to commercials and not having to search for a new station when your on the road and get out of range. For those of you with the option what do you think of it? Would you pay for again? Have you kept your subscription etc. Thanks!

I have it and like it a lot. The quality could be a little better, as I'm sure others will chime in and say. But I'm glad I got it.

I have it on three cars seems to be fine

The sound quality is so-so - maybe on part with FM radio. I think HD radio sounds a lot better.

I have two reactions to the Sirius issue. I think it is overpriced and was perfectly happy without it. But, last week, there was glitch that caused my vehicle to lose Sirius signal for two days. I badly missed it immediately.

So, IMO, it is worth getting. Just don't expect CD quality sound.

I have a Corvette that came with Satellite radio. It had annoying drop outs in service where I live, particulary in the summer when leaves were full on the trees, and the tree-lined roads that I take to work prevented adequate reception. This is particularly frustrating when you are paying for the service. I kept the subscription for a few years. My (2006) Corvette coupe did not come with an Aux-in jack, so I couldn't easily play an iPod without going the FM route, which I rejected because of sound quality.

I ultimately found some inexpensive wiring harness that somebody designed for my particuluar car which plugs into the satellite radio receiver, disables the satellite reception but instead provides a jack for my iPod which works when I tune the stock radio to the satellite band. I dropped the satellite subscription and haven't missed it. I just ordered a 335, and did not check the satellite box -- just the iPod integration box. I'm fine with not having to pay the hefty subscription charges.

On a last note, if I frequently traveled 50-100 miles away from home, I might have kept the satellite for the virtue of being able to keep the same station on as you travel. For me though, the local terrestrial radio stations that I like and the iPod are the way to go -- with no subscription fees and no signal drop outs.

i don't think you get Sirius for the audio quality (which is okay on music channels and a bit lower on some news/talk/sports channels)... for me, Sirius is about a greater number of choices with far fewer commercials (on those channels that have commercials) and a signal of constant quality (no fading/flutter/multipath distortion)... i would head over to the Sirius website and download their channel guide to see what you might be interested in. on my iDrive radio 'Presets' i've set aside about 10 for AM, 12 for FM and 18 for Sirius (6 Rock/Pop, 2 Country/Bluegrass, 2 Classical, 2 Jazz, 3 News, and 1 each for Mad Dog, Opie & Anthony and Howard)

(full disclosure, i've been a satellite radio subscriber since 2002, so my bias is obvious)

I have it on a CPO E91 I bought a few months ago and now regret not ordering it on my '08 128i.

Tom

I couldn't live without my "Classic Rewind"

You guys are so spoiled complaining about reception which is rarely an issue for most. Spend most of my time in Asia Sat. Radio and NAV is still a dream. We still have horse drawn carts on the road lol.

Be so happy to get back to my M in Jan. and some Sirius Talk Radio.

Originally Posted by 3rd Jet Black

I have a Corvette that came with Satellite radio. It had annoying drop outs in service where I live, particulary in the summer when leaves were full on the trees, and the tree-lined roads that I take to work prevented adequate reception. This is particularly frustrating when you are paying for the service. I kept the subscription for a few years. My (2006) Corvette coupe did not come with an Aux-in jack, so I couldn't easily play an iPod without going the FM route, which I rejected because of sound quality.

I ultimately found some inexpensive wiring harness that somebody designed for my particuluar car which plugs into the satellite radio receiver, disables the satellite reception but instead provides a jack for my iPod which works when I tune the stock radio to the satellite band. I dropped the satellite subscription and haven't missed it. I just ordered a 335, and did not check the satellite box -- just the iPod integration box. I'm fine with not having to pay the hefty subscription charges.

On a last note, if I frequently traveled 50-100 miles away from home, I might have kept the satellite for the virtue of being able to keep the same station on as you travel. For me though, the local terrestrial radio stations that I like and the iPod are the way to go -- with no subscription fees and no signal drop outs.

Pretty much my experience.

Dropped when the 1 yr subscription that came with the car ended. Salespeople called with annoying frequency for months after!

Found the selection of music mediocre and reception spotty at times. Money is far far better spent on iPhone integration w/snap in cradle, which I also have. With 32 gb storage, my song library is what I want.

Also have HD radio - highly recommended.

Don't do Sirius, it is dying tech. Pandora and Slacker work through my iPhone.....hey....
.

Originally Posted by bwillia

I'm ordering a new 3 series this coming year and I'm debating the satellite radio option. I know that when satellite radio first came out the blogs were full of complaints about sound quality. Something about too much signal over too little band width. I've never owned a satellite radio but the concept sounds good of picking your style, not having to listen to commercials and not having to search for a new station when your on the road and get out of range. For those of you with the option what do you think of it? Would you pay for again? Have you kept your subscription etc. Thanks!

I canceled my Sirius subscription the moment the free 12-months introductory period was over. The sound quality (fidelity) was not good at all. The best audio options in my car in order of sound quality are: 1) HD Radio, 2) FM Radio, 3) iPod. FM Radio and iPod are pretty much the same as far as sound quality.

wow... i don't want to start a whole "Yes it Is, No it Isn't" thread (yes you do, No I Don't), but i'm surprised to see a number of folks post that, in their experience, HD Radio (i'm assuming you mean FM HD) has better audio quality than Sirius. that hasn't been my experience.

now sound quality is, to a large degree, subjective, but on my local FM HD stations (all of which have at least one, and sometimes two, sub channels) the HD audio is equalized and compressed to within an inch of its life, leaving me to prefer the standard analog FM.

so i did a quick bit of google research (which, like google medicine, is worth what you pay for it) and discovered that FM analog/digital hybrid that is currently in use permits the broadcaster to choose from 4 different datarates (100, 112, 125 and 150 k/bps) and that what you hear will depend on the engineering decision trading off audio quality vs. coverage area vs. number of subchannels. in addition, based on what i read on some of the pro audio/broadcasting sites, setting up an IBOC audio chain is not as simple as plugging in a new box... lots of tweaking needs to be done to ensure that the audio coming off the stations board (designed to be sent to an analog transmitter) is also suitable for digital compression and transmission.

and then you have the geographic limitations of an area (i live in the SF Bay Area and with all our mountains and valleys, FM reception in a moving vehicle is notoriously difficult, especially an SF station in San Jose and vice versa)

meaning that i suppose i can believe that in a particular geographic area, where local FM reception is rock solid and not subject to multipath distortion, and where satellite reception in the same area may be 'iffy' due to natural or man made artifacts on the terrain (i'm trying to imagine what this city would look like and i can't, but i'll assume that it does exist) then if the local broadcast engineers have truly optimized their signal path for HD radio, your local FM HD station would sound better than a similar Sirius station.

(what i can't believe is that anyone would prioritize either of these over an iPod/MP3 source where the music was taken from a CD, and not downloaded from Amazon or iTunes or whatever, and then encoded at 320kbps CBR Stereo. given the limitations of 44.1kHz/16 bit CD audio, that 320kbps file is going to be virtually indistinguishable from the source. for me, a properly encoded MP3 is always going to be the highest quality digital (non-CD) source)

so, for the OP, it comes down to De gustibus non disputandum est! (regarding taste, there can be no dispute) - or to put it another way, "Yes It Is!" (No It Isn't!)

I haven't listened to regular "radio" in over three years. I don't have any drop outs unless I'm in the garage or getting gas. Satellite sound quality is the same as HD or regular radio. Its worth every penny

I'm about 4 months in to the 12 month subscription that came with the car. I like it a lot more than I thought I would. I've also got an iDrive with L7 sound, so enough onboard storage for my entire music collection. While the stuff playing directly from the hard drive and HD radio sound the best, Satellite sound quality is not that bad at all. There are some great niche stations with content you just can't find anywhere else. Right now at least, I think I would keep it but its still new to me.

I've had SIRIUS for 3 years. I couldn't imagine having a car without it. I listen to news-talk/sports radio most of the time, and it is especially handy when traveling, especially as you pass thru rural areas with limited FM selections. For me, the music channels are also very acceptable and I listen to a wide variety, just depending on my mood. However, If you are an audiophile, and need the highest quality music source, then there are better options.

I didn't want it at first, but got it as an afterthought. Now I wish I had it in my X5 as well.

You won't regret it -- but if you end up not liking it, just don't renew. It will tend to make you download songs much less, saving money in the long run.


Sent from my iPhone using BimmerApp

I have it on my MDX and daily driver (e550). I didn't order it on the 335 vert I ordered (due next week circa Fri) because as it is find I use my ipod adapter 90% of the time in my benz. I also didn't feel like paying for sat radio on a 3rd car.

For what its worth I think the audio quality is good. Reception I have found to vary by make and model. My E550 gets excellent reception. My bmw 650 vert (previous car) didn't do as well. MDX is in between.

I find that XM has much better country stations if you are into that.

Originally Posted by robingo

wow... i don't want to start a whole "Yes it Is, No it Isn't" thread (yes you do, No I Don't), but i'm surprised to see a number of folks post that, in their experience, HD Radio (i'm assuming you mean FM HD) has better audio quality than Sirius. that hasn't been my experience.

now sound quality is, to a large degree, subjective, but on my local FM HD stations (all of which have at least one, and sometimes two, sub channels) the HD audio is equalized and compressed to within an inch of its life, leaving me to prefer the standard analog FM.

so i did a quick bit of google research (which, like google medicine, is worth what you pay for it) and discovered that FM analog/digital hybrid that is currently in use permits the broadcaster to choose from 4 different datarates (100, 112, 125 and 150 k/bps) and that what you hear will depend on the engineering decision trading off audio quality vs. coverage area vs. number of subchannels. in addition, based on what i read on some of the pro audio/broadcasting sites, setting up an IBOC audio chain is not as simple as plugging in a new box... lots of tweaking needs to be done to ensure that the audio coming off the stations board (designed to be sent to an analog transmitter) is also suitable for digital compression and transmission.

and then you have the geographic limitations of an area (i live in the SF Bay Area and with all our mountains and valleys, FM reception in a moving vehicle is notoriously difficult, especially an SF station in San Jose and vice versa)

meaning that i suppose i can believe that in a particular geographic area, where local FM reception is rock solid and not subject to multipath distortion, and where satellite reception in the same area may be 'iffy' due to natural or man made artifacts on the terrain (i'm trying to imagine what this city would look like and i can't, but i'll assume that it does exist) then if the local broadcast engineers have truly optimized their signal path for HD radio, your local FM HD station would sound better than a similar Sirius station.

(what i can't believe is that anyone would prioritize either of these over an iPod/MP3 source where the music was taken from a CD, and not downloaded from Amazon or iTunes or whatever, and then encoded at 320kbps CBR Stereo. given the limitations of 44.1kHz/16 bit CD audio, that 320kbps file is going to be virtually indistinguishable from the source. for me, a properly encoded MP3 is always going to be the highest quality digital (non-CD) source)

so, for the OP, it comes down to De gustibus non disputandum est! (regarding taste, there can be no dispute) - or to put it another way, "Yes It Is!" (No It Isn't!)

I don't think this is true. I understand why ON PAPER music ripped at a high bitrate (or with a lossless format) should sound as good as a CD, but in my experience, that simply isn't the case. I have a USB Flashdrive in my car with dozens of albums in lossless format. It doesn't sound nearly as good as the CD player in the car, or even as good as CD's that I've transferred to the Idrive HD.

1. Howard Stern

2. Commercial free music (Garage, especially)

3. Wide variety of talk

4. NFL and NHL

If you're taking a long drive, there's nothing like not having to switch stations for 15 hours.

A few friends have, but mainly for Howard. I've heard sat radio, but to me it's not worth it. I can get everything I need on the radio, cd, Pandora/Slacker, or usb port and I spend a lot of time in my car commuting.

If u have to have, I'd go for one of the portable ones out there and use with aux port. Also goes car to car or home, etc. Plus I think it might b cheaper.

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by robingo

wow... i don't want to start a whole "Yes it Is, No it Isn't" thread (yes you do, No I Don't), but i'm surprised to see a number of folks post that, in their experience, HD Radio (i'm assuming you mean FM HD) has better audio quality than Sirius. that hasn't been my experience.

now sound quality is, to a large degree, subjective, but on my local FM HD stations (all of which have at least one, and sometimes two, sub channels) the HD audio is equalized and compressed to within an inch of its life, leaving me to prefer the standard analog FM.

so i did a quick bit of google research (which, like google medicine, is worth what you pay for it) and discovered that FM analog/digital hybrid that is currently in use permits the broadcaster to choose from 4 different datarates (100, 112, 125 and 150 k/bps) and that what you hear will depend on the engineering decision trading off audio quality vs. coverage area vs. number of subchannels. in addition, based on what i read on some of the pro audio/broadcasting sites, setting up an IBOC audio chain is not as simple as plugging in a new box... lots of tweaking needs to be done to ensure that the audio coming off the stations board (designed to be sent to an analog transmitter) is also suitable for digital compression and transmission.

and then you have the geographic limitations of an area (i live in the SF Bay Area and with all our mountains and valleys, FM reception in a moving vehicle is notoriously difficult, especially an SF station in San Jose and vice versa)

meaning that i suppose i can believe that in a particular geographic area, where local FM reception is rock solid and not subject to multipath distortion, and where satellite reception in the same area may be 'iffy' due to natural or man made artifacts on the terrain (i'm trying to imagine what this city would look like and i can't, but i'll assume that it does exist) then if the local broadcast engineers have truly optimized their signal path for HD radio, your local FM HD station would sound better than a similar Sirius station.

(what i can't believe is that anyone would prioritize either of these over an iPod/MP3 source where the music was taken from a CD, and not downloaded from Amazon or iTunes or whatever, and then encoded at 320kbps CBR Stereo. given the limitations of 44.1kHz/16 bit CD audio, that 320kbps file is going to be virtually indistinguishable from the source. for me, a properly encoded MP3 is always going to be the highest quality digital (non-CD) source)

so, for the OP, it comes down to De gustibus non disputandum est! (regarding taste, there can be no dispute) - or to put it another way, "Yes It Is!" (No It Isn't!)

I will say this...my sister has XM radio in her Honda CRV. If the sound quality of the Sirius radio in my 335i sounded as good as the sound quality of the XM radio in her CRV I would have renewed my subscription. Perhaps Sirius/XM have done something to improve the sound quality of their product since their merger.

I admit that the sound quality is not the best, but having options and not having to listen to commercials is enough for me. Along with options such as leather, sunroof, heated seats, comfort access, etc., I will never purchase a car again without it.

Originally Posted by dodell66

I will say this...my sister has XM radio in her Honda CRV. If the sound quality of the Sirius radio in my 335i sounded as good as the sound quality of the XM radio in her CRV I would have renewed my subscription. Perhaps Sirius/XM have done something to improve the sound quality of their product since their merger.

actually i think your observation is spot on!
XM and Sirius have always had different and, in the past, incompatible transmission technologies... xm used two geostationary satellites, Rock and Roll, one located at the equator serving the east coast of the US and one serving the west, while Sirius used a set of three geosynchronous satellites traveling in a figure-8 pattern over the US, with the intent that at least one satellite be visible at any point in time.



both systems then then complement their services with local ground repeaters (which, as i recall, were accused of operating at too high an operating power by the NAB)

so at a fixed location an XM signal should remain constant while a Sirius signal may well change throughout the day (affecting audio quality, drop outs, etc.)

in addition, the two services opted for different perceptual encoding algorithms with XM's system initially being demonstrably better (more bandwidth per channel, higher bitrate, lower compression). however, over time and due to business and legal requirements (including requirements by the Canadian government and contractual obligations w/Clear Channel) XM was obligated to increase its number of channels, thereby generally lowering sound quality. in addition, once the merger of XM and Sirius was complete, both systems also had to then fit in additional channels in order to accommodate the "Best Of" of the other system (also resulting in the dropping of some channels from both systems).

the bottom line is that both systems are operating at less than their ideal conditions (which were a compromise to begin with) and depending upon the generation of chipset used in a particular car's implementation, as well as your 'view' of your relevant satellite, and the custom tuning of your car's audio chain to properly EQ your satellite input, XM may sound better, Sirius may sound better, or they both may sound about the same (and, at times, sound like cr*p!).

as i said, for me, Satellite is about content choices and not audio quality (which remains 'good enough')

btw, for the proponents of Pandora and Slacker (both of which i listen to using iPhone apps and the latest bluetooth A2DP connectivity) don't you find that you have at least as many (or more) dropouts from AT&T's data network as you do from the Sirius satellites? i love listening to Capital FM and Absolute Radio from the UK (using WunderRadio) on my drive home from work, but on 280 heading up the mid-peninsula, i'm sure to lose AT&T's data stream more often than i'll lose my Sirius signal.

Great comments all! Thanks so much. Ironically I think you are all about evenly split! I should have set this up as a poll. I'm still working on my decision but I'm leaning towards the "it can't hurt to try it" option.

Originally Posted by bwillia

..... I'm still working on my decision but I'm leaning towards the "it can't hurt to try it" option.

That is what I did....after trying it I loved it so much I bought a Lifetime Subscribe for $400 dollars. I keep my cars a very long time, and I figured if I should sell having lifetime sat might make it a bit more desireable to a potential purchaser. That was about 5 years ago. Time goes by fast and am happy I did it as many thought it was insane to pay upfront for this. My wife just picked up a 328, she is got addicted quickly to sat. in only a few weeks usage!

Originally Posted by chrisk03

...If u have to have, I'd go for one of the portable ones out there and use with aux port. Also goes car to car or home, etc. Plus I think it might b cheaper.

That is what I need to look into before subscribing the new BMW up!

How would I go about acquiring satellite for my vehicle? It didn't come with the service? Do I have to go through the dealership for this? What are the costs involved?