i can't get early times to shat up! (1 Viewer)

[Micah Cohen]

We got Sirius in the office, which could be annoying except that we've been stuck on The Blues station for a couple days and that just flat out rocks.

But... The DJs just talk too dang much. I just sent my second email to this blues DJ asking him politely to shut up and just play music. This guy spends way too much time talking. About the weather in Manhattan, about stuff on other Sirius channels (why would I need to know that?), about... nothing. Lots of "uh..." and "so..." big pauses and chit chat.

Sat Radio is a winner, it's like early FM, the passion for the music is there. I know. But, how do you get the DJs to keep quiet and play the music?

MC

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Micah,

Most people actually prefer the DJ chatter as
it adds a lot of personality to the channel.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect any results
from your complaint.

BTW, Sirius is far worse with DJ chatter than XM.

 

[William Laughner]

I think it depends on the station. There are stations on both XM & Sirius that have way too much chatter. XM 60's on 6 is a huge chatter station.

 

[Micah Cohen]

I have to say, I'm a bigger XM fan than I am of Sirius. I have some more personal knowledge of the people behind XM and they strike me as far more "radio" than the people at Sirius. I am so tired of the self-promo chatter on this Sirius that I can't stand it. I do not recall this amount of blather on the XM stations I enjoyed. This guy on this excellent blues station on Sirius is siriusly turning me off with this jibber jabber.

One thing I have noticed (Ron, if you're reading) is that the intro to this forum says that Sat Rad is to FM what DVD is to VHS. I disagree. I find that, with the amount of compression going on, that Sat Rad is, in reality, sort of on par with cassette tapes. It's less-than-FM quality, certainly less-than-CD quality.

Could this be because we are using the little "SkyFi" style Sirius thing running thru our sound system? Does the new Polk Home XM Tuner make any sort of technical sound quality difference?

Seems sort of thin to me. Sort of... Bright. Lacking dynamic range. Compressed.

And chit chatty.

MC

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Slightly but noticeably better.

Understand, I first went from an analog SKYFI
unit to a modified SKYFI w/optical output. It was
at that point I heard a noticeable difference in
the sound quality.

Going from an optical SKYFI to a POLK garnered
very little difference in quality other than the
fact that the POLK boasts a slightly heftier audio
output than the SKYFI.

For everyone else who has been using the SKYFI
units with RCA connection.....

You will hear a noticeable improvement in the
audio quality when upgrading to any XM unit with
optical output. For audiophiles who insist on
having the best sound they can get out of satellite
radio it is worth the difference in price.

 

[DaveBB]

Supposedly the SkFi2 has a different chip and the sound is better than the SkiFi(1). I already know that I'm getting the SkiFi2 for Xmas so I'll let you guys know what I find after I upgrade.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

I expected SkyFi2 to sound better than the original.

After a day with it, I am not convinced.

Other than a moderately stronger output, I find
the sound quality to be the same.

Maybe I need a few more days to listen.

On the other hand, I love the new features that
include a stock ticker, clock, record feature and
(finally!) a JUMP button so you can instantly switch
back-and-forth between the last two stations.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Something that I would like to add
in a separate post.....

Just drove to work this morning with my
SkyFi2 playing.

Had THE BLEND (channel 25) playing. They
are currently doing a full day of Elton John.

This unit not only supports expanded character
display, but even more amazing, there is an
additional line of display just below the artist
where XM displays LINER NOTES.

These LINER NOTES display an ENTIRE line of
characters -- sometimes scrolling and sometimes
-=whooshing=- across the entire display line.

It's a very neat feature that surely solidifies
the fact that anyone with a SKYFI needs to upgrade
to the SKYFI2.

MY RADIO STORE has it for $99 as I am sure other
retailers as well.

 

[SteveK]

Ron - I'm expecting (hoping?) to receive the SkyFi2 for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to the improved display and possibly improved sound quality. Your comment about the liner notes sounds interesting. One of the things I've always wanted when listening to WorldZone (XM100) is to know what the country that each artist represents. If I like that particular song, I can look for CDs from that artist, but if I knew the country I could also look for other music from that country. I hope that XM will use this "liner notes" area to display that type of information. Perhaps I need to send an email to XM to suggest it.

Do you have your Polk receiver yet? I'm looking forward to reading your review in the near future.

Happy holidays!

Steve K.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Steve,

Have the Polk receiver and it is hooked up.

I'll write a little something about both shortly.

I'm not as impressed with the Polk receiver
as I thought I would be. Granted, it is a
better sounding unit than the SkiFy/SkiFy2
hooked through RCA cables....

....but remember, I had a modified SkyFi
with optical output for the past year and
I'm already used to the improved sound
quality of optical output. With that in
mind, the Polk receiver offered nothing extra.....

....but it will for anyone who has not yet
switched to an optical output.

You will ove SkyFi2 for its little tech
improvements. I am just not convinced the
sound quality is improved.

 

[MatS]

extended character is great
the 'liner notes' comment is a bit of an exaguration though

this line is most commonly the 'song title' line which was also viewable on the SkyFi1 model except since there were not extended characters at the time it did not have nor need to scroll.

Maybe in time they will be able to go to something that incorporates what album the track playing is from as well or other notes as desired by Steve above for example.

the SkyFi2 is a great improvement over what was already a solid product

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Well, I wasn't trying to exaggerate. Not sure
why you chose to use that term.

Perhaps it is indeed an extension of the SONG TITLE
display. I wasn't paying attention whether it was
an additional display line or not. All I know is that
it was very cool to see extended characters scrolling
across my display screen.

Also, while all of you are here.....


I have a new opinion on the SkyFi2 audio quality.

I happened to be on XM411.COM today and
learned that by going into the MENU and turning on
the FM MODULATOR (even though you may not use it)
it greatly increases the audio output.

In fact, this quick little trick has so greatly
improved the output quality of SkyFi2 that I now
have an entirely new opinion on the audio specs.

This new SkyFi is a winner!

 

[MatS]

not saying it was intentional but your words

made it sound like this was something new with the SkyFi
yes the scrolling of additional characters is (agreed, very cool) but not the existance of the additional song title line


Important SkyFi 2 FM MOD Tip

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Mat,

My mistake -- I admit defeat

There is no extra line of information. It is
simply the SONG TITLE line with extended character
display.

Very cool to see!

 

[SteveK]

Ron - I've read that turning on the FM modulator improves the audio output volume, but does it also improve the quality? I'm looking forward to hopefully receiving a SkyFi2 for Christmas, and I'll certainly be anxious to give this little tweak a try. I remember reading your comments on XM411 that you weren't particularly impressed with the reported sound quality improvements of the SkyFi2, other than a marginal increase in volume. But now it sounds like you are more impressed, simply from a quick adjustment. I guess that will be one of the first adjustments I make. Thanks for the "second" on the recommendation.

Steve K.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Steve,

I suppose it may be unfair to put it this way,
but anytime you boost the audio output you are
going to sense an improvement in audio quality.

I have a Kenwood deck. Sirius is built in
(hardwired) and the Delphi Skyfi2 is hooked through
an AUX in connection (RCA).

Sirius always had the power output. When I switched
from Sirius to XM I always had to turn the volume
significantly higher.

Now, after tweaking the SkyFi2, XM is just as
powerful as Sirius. I see a huge difference of
output power in my equalizer display. I get some
serious kick-ass audio and bass response at lower
volume levels.

Trust me -- it is well worth spending $100 to
replace your old SkyFi unit.

 

[SteveK]

Ron - Sounds good to me. I use my SkyFi only at home, as I have an XM-ready Pioneer deck in my car with the XM tuner mounted in the trunk. I used the SkyFi in the car until about a year ago, when I tired of having the multitude of wires required and occasionally banging my knee on the cradle. It's so much nicer and neater having it built in! So my SkyFi (hopefully the SkyFi2 after Christmas) is only used at home, but I use it in three different rooms, with a home kit in each room. I've spent much more on kits than the radio! But it's worth every penny I've spent.

Steve K.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Steve,

Do yourself and I a favor....

Don't immediately "tweak" your SkyFi2.

Listen to it with its factory default settings
to get an idea of what most people who don't know
any better will hear.

Give it a few minutes....then do the "tweak" and
report back your findings.

 

[DaveF]

A quick 10 second experience: connected the radio with the casette adapter to get the preview channel (and radio ID).

I then turned on the FM modulator to try that mode, while the casette adapter was still in use. The sound sounded doubled, as if I was getting both the casette line-out signal and the FM modulated signal simultaneously through the casette.

It was louder, but I can't say it was better. I turned it off as it didn't seem "right". But maybe, with more listening, it would prove better.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi, Dave!

I don't know first-hand if the "tweak"
is designed to be used in conjunction
with the cassette adapter.

The sound should be double stronger,
but as you pointed out, not necessarily
better.

If because of the cassette adapter
connection the audio doesn't sound natural,
perhaps it would be wise to turn off the
FM modulation.

Keep us up-to-date on your experiences.