Sorry, I have to raise the BS flag here. There is no way you could compare the raw broadcast signal for sound quality (it's encoded and compressed) - you must have been comparing the output of a couple of tuners/receivers. So the comparison only tells you which is the better equipment.

Also, there have been rumors both ways about which service has a higher bit rate but, since neither service publishes that information, nothing has ever been proven one way or the other. I can tell you that, subjectively, my Roady (XM) had better sound than my old Jensen (Sirius) but my Clarion (Sirius) produces better sound than either of them. To me that shows that the equipment has more impact than the choice of service on sound quality and that you should choose the service that has the programming you prefer.

 

Even if one does sound better than the other, you will never notice it unless you test it like you did....side by side. Driving down the road or listening in your house, you would never think to yourself, "This doesn't sound very good."

 

I tested 3 different Kenwood headunits with Sirius vs 3 different Alpine units with XM. Both at compareable price ranges. All three the XM sounded better for not only me but 5 other employees who didnt even know which was which.

 

We're getting somewhat off topic but I love a good clean debate...

Once again, I have to point out that the difference was in the satellite tuner and/or the head unit (unless you used the same head unit for both Sirius and XM).

I did some research on the web and found that "Sirius is using VBR (variable bit-rate) audio encoding, so each channel only gets the bandwidth it needs per second, which results in superior audio. XM on the other hand, uses CBR (Constant Bit-Rate) audio, which means that even while there is dead silence, it is still taking up just as much bandwidth as a loud blasting rock song. CBR also does not "give" channels more bandwidth whenever the audio needs it, resulting in a more dull, less impressive audio." Actual bit rates are not published but the effective bit rate for Sirius is presumed to be higher because of the VBR encoding.

This is not my opinion, it is the consensus of a large number of audiophile web sites I found by searching for XM Sirius "bit rate". Personally, I think the difference in sound quality between the two services is so minimal, assuming good equipment, that the choice should be made based on programming preferences (or cost or which is built-in to your head unit...)

 

I have a flat sirius antenna above the 3 brake light on my Tahoe. Its barely even noticable. The only time my Sirius cuts out is when i go underneath a bridge. The sound quality is awesome too.

 

Here is where I mounted my antenna:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachmen...chmentid=13633
https://ls1tech.com/forums/attachmen...chmentid=13632
Its in my Formula's wing.

 

Heres a pic of mine. The pics more clear if you zoom in.
http://www.lifeinwidescreen.com/upload/DSC00168.JPG

 

Here's what I was refering to in the previous post about mounting on the bar between the t-tops:

 

Have you guys been watching Sirius' stock? Holy moly it's doubled in the last month. I'm glad I got in on it early.

 

Yup, got in on it about 3 months ago.

 

Have you seen the subscription numbers?
XM has more than triple the subscribers as Sirius.

 

Correction, they DID have more than triple. Sirius is about to hit 1 million subscribers. XM has about 1.7 million. Also, look at their stock price. XM is in the $35 range.

 

"get what you pay for" is a cop-out excuse to boast sirius over xm because the price is $3 cheaper/month.

that more is used for things like heads, where AFR's are 2500 bones and patriot stage II's are around 15-1600. or for things like the receivers for sirius or xm, where different features come on more expensive models. that's where you get what you pay for. not over a $3 difference. that's rediculous.

also, you pay more for sirius, yet they have some stations with commercials?? WTF is that about?

 

What is Sirius's stock price?

XM has no comercials on music channels but has some on talk/comedy/news/sports channels.

 

I've got Sirius in both my '99 SS, motorhome, and my Suburban, and I will never go back to public radio.

 

My bad.

 

No, you DO get what you pay for. With Sirius you can listen online for the 12.99 as well as a couple other features which XM requires you to pay extra for. It's no "cop-out."

And Sirius's stock price is in the $7 range as of today.

 

What you are saying doesn't make any sense. So, if I pay $10 plus the $4 for XM to get the online feature added, it costs $1 (yes, ONE dollar) more than to get Sirius with the online feature ($12.99 vs. $13.98, not including taxes and other fees). So, by saying you get what you pay for, are you saying that paying for the more expensive XM you're getting a better deal? I thought you were arguing for Sirius and against XM? "You get what you pay for" is used to argue for the more expensive plan, all things offered being equal, to validate paying the higher cost. If one offered online listening and one didn't offer it at all, then I could see your point. Sirius would be the "better deal" if you couldn't get XM online at all (if for some reason you NEEDED to listen online because you couldn't use your receiver somewhere). But since you can get XM online for $4 more/month, then your argument is invalid. I'm not trying to be a dick about this, but think about what you are saying.

If i were arguing for Sirius (which is probably the plan I am going to get) I'd argue that their receiver units are of higher quality, look less trashy, have a greater eye-appeal, contain more/better features, etc. than XM's.

 

I was referring to the 9.99 vs. 12.99 price. Yes, 12.99 is more money but you get more features for that price.

13.99 is more money but you don't get any more features for that.

 

Ah, for the lousy dollar a month more, if XM had the better receivers I'd go with them. Besides, if I wanted to really save and only go 9.99/month with XM, I'd just have my receiver next to my computer when I was typing/surfing...no need to use the online feature. But I definitely make enough and blow enough money on other stuff that I think the 36 bones a year difference isn't a savings worth mentioning...

Either way, both are good services and priced competitively with each other.

Depending whether you want to pay it all up front or not, Sirius offers a special of a two year contract for 9.99/month = 239.76+additional fees/taxes. Though I think this is only through Dec. 31, 2004. I'm sure there will be other deals after that.