Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners XM Radio

Wanting to add XM to the new bedroom system, anyone using the Polk XRt12, any input would be appreciated.

Just buy it Dennis..You no you want it..

Dennis:
I just bought one yesterday, and have only hooked it up to my editing system in my office. I hope to install it in my Main system in a day or two (Normally a 3-minute installation, but I can't get XM reception out the living room window...I have to run a 50' extension to the other side of the house).

I'll report soon, as I know others have been kicking around the purchase as well.

Hey!
At least for a day or two, I'll have something that Tharkun doesn't have! Woo-Hoo!

Hey, you'll always have your big googly eyes.

Let us know how you like it. I've been eyeing XM for a while now. Did you get the kind that can be docked in your car and on your home system?

I installed the Terk XM™ Commander Satellite Radio Tuner/Receiver a few months ago when I purchased the Nissan truck. But that unit is not transportable, so thinking of the Polk unit for the bedroom system.

In reply to:

---

Did you get the kind that can be docked in your car and on your home system?

---

Nope. I already have a Roady2 for use in the car and in other areas of the house:


What I bought the other day was a Polk XRt12 unit for the main system:

It uses Burr-Brown DACs which (reportedly) makes it sound noticeably better than the portable units. In addition, it offers coaxial and optical digital outs and a video output so you can let your TV display the song/artist/track info etc.

One very interesting tidbit is this (though I have not been able to confirm nor deny it!!!): I was listening to the "preview Channel 1" while setting it up and before registering the unit (to enable full-channel reception). On this channel, they give you a preview of what the other channels offer and info on how to register the unit. They had a short bit of info on a channel called Squizz and I swear that they said it was in surround. I was only half-listening, but I really think that's what I heard. I had read previously in some internet forums that there might be multichannel down the road, but even if that were the case, I really wouldn't expect a channel like this to be the first. If it is the case, I'm sure I'll like the fact that the Polk offers digital outputs to the receiver!

Pretty good review here and a useful site: Polk Review

I'll report back when I get it installed!

Just in case you didn't know about this.
$50.00 rebate going on

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/promo.php?id=26

dose anyone knoe if something like this is made for Sirius?
oz

Thanks for the heads up, local stores have it for $299 with the $50 rebate. Just ordered it from Crutchfield, same price with the rebate, but free shipping and no sales tax. Since the Halo P3 & A 23 units will not arrive till end of next week, no rush to have the Polk sooner, so will save a few bucks on sales tax.

I use my Tao XM2Go at home (home dock) and in the car (car dock via cassette adapter). I definitely like the XM content. However, I'm not sure if it's worth going to any trouble worrying about better DACs like those from Cirrus. (I actually sold Cirrus in a previous life). Most of what I've listened is barely what I'd call "CD quality".

OK Dennis,
You talked me into it, I just ordered my new Polk xrt 12 to go with my Hi End Stereo setup. When will this end.

I had XM pre-installed into the new Acura MDX I bought last month. We were given a 3 month trial, so I figured what the heck, I'll give it a try. In only three weeks I fell in love with stations like "The Bone Yard", "XMU" and "The Loft". I got to hear songs I loved that I haven't heard on commercial radio in years and discovered some new tunes. I wanted to keep it, but the final decision belonged to my wife, ordinarily very frugal about electronics, because she drove the car more. To my surprise, she wants it too! The NYC radio market is practically forcing us in to it, anyway. It was just announced that our only modern rock station, 92.3 KROCK will be changing formats after Howard Stern leaves and become all-talk. I can't believe the country's largest market doesn't even have its own rock station.

In reply to:

---

The NYC radio market is practically forcing us in to it

---

Imagine living in a bit of a valley in NH!! There ARE couple of classic rock stations with good reception, but I'll be damned if they don't self-promote between every single song or two and have 8-minute commercial breaks. There's only one single radio station I like... an independant (die, ClearChannel, die!) station out of the north Boston area (WXRV 92.5 - The River) that I like and my reception varies unless I'm heading towards Boston.

As far as I'm concerned, with the incredibly short playlists, endless commercials and morning shock-jock idiot wannabees, radio is dead..... having committed slow suicide by being greedy. Hey we all know it's a business, but when you get so greedy that you put your profits that far ahead of the customer and service, you deserve to go the way of the horse and buggy.

I have enormous resect for the old-school DJs like Jack... who kept many of us entertained our whole lives. But it's not the same anymore, and there's better alternatives now.

XM or Sirius... take your pick. But when you get used to it, there's no listening to FM anymore.

I installed my Polk unit, but I'll need a day or to before I can do a serious comparison between the sound quality of this unit vs. the portable Roady2.

I have the XM in my new 2005 Acura RL 5.1 DVD Audio Bose (sorry) system. Sounds really pretty good! Love XM.

Yeah, my MDX came with the Bose speakers too. My wife shot me one of those "Don't start" looks when the salesman said the package came with "premium Bose speakers". For what I paid, couldn't they give us some Pioneer speakers at least?

At least you have a couple of classic rock stations - that format burned out in the NY area a while ago - rock legend 102.7 became some lame gossipy/pop culture radio station and we only have 104.3 for classic rock and they seem to play the Theme to CSI, er I'm sorry The Who, every other song. I love the Who, but give me some variety on the way home. I not anti-corporation by ANY means - but I agree that corporation ownership has ruined radio. It is no longer uncommon to go through all my 8 presets and hit all commercials. I am looking straight at you Clear Channel.

If you ever were held hostage by "Scott and Todd" or "The Z Morning Zoo with Elvis Duran" during your morning commute, I'd bet you'd appreciate NH even more!

Bose car systems are better than most factory-installed systems I've heard. No need to apologize.

Guys, how IS the quality of XM or Sirius? Is it a noticeable improvement over good quality FM?

I ask because I have DirecTV and actually listen to the music channels sometimes. I am excited that they will begin offering XM programming later this year. However, to my ear in my room, I don't think that the current music channels sound anything like "near CD quality". The service still costs too much for my lifestyle. Perhaps I just don't hate ClearBanal enough yet.

In reply to:

---

I have enormous resect for the old-school DJs like Jack... who kept many of us entertained our whole lives. But it's not the same anymore, and there's better alternatives now.

---

I participate in an email group that is largely made up of jocks I used to work with in Hartford, CT, those who studied broadcasting with them at the University of Hartford, and friends. Many of them, like me, are no longer in the business, finding their services no longer needed. But, some are still jocking at small stations that are bucking the trends in smaller markets (Madison, WI) , and some are working in major markets.

We just lost one of our real pros, Steven Capen, to lung cancer. He achieved great success in San Francisco, Boston, and New York. He replaced Howard Stern at one station in NY, and though Steven was hardly a "shock jock," he was a zany, fun guy and Howard cited him as a major influence. I worked with him in Cleveland and Hartford.

In this group, there has been a lot of celebration over the failure of a packaged format called, ironically (and disgustingly) "JACK." The "JACK" station in NY (WCBS, I think) has really dropped in the ratings since switching to this format, making all my cohorts VERY happy.

I barely listen to radio at all. In my car, I tune in a local station, that is licensed to a nearby high school, but is privately owned, and plays old stuff from the 30s and 40s. No commercials, and the "jocks" comprise high school students, and elderly volunteers. Most all of them are awful, but I don't mind in the least since I get so much great old music, with minimal interruption.

I think I would love XM or Sirius radio, but in my current situation, I spend so little time in my car, it would not be a frugal investment. At home, I DO listen to the music channels that my TV cable company offers. I like that a lot.

If you have directv, you'll get XM channels on Nov 15 too.

oh, that's sweet -- not that I listen to radio much.

Me too, not too much time to listent to radio. I constantly buy CDs and I have a hard time catching up with listening them all in my car (NIssan Altima with Bose speakers as well) or in my Rotel/Axiom stereo. I actually enjoy my car stereo, but again, what did I have before I bought this car? a tape player LOL.

I have an after market Pro Clarion headunit installed in my 350z. The Clarion is Serius ready thus eliminating the fm modulator. A dedicated tuner plugs into the headunit via a propriety cable. I have had Sirius for about a year now and rarely listen to CD's anymore. I do think the quality is near CD quality. I sometimes think it sounds a little compressed depending on the channel, day, time etc. but mostly it is very goood. I love the programming and had no trouble filling the 18 presets on the headunit. I actually wish it had more presets. But truth be told I listen mostly to 4 stations. These cover jazz, classical, blues and my favorite which is called Serius Disorder. It playes virtually everything and is full of surprizes. It is perfect for me.

For you NY ers. You may remember some of these names who have shows on Sirius.
Meg Griffen (music director)alumni of WPLJ i believe
Les Davis jazz used to be my favorite jazz DJ on WBAI
Dennis Skelsa (sp?) also I believe from WPLJ
David Johansen from the New York Dolls and D.J. and the Harry Smiths
Howard Stern coming in January
Cousin Brucie is doing an oldies show. Jeez I remember him on AM radio when I was a kid. He must be in his late 70's or early 80's. He sounds just like he did back in the day.

These are just a few of the great DJ personalities they have
The programming like I said is great. There are enough channels to satisfy everyone. I have never taken a really nice road trip but I think that would be great. Driving from Atlanta to New York and listening to Sirius Disorder all the way
oz

In reply to:

---

I have never taken a really nice road trip but I think that would be great

---

Not that I wasn't looking forward to meeting fellow Axiomites, but one of the highlights of the Axiom picnic for me would have been the 15 hrs (each way) alone in a car with my (then recent) XM unit....

I've been looking into the Polk XRt12 since It came out, I just can't seem to part with 300 bucks for the tuner and then subscribe to a dedicated 12 buck monthly (for now) charge for the music subscribed to the tuner specifically....rendering me to two subscriptions if I want to continue my XM radio in the vehicles.

All this talk of DJs reminds me of how my taste in music was heavily influenced by Jim Laad, a DJ at KLSX (classic rock station) in Los Angeles during the 90s. Tom Petty's song "The Last DJ" was apparently written with him in mind.

In reply to:

---

I barely listen to radio at all. In my car, I tune in a local station, that is licensed to a nearby high school, but is privately owned, and plays old stuff from the 30s and 40s. No commercials, and the "jocks" comprise high school students, and elderly volunteers. Most all of them are awful, but I don't mind in the least since I get so much great old music, with minimal interruption.

---

Jack I am in complete agreement with you on this one! Over the last 5 years or so I've listened to less and less radio. Especially with the rock stations gravitating to the cookie-cutter "nu rock" of Nickelback, Default, et al. The rock station here in Saskatoon plays the same 10 artists constantly throughout the day, most of those 10 albums being 80s rock to make matters worse (no offence to any big fans of the 80s).

The last few months i've started listening to more radio again as I've picked up on a local "community" radio here in Saskatoon. It sounds very similar to your local station, pretty much anyone off the street can DJ an hour or two. Not much for advertising - they run a fundraiser every year. They are a great source of music on the cutting edge though, with a very ecelectic selection. Everything from obscure Bob Dylan to Corb Lund to Hot Hot Heat to spoken word poetry. Very refreshing not to hear the same 20 songs on repeat every day.

CFCR 90.5 FM

It is my understanding that they are switching over to a new transmitter with their fund drive money this year and the goal later this year is to begin webcasting.

Jack,

The folks who brought you "Jack" I believe are also the geniuses who offer "Bob"...We have a "Bob"-FM here in Austin, claiming to be owned by a guy named Bob who plays his huge CD / Record collection..."We play anything..." Interesting notion as they primarily play stuff from the 60's forward with most of it being 90's to today...with a smattering of the 60's, 70's and a greater preponderance of the 80's...no offense intended.

If they do "play anything", then why do I constantly hear the same songs everytime I tune it in?

I am also of the old school...where we had stacks to pull from and you made your own format...none of this pre-packaged schlock they broadcast today...

/rant

WhatFurrer