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Axioms with XM?
#136433 04/23/06 06:29 PM
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As I've mentioned here before, I'm a big fan of XM. I have a portable that docks in either of 2 cars, my studio or my workshop. I also have a portable adaptor that lets me listen to XM untethered, such as while walking. I posted here a month ago that I'm basically living my life to a constant soundtrack now. Very nice.

I also have a Polk XRt12 "Reference" Tuner on my main system with my Axioms and I can't stand the sound quality. XM sounds nasally, metallic and heavily, heavily compressed…..which, of course, it is. But XM sounds fine everywhere else. Obviously, a car or portable or workshop environment is less demanding, but it's really gotten to the point where I can't listen to XM on my main system.

I'm going to temporarily trade locations with my portable unit and the Polk unit back and forth from the studio to my living room to see if it might be the Polk unit itself. The Polk also has analog and digital outs and I just tried both to see if the D/A in the Polk or my Denon receiver might be the difference. It didn't really help.

So, while I'm puttering to rewire these in their swapped locations, I thought I'd post in the meantime. I don't really have another set of decent speakers to try with the Polk, so this "swap" test will be pretty rudimentary….. but we all know that Axioms can be demanding of material, and I'm finding myself thinking this just might not be a good combination. If so, I'm likely looking at selling the Polk or even the Axioms.

So….any other Axiom and XM listeners find that their Axioms just might be too demanding for the XM compression or that there's a problem with their Polk unit in particular?

I'll post again with results when I swap them out…..



::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136434 04/23/06 07:10 PM
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Mark -
I'm no expert on the sound quality of the Polk unit, but will give you my expierence with it here on my systems. The Polk was first set up in the bedroom using the Axiom W3s and the small Parasound Halo system (T3 controller & A23 amp). This system is just a simple two channel stereo system with no digital or optical inputs, so the Polk was just using the analog outputs.
Next it was set up using the Axiom 5.1 system in the garage powered with an old Sony STR-DE935 using the optical connection.
The Polk is now in the rack in the main system connected using the digital coax, and the Rocket speaker system.

I have not noticed any substantial differance in sound quality from the Polk on any of the three systems, it works great on all systems here and I'm happy with it. Now I'm not hapy with XM at the moment since it is droping a few of the channels that we listend to a lot.



Re: Axioms with XM?
#136435 04/23/06 07:44 PM
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Thanks for the feedback Dennis.

I brought my portable XM unit into the living room and A/B'd the portable VS. the Polk and found no substantial difference in sound quality.

I'm coming to the conclusion that the Axioms and XM are not a good combination for my ears.

I have never, ever considered my hearing to be very acute when it comes to listening to music reproduction, but I hear almost every vocal and much of the other upper midrange material as having a metallic, shimmery sound to the point of being absolutely unlistenable...yet my wife doesn't hear anything wrong whatsoever.

I think I need to ditch XM, my Axioms, or my wife.


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136436 04/23/06 08:24 PM
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Mark I have been an XM listener/subscriber for almost three years and have two of the SkyFi units as well as the Polk XRt12 *Reference* unit that I just recently purchased for my system. My take is that for the stock radio in the truck and the airplane the XM sounds just great, the Polk tuner in the house with the system sounds like crapola and now I wish I would have never spent the money for the Polk tuner ... some of the Jazz stations sounds OK but overall the thing sounds way too compressed and does no justice whatsoever for the sound system in the house.

Matter of fact I am in the midst of getting my home system put back together and am contemplating not incorporating the XM tuner back into the mix.


Rick
Our Room

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Re: Axioms with XM?
#136437 04/23/06 11:30 PM
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Very interesting, thanks guys. My Onkyo has an XM tuner built in and I was thinking about activating it. But, as little as I would use it, I was wondering about its utility. Now, I think that I will forget about it.


The Rat. M80s, VP-150, QS8s, SVS PC 20-39+, OPPO, Onkyo 703s, Harmony 880 Sony 60" SXRD HDTV
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136438 04/23/06 11:57 PM
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I get a bunch of XM channels through my DirectTV tuner and overall I'm pretty happy with the sound. The only issue I have with it is the bass is a little anemic, deifinitely not on par with a redbook version of the same song. But on the other hand, it saves me a hell of a lot of money to listen to it on XM than go out and buy all the CDs.


Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136439 04/24/06 12:07 AM
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I get that also, but I don't think that it is very high quality audio. It sounds just OK.


The Rat. M80s, VP-150, QS8s, SVS PC 20-39+, OPPO, Onkyo 703s, Harmony 880 Sony 60" SXRD HDTV
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136440 04/24/06 12:18 AM
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Odd; while I do not have XM, I am an avid "internet radio" listener, and found some nifty software to let me use my Xbox360 as a Media Receiver with internet radio.

At first, I was afraid it was going to sound like crap compared to my Klipsch Pro-Media 4.1s, but was pleasently surprised to find out that is not the case. Before purchasing my M60s, I too read alot about how "detailed" these speakers were and how they would bring out the flaws in poor recordings/source material.

Maybe sometimes I find that is the case, but realistically, I find that EVERYTHING sounds better with them.

Not trying to doubt you; not at all. I honestly do not know what the bitrate of XM is; I listen to 128K streams, and do occasionally hear artifacting, but I do expect it, but oddly, most of the time I don't hear it.

Just thought it was odd, and thought I would contribute; maybe relavent, maybe not.

-Alan

Re: Axioms with XM?
#136441 04/24/06 02:35 AM
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After I posted, I went and listened to the XM radio on DirecTV and then the FM stereo radio stations with my HT.

The FM radio stations sounded much better!!! Why? I don't know, but they did.


The Rat. M80s, VP-150, QS8s, SVS PC 20-39+, OPPO, Onkyo 703s, Harmony 880 Sony 60" SXRD HDTV
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136442 04/24/06 06:56 AM
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Rat, I totally agree with you. XM on DirectTV does suffer in comparison, but it does offer a variety of music that no one's CD collection can compete with.


Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136443 04/24/06 11:31 AM
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Got XM on your computer? I got off real cheap without any wiring and this thing has been working nice.

Lyra RCA wireless

Re: Axioms with XM?
#136444 04/24/06 03:55 PM
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I have XM in my car, and Sirius in our new minivan. I would definately say that in both arena the sound reminds me of AM radio. SUPER compressed, as we all know. In our minivan, I only have bass/treble control, so I am pretty much stuck there. In my car, I upgraded the speakers and head unit (radio), and I have a LOT of control over the sound. Now, I can completely enjoy my XM in my car, where before it wasn't very good. So I put a vote in that a key factor is the ability to adjust the sound quality before even sending the signal to the speakers.

I know that I read something in a home theater mag a month or so ago that there are audio manufacturers that are working on decoding software that will try to compensate for the high compression of the satelite signal. I used to have a setting on my old car stereo that would compensate for MP3 compression over a regular CD (which is still compressed I know). It made a big difference. Sure it was guessing at what to add to the sound, but it was effective.

Just some thoughts. Take 'em or leave 'em.


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136445 04/24/06 04:40 PM
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Mark,

I think your logic in this case, is flawed.

It would be like saying:
" I always buy gas for my car (which I really like) at texaco, and my car always runs great."
"I just bought Mobile, for a change.....and my car runs poorly."

"I have come to the conclusion I need a new car."



LIFE: "Choices, balance, and timing"

(Larryism)
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136446 04/24/06 07:57 PM
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Hey Larry:
There's a large issue not factored in, though. A Mobil opened across the street and the nearby Texaco closed down....... errrr....I listen to XM 90% of the time and rarely watch movies or sit down to listen to CDs anymore.

My gut feeling is that XM, and likely Sirius, are taking the low road and prioritizing huge numbers of channels in a marketing race instead of offering higher datarates in fewer channels. When the record studios do this, when FM does this, when...ummm...hell, EVERYBODY prioritizes higher profits over quality, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

But the Polk was purchased with the expctation (based upon advertising and reviews) that it would offer higher quality listening over a Roadie. Maybe that was the case a couple of years ago, but it seems that the weak link is now the format itself.

People won't complain, so it won't change. For every person listening on Axioms or the like, there are 100 people listening in their car, on a boombox, or on a portable. Hey, it's equal to a mediocre Mp3, so who would notice?

Not that I'm freakin' bitter.


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Axioms with XM?
#136447 04/25/06 12:30 PM
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I recently got one of those lighter plug in things to hook up your mp3 player via an fm signal.

Don't bother, it sounds terrible.

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