[CTSurfer]

So my wife and I had a 2005 Lexus GX 470 with XM / Sirius and loved it. Sounded great even better than stock FM so I was familiar with the sound. When we traded her 05 in for a new 2011 GX 460 I noticed the sound quality with the XM Satellite Radio was whack! It sounded low and muffled with out the clarity and superior sound quality like before.

So I purchase my CT and the same thing! Thinking I was crazy I have had 2 loner cars from two different dealers lately. A 2011 RX 450h and a 2010 IS 250. Both sounded awesome and reminiscent of our old 2005 GX470 so I knew I wasn't crazy! Further more I had a local car audio specialist to whom the local So Cal XM rep Chris Greenfield also brings the companies car into for XM to be installed and they also confirmed that it sounded whack!

The rep told me Lexus has switched the hardware in some 2011 models and did not inform them of the change. This problem as well as a semi related issue with the nav-traffic are directly related to this according to the XM rep.

I took my CT into my local dealer and he said there is nothing that they can do. That the hardware is fine and that a software update needed to be performed to fix the problem. They said at this time no such update existed. When I said about the quality of the satellite radio was fine in a 2011 rx450h the dealer said that's because they were still using 2010 hardware parts for the radio.The dealer did acknowledge that the FM radio-CD-USB-Bluetooth all sounded great in my car EXCEPT the satellite radio!

Is the hogwash from the dealer or is anyone else out there in CT land experiencing the same issue????

 

[rehabmax]

After having my CT200h for approximately 6 weeks I have been pleased with the Satellite radio reception. I programed in about 6 stations- The Bridge, E Street Radio, Classic Vinyl, Greatful Dead, and a couple of others. No reception problems. Strong signal over many miles.
The customer service reps at Sirius/XM are not very bright and they continue to call hoping to get me to sign up past the free period.
Does your car have the Navigation system? I wonder if there is any difference in the interfaces with the non navigation systems.

_____________________________
Starfire Pearl Premium CT200h
Navigation, Nulux black interior.

 

[audi4t]

No problems here other than occasional loss of signal - lots of trees, buildings and hills here in CT.

Sound quality is good, clear and not at all muffled.

We do NOT have NAV.

Will continue to subscribe - never listen to AM/FM.

 

[baxter57]

I am pleased with the quality and reception of my xm no nav system will subscribe no am/fm for me

 

[rise&demise]

I couldn't agree more. My XM sound quality is also low, muffled, and lacking clarity. The talk stations seem riddled with audio compression artifacts. I also need to pump up the volume and max out the bass, treb, and mid setting to make the music stations even the least bit tolerable. Everything else on the radio except XM sounds good.

 

[Bob259]

I haven't noticed any problems with mine so far.

Not that it's a big issue, but I wish it was Sirius Vs XM, as I already have a Sirius system and like on my Highlander Hybrid I could have gotten the multiple radio discount. Even though they are now one in the same (Sirius/XM)... I have to have both a Sirius and a XM subscription and no multiple radio discount Go figure.....

 

[bilmat]

I haven't noticed any problems with mine so far.

Not that it's a big issue, but I wish it was Sirius Vs XM, as I already have a Sirius system and like on my Highlander Hybrid I could have gotten the multiple radio discount. Even though they are now one in the same (Sirius/XM)... I have to have both a Sirius and a XM subscription and no multiple radio discount Go figure.....

The reception I receive on all my XM radios, including the CT200h with its newly installed Shark Fin antenna, has always been flawless, except on those occasions when buildings and tunnels or Mother Nature (forests, mountains, etc.) block the line-of-sight signal to the satellite in the southern sky from my Northern California location.

As for a multiple radio discount, I've had XM since it first became available, long before Serius entered the fray and later merged with XM. When I first signed up I established five XM radio accounts for my cars, motorcycle, boat and a portable to take along on walks. In doing so, I received a packaged discount. As I recall, the cost for the first radio was $12.95 a month, then $9.99 for each additional radio up to a maximum of five total radios. The cost for a sixth radio, which I had no need for, would have reverted back to $12.95 according to XM's customer service at the time.

Today, I'm only paying for three radios as two are still on free trials. For the three I pay a total of $102.81 on a quarterly plan, which works out to $11 per radio per month. I was told by customer service a month ago when I bought my CT that when the free trials expire on the two new radios, I will be able to add them to the quarterly discount package. The point is, I am receiving a multiple radio discount, but that may be a result of Serius/XM grandfathering me because of my long history with XM, or because I never subscribed to Serius prior to the merger.

 

[rehabmax]

I don't think I will ever go back to regular radio after this. Commercial free, ultra clear sound of the satellite radio. I am very pleased. Great station variety. Not having to listen to crappy current music, priceless.

 

[2hunny]

I agree the Sat audio quality is sub par from others. It's a bit annoying, now I just burn my music on cd/mp3, it sounds great! Bluetooth streaming also sounds good.

 

[dkid]

I don't think I will ever go back to regular radio after this. Commercial free, ultra clear sound of the satellite radio. I am very pleased. Great station variety. Not having to listen to crappy current music, priceless.

I agree. I love XM radio; although, customer service hasn't been as good since XM joined Sirius.

 

[CTSurfer]

Rise&Demise do you have Nav? I do and our symptomns are the same. I'm going to call the rep back on Monday and see if anything can be done.

 

[Jimbo]

I test drove a non-NAV car and played with the radio (Premium Audio Package) before I put down my deposit and XM sounded great... does the problem seem to be related to NAV only cars?

 

[dkid]

I have nav and Premium Audio Package. My XM is great and I am very pleased with the audio in XM, AM, FM, AND CD. Of course, you have to know that when I was growing up we had records and the record players had one speaker. lol

 

[rise&demise]

Rise&Demise do you have Nav? I do and our symptomns are the same. I'm going to call the rep back on Monday and see if anything can be done.

No, I have premium audio without Nav. Let me know if you get it figured out. Good luck.

 

[bilmat]

I have nav and Premium Audio Package. My XM is great and I am very pleased with the audio in XM, AM, FM, AND CD. Of course, you have to know that when I was growing up we had records and the record players had one speaker. lol

When I was in high school in the late '50s and early '60s and you were king if you had a cool car, there was a short period of time before tape players hit the market that the coolest guys were those who had an RCA 45-rpm record player mounted under the dash (see pic). But they were a here-today-gone-tomorrow accessory because a brand new Elvis or Everly Brothers 45 was only good for a few plays before the stylus that was held in place by a magnet to keep it from skipping around on the record cut a groove within the groove that resulted in a small pile of black plastic filings. Next came 4-track tape players, followed by 8-track players, then cassettes, then CD players. When satellite radio with over 100 channels became available I was sure we had reached the ultimate in technology, but I was wrong. For me to now be able to listen to my iTunes library with thousands of songs wirelessly in my CT by pairing the Bluetooth connection with my iPod Touch has taken it to an even higher level. What could be next? Or has car audio technology now gone as far as it can go?

 

[dkid]

Bill, It never ends. There will be something new and I don't think it will be very long. I do remember the 45's, 4 track, 8 track and cassettes.

Dennis

 

[Mr. Nelsby]

The next step will be cloud-based audio. Basically, you will wirelessly attach to an iTunes (or similar) account and play your music which will exist on the cloud rather than on any one storage device.

 

[CTSurfer]

Called the XM Lexus Rep today but no answer. Will try again tomorrow. Coincidentally my best friend from HS is a very high end audio and home theatre technician and I gave home the whole scoop. He said that the XM rep is right on the money and it's a hardware issue with the CT's and my wife's Lexus NOT a software problem.

He explained that the satellite radio is a compressed audio signal that must be diffused properly. Unlike a/m or f/m or Bluetooth the satellite must have a properly tuned hardware component that can decompress the incoming signal. He said since the CT ( he was guessing but correct ) has a nicely tuned system amplifier, equalizer, ect the sound quality the satellite radio produces can be much more noticeable than say a regular radio with satellite radio. He urged me to make Lexus aware of it.

I'm going to call Lexus customer care tomorrow and let them know. I'll start another thread to get as many CT owners as I can on list then pass it on to Lexus. I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[SliderNKC]

Nav/XM sound

I too am experiencing the same issue with my Nav/XM sound. The volume is extremely low and the quality is not as good as I had on my IS 350. Got a rude awakening first I switched from Xm back to FM. It blew me out of the car the FM was so loud.

Another issue I have is when using the BT for my iPhone to play music through, I get the same volume and quality issues as with the XM. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[Bob259]

I too am experiencing the same issue with my Nav/XM sound. The volume is extremely low and the quality is not as good as I had on my IS 350. Got a rude awakening first I switched from Xm back to FM. It blew me out of the car the FM was so loud...................

I thought mine was fine.... But I tried mine again tonight just to make sure and it is exactly like that also. FM crisp and twice the volume of SAT radio. What the heck gives here