G_Money

If this is the wrong sub-forum please let me know.

I have a 2013 C63 with the up-optioned sound system and navigation screen. The vehicle came with a Sirius/XM subscription and I rather enjoy it. Never had satellite radio before.

My only qualm is the sound quality/clarity. It seems to not be quite as good as "HD" FM stations, and is definitely not as clear as CD, iPod/AUX, or even Bluetooth.

Is this something that can be improved with some sort of receiver upgrade, or is that just the nature of the beast?

I really like my music, and up-optioned Benz audio systems are the only ones I don't find myself completely tearing out and replacing with RFs and Pioneers after a month!

Thanks for looking!

Ludedude

LSAMG

@G_Money,
Sirius/XM is not the tune your supposed to be listening to in a 6.3L Monster V8..kidding I have the same car with the HK setup, have you tried adjusting the settings/surround? Happy all except BT which I haven't tried. If you go aftermarket please keep us posted

bhamg

I keep subscribing but this will be my last full year as I have moved over to Pandora Premium. The Sirius XM bitrate is so low (something like 8kbps to 64kbps depending upon the channel) that the sound quality for music is really poor. Sirius XM is useful for some things but not for extended listening to any kind of music IMHO.

G_Money

I do use Pandora and Spotify, and even YouTube, a lot where I can. But like LudeDude, my travels often put me in areas with little to no cell coverage unfortunately.

So to confirm, that's 64kbps is the maximum that XM actually broadcasts? I guess that leaves pretty much no hope for improved clarity =/ Lame...

bhamg

On top of that they use dynamic range compression so that's a doubly whammy to the sound quality. I've talked to the technical side a number of times but it seems there is truly no hope for higher quality music even in the face of formidable new competition. Still and all, with the broad range of programming it is very useful at times. I have the max-channel package and pay $10ish per month by the year, which is competitively and fairly priced.

bhamg

I've compared Sirius XM on Ch 51 BPM with the same songs at 64kbps MP3 played from one of my iPod nano's, preamp out. The iPod definitely sounds better. (My iPod music is normally 256kbps AAC, 320kbps MP3 or Apple Lossless).

Ludedude

Vladds

I have this too and had the free subscription for 30 days. The only thing for me is the ease of changing channels with the hardware provided.
I listen to the BBC live through the Media interface otherwise.
I prefer to use the subscription money for Mercedes Me, which provides an insurance reduction and possible practical advantages too. For people with newer cars like a 2014 and such, you may get remote start via smartphone too.

G_Money

I started looking at that for a second, but when I went to check the app out on my phone, it had overwhelming and extremely negative reviews! How do I know if my car will work with these features like remote start? That's the main feature I would see myself using, I think.

Vladds

I know of the negative reviews and had the negative experience too, which matched what is written.
However my decision to subscribe was based on me having peace of mind with the included LoJack feature.

But roughly 7 months into my subscription came a huge revision of the ap. To figure exactly when look for a thread that I've started.
Since this revision, the ap became stable and I have no complaints.
However, the disclaimer is that in the case of my car a remote start is not offered. So I am not able to review for you how reliable the remote start is as compared with how it was.

But the locate my car feature and the lock and unlock are good.
Also, a justified complaint about the old ap was that the track my car feature was limited to 3 miles. Since the ap revision I can locate my car from work, more than 20 Miles away.
The introductory membership is free so if this seems to not work for you, you can cancel.
I just renewed for second year.
Also I tried the in car features which are now active (the information button road side assistance and sos) I tried the information button on a Sunday to ask someone about hw size of winter tires. I didn't really get a technical answer, but hey someone did pick up the phone and told me that they can answer most owner manual questions.

SuckaGDog

Vladds

on a 2010 you have to go to the dealer. They change the firmware in your Teleaid system and convert it into Mercedes me. This may or may not be free. For me it was. Once the conversion is complete, you get a phone number and there's a person to walk you through the activation process on the line.
On your Black Series (probably a 2012), try from the Mercedes USA page to go to Mercedes me and there should be a phone number for activation, as well as a statement of how it's for free for this or that duration.