I decided to get Sirius XM (Web Version) again. What always attracts me to this service is the radio stations (The Xtra Channels), they have a strong song selection. My father uses Sirius XM in his car, which sounds fine because the alright speakers hide the very terrible quality audio, which consists of mono audio with a low bitrate that's comparable to a UK DAB station. I use the Xtra channels as they offer a "better" audio quality experience and have no annoying DJs.
Right off the bat, I can tell you the apps are kind of terrible. The Windows version is literally a browser but made around Sirius XM, at least I can select the audio quality unlike the Smart TV Android version. The Android Smartphone version will randomly say I'm using a different device already and sometimes the station stalls, which replaying the stations somehow fixes.
*Happens everytime on Windows but still works fine.
People prefer lists rather then a long paragraph, so here goes:
Pro:
Very good song selection on most radio stations.
Xtra channels have no DJs.
Cons:
The "Maximum Quality" is still really bad (People say its about 128kbps AAC).
The app experience across devices is bad.
The DJs on the main streams can be annoying and sometimes ramble on.
No unlimited skips on Xtra channels regardless of plan (I think its 7 per hour).
To cancel, you have to speak to a person (There is a online text at least).
Terrible value, regardless of plan (When compared to other services).
The Skip Limit:
*Lasts for an hour.
General Audio Quality. "Maximum" quality is fine, cymbals sound really compressed, voices sound fine, instruments don't sound too together and it kind of sounds watery with your on a good system. In terms of "Normal" quality, which ironically the lowest, cymbals become annoying, voices sound a small bit watery, instruments sound a lot more smashed together, and when a lot of stuff is going on, it becomes very watery, which is very annoying to listen to. There is a 3rd middle option, but its not worth looking over.
Spectrums of the 2 quality settings:
Maximum Quality:
Song 1:
Song 2:
"Normal" Quality:
Song 1:
Conclusion:
So who would I recommend this to? 2 groups of people, the "I don't care about audio quality, I just want my music" and the "Playlist Builder". The "I don't care about audio quality, I just want my music" group prefers to click a station and listen to there music instantly without the struggle of building a playlist. The "Playlist Builder" group will usually listen to these stations, build there playlists, and they'll eventually abandon the SiriusXM ship. The only thing that's technically close to this service, is Pandora. "Pick-And-Choice" music services do offer radio stations but there not mixed well like SiriusXM's.
Right off the bat, I can tell you the apps are kind of terrible. The Windows version is literally a browser but made around Sirius XM, at least I can select the audio quality unlike the Smart TV Android version. The Android Smartphone version will randomly say I'm using a different device already and sometimes the station stalls, which replaying the stations somehow fixes.
*Happens everytime on Windows but still works fine.
People prefer lists rather then a long paragraph, so here goes:
Pro:
Very good song selection on most radio stations.
Xtra channels have no DJs.
Cons:
The "Maximum Quality" is still really bad (People say its about 128kbps AAC).
The app experience across devices is bad.
The DJs on the main streams can be annoying and sometimes ramble on.
No unlimited skips on Xtra channels regardless of plan (I think its 7 per hour).
To cancel, you have to speak to a person (There is a online text at least).
Terrible value, regardless of plan (When compared to other services).
The Skip Limit:
*Lasts for an hour.
General Audio Quality. "Maximum" quality is fine, cymbals sound really compressed, voices sound fine, instruments don't sound too together and it kind of sounds watery with your on a good system. In terms of "Normal" quality, which ironically the lowest, cymbals become annoying, voices sound a small bit watery, instruments sound a lot more smashed together, and when a lot of stuff is going on, it becomes very watery, which is very annoying to listen to. There is a 3rd middle option, but its not worth looking over.
Spectrums of the 2 quality settings:
Maximum Quality:
Song 1:
Song 2:
"Normal" Quality:
Song 1:
Conclusion:
So who would I recommend this to? 2 groups of people, the "I don't care about audio quality, I just want my music" and the "Playlist Builder". The "I don't care about audio quality, I just want my music" group prefers to click a station and listen to there music instantly without the struggle of building a playlist. The "Playlist Builder" group will usually listen to these stations, build there playlists, and they'll eventually abandon the SiriusXM ship. The only thing that's technically close to this service, is Pandora. "Pick-And-Choice" music services do offer radio stations but there not mixed well like SiriusXM's.
