How To Improve Sirius XM Sound Quality? Simple Tips For DIY Improvements

More cars nowadays are coming with built-in satellite radio, like SiriusXM. Despite having a huge program variety and wide coverage area, SiriusXM is not known for its top-quality sound. Read on to discover some simple tips to enhance the sound quality of your car to continue enjoying uninterrupted Sirius XM across the US.

Why you should use Sirius XM

Here are a few reasons why it is beneficial to use SiriusXM in your vehicle:

• It has a remarkable array of music channels such as R&B, jazz, world, rock, electronic, Christian, Latin, etc.
• It offers an unmatched variety of talk and news shows covering diverse topics.
• Users also get updated weather and traffic information in specific metropolitan areas.
• It offers access to numerous sports channels covering all the latest in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, racing, etc.
• Uninterrupted music without any irritating adverts
• Clear, digital signals without interference or static
• Broad coverage across America, including parts of Puerto Rico and Alaska

What is the issue with SiriusXM sound quality?

SiriusXM has average or perfectly serviceable audio quality. It lacks the high-resolution audio effect offered by streaming services like Tidal and Amazon Music HD. Thus, if you need top-class, studio-level quality audio, you should consider other alternatives. 

The main reason for the average or low sound quality on SiriusXM is the heavily compressed satellite transmission format. The satellites have to use low bitrate and high compression to save on bandwidth, thus resulting in poor sound.

Nevertheless, in recent years, SiriusXM sound has improved significantly, with quality seeming to vary based on program or channel popularity. In addition, improving the equipment in your car, like installing aftermarket systems, may also help enhance the listening experience.

How to improve your SiriusXM sound

Here are some simple DIY tips to enhance your SiriusXM sound quality.

Replace the speakers in your car

Most manufacturers do not overly emphasize the quality of speakers in their cars. Even though factory car systems have been getting better recently, most cars still use weak speakers that do not produce top-quality sound. Furthermore, if your vehicle is older, its current speakers may have been worn out already. 

Therefore, an easy DIY trick to improve SiriusXM sound quality is by buying and installing a set of good aftermarket speakers. You will likely experience better overall clarity and bass than using the default speakers. Besides producing better sound, aftermarket speakers are made with better materials to ensure greater performance and improved durability.

Install an amplifier

Installing an amplifier into your audio system allows the speakers to produce more clarity, volume, and depth. That is why it is another great way to boost the audio quality from satellite radio services like SiriusXM. Regardless of how great your car speakers are, you can only maximize their output by adding more power through an amplifier. 

Adding a separate car amplifier provides more dedicated power to speakers that will make a massive difference in overall sound detail, volume, and dynamic range. Even if you plan on keeping your vehicle’s factory radio, it is still best to install an amplifier for better sound performance.

Set your amplifier gains correctly

A crucial part of ensuring optimal performance from your amplifier is to set the gain properly. The main issue people face with setting gain is that they think it is similar to volume control, and they turn it to the highest level. However, this is not advisable as you will likely hear heavy sound distortion. 

The role of the gain control is to control the input signal that comes from your SiriusXM receiver into the car’s amplifier. You can reduce background noise and distortion from your music by ensuring the gain level matches your SiriusXM receiver’s output with the amplifier’s input.

Here are a few tips on setting the best gain level on your amplifier:

• Set all your SiriusXM receiver’s tone controls and EQ presets at flat. Likewise, disengage all the filters on your amp and turn everything, including the gain, down to zero.
• Play some music, and then add more volume to your SiriusXM receiver until the sound starts to distort. Then, reduce it a little to where it plays cleanly without distortion.
• Gradually add more amp gain in the amplifier until the sound distorts and then reduce it a little.
• Lower the volume on your receiver and modify the equalizer presets to customize the sound. 
• Reset the gain after applying the equalizer and turn it up again until you get distortion, and then reduce it to get the clean sound again.

The final step of resetting the amp gain is crucial for compensating for whatever boosts or equalizer presets were applied. That way, your amplifier’s gain will match precisely how you like to listen to music.

Install a separate subwoofer

A subwoofer adds clarity and bass to your car’s stereo sound. It can also improve your system’s audio performance by adding realism and depth while listening to SiriusXM content. Ensure your subwoofer is paired alongside a correctly sized amplifier to have the best low bass sounds. 

Besides infusing more bass to your system, a subwoofer also helps to reduce the stress from your other speakers. Nevertheless, subwoofers are not only about the vibrating and thumping bass sound since you can modify any sup to suit your unique musical tastes.

Here are a few key considerations for choosing a subwoofer to improve Sirius XM sound quality:

• Subwoofer size: A larger subwoofer generates more bass and volume. However, you must also consider how it will fit inside your car and pick the most suitable size.
• Type of subwoofer enclosure: Sealed subwoofer enclosures generate deeper bass and are ideal for most music genres. In contrast, ported enclosures create a louder and more powerful bassline and are suitable for various types of music like house, dubstep, and rap.
• Power: The subwoofer’s RMS level shows how much power it can handle, with high RMS values translating into more bass.

Install an equalizer

Most SiriusXM car receivers give you limited control over the bass, midrange, and treble. These limited settings are insufficient for isolating and identifying problem areas in the overall sound quality. You will need a separate equalizer to eliminate the frequency response sound peaks found in most vehicle interiors.

An equalizer offers you multiple ways to customize and adjust the frequency response to eliminate unwanted sounds in both the lower and upper frequencies that cause ear fatigue. Even though you are still limited by the low bitrate sound of SiriusXM, having an equalizer can help you to improve the bass response and make other fine adjustments to enhance the listening experience.

Proper installation and usage of an equalizer takes plenty of tweaking and listening. Start with every setting at flat or zero and then tweak at least two or three things every time. You will soon determine what is missing or too much in your SiriusXM sound. Before long, you will have it well set up correctly, and you can now enjoy the better quality sound.

Add sound deadening materials

Sound deadening materials reduce road noise and vibration to help your SiriusXM sound a bit better. The vibrations from your speakers often affect the overall accuracy. Fortunately, you can resolve this issue by adding sound-blocking materials to the door panels to reduce those vibrations.  

The other way sound-deadening materials help with SiriusXM sound quality is by reducing interior noises in your vehicle. This benefit is particularly helpful when driving at higher speeds since road noise increases with speed. The bonus is that you will not have to use louder volumes while driving quickly and still get to hear generally better musical details without straining your sound system.

Consider replacing the head unit

Most modern and aftermarket head units feature significant enhancements that give you a better listening experience, even on satellite radio. Hence, if you are an audio enthusiast and want to improve your SiriusXM sound, you should also consider replacing the head unit in your vehicle. So, besides replacing the stock speakers, you can also install an aftermarket head unit. 

Some head units come with in-built equalizers and amps. However, the ideal option is to add an external amplifier to ensure your speakers get sufficient power. When shopping for head units, get ones with more features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity along with inputs for your phones, etc.

Conclusion

The satellite transmission of SiriusXM is one of its biggest limitations since the channels are highly compressed, resulting in poor sound. Nevertheless, you can improve your overall listening experience by trying out the various DIY tips shown above, including adding an equalizer, amplifier, and subwoofer, among others. That way, you can get to enjoy the amazing radio signal, a wide variety of channels, and commercial-free content on SiriusXM.

The other alternative to improving your SiriusXM quality is to stream it via the app instead of getting it directly from satellites. Your subscription to SiriusXM already covers streaming, though you will need to deal with the extra 4G data costs.