DAT-heads Digest #533

Contents:
  RE: XM  radio - how does it compare to FM? ("fluffhead")
  XM radio - how does it compare to FM? ("Martin Klingmeyer")
  Anyone taping Green River Fest ("Jim Kelly")


From: "fluffhead" <fluffhead@cox.net>
Subject: RE: XM  radio - how does it compare to FM?
Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 16:33:01 -0700

There was a lot of discussion of this in another group that I am a member
of.  After a bit of research the mods came to the conclusion that for XM
broadcasts virtually every channel uses MPEG1 Layer2 for their audio-usually
@224kb/s.  Keeping in mind the 224 is the max rate and any broadcast could 
be lower at any given time.

Stay Kind,
Dana




From: "Martin Klingmeyer" <martinwk@ptd.net>
Subject:  XM radio - how does it compare to FM?
Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 07:28:24 -0400

I think some of the other comments are unreasonably harsh in regard to the
quality of XM.

1.  Yes the programming is compressed.  However I do not find it terribly
troublesome.  I do not consider my car a critical listening area; with the
poor acoustics, road noise, and Amish buggies dodge, I can't really say the
artifacts are bothersome.  I admit sometimes the BBC and traffic channels
are austere, but the music is pretty good.

2.  If you are the kind of person who gets an XM radio, wires it up with
gold connectors and Monster cable to your $200,000 custom home theatre to
compare it to a SACD gold reference CD, you have entirely too much time and
money on your hands.  Consider getting some friends.

3.  I have heard live recordings with the finest of microphones, and if this
is the holy grail to which we should benchmark XM, we are misleading
ourselves (I think we mislead ourselves about the finest of equipment too).
Personally I prefer a professionally produced live show with associated XM
digital artifacts rather than (a) phase problems associated with improper
positioning; and (b) a drunk yelling in the left channel for 72 minutes.

4.  Bottom line, for a $48 investment in the unit, and a $12.95 (or lower)
fee XM is AMAZING.  Despite the compression and unpublished specs, U2 still
sounds like U2, and Al Dimeola sounds like Al.  It is worth it alone just to
be free of mindless "jocks" screaming at you, inane morning show, endless
commercials, and  over compressed/processed audio which I find more
offensive than minimal digital artifacts.  Plus you have assess to shows to
which you would not normally have access.  I strongly recommend it if you
are a person with the kind of constitution that enjoys something for what it
is, rather than what something can never possibly be.


-M





From: "Jim Kelly" <musicjaime@hotmail.com>
Subject: Anyone taping Green River Fest
Date: Tue, 05 Jul 2005 15:32:48 -0400


If anyone is planning to tape the Green River Fest in Greenfield, MA later 
this month, please get in touch. I can't go due to a commitment to go to a 
wedding, but a few of my favoirties are going to be there (Steve Earle, 
Buddy Miller and  Redbird, among others) so I would greatly appreciate some 
copies of tapes if anyone will be covering this. Stealth would be required 
as these guys are all taper unfriendly as far as I know (Buddy sure is!).

Thanks,

Jim




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