I am in the process of placing an order for '09 MCS...how is the standard radio compared to the HD radio in terms of reception for local stations ( bay area) and if the radio is not good...is Sirius a must? Thanks to all.

 

wrong forum??

 

No, right forum. It was in 1st Gen Coupe Talk earlier (which was the wrong forum) and I moved it to here (before you posted), because his question is specifically about 2nd Gen audio options.

 

For me, XM is a must. But with Sirius XM putting Sirius's programming directors in charge of the both divisions (http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/si...announced.html), it probably won't make much of a difference anymore. I don't have any experience with HD Radio, but I'm not a big fan of anything with commercials.

 

I didn't get HD radio in my 09 MINI JCW and I'm kicking myself for not getting it - I'm hoping it's an easy module to add to the radio. If anyone has the "destructions" could they kindly post them....

On the XM front, my buddy got laid off from XM a few weeks ago - he was VP of Advanced Applications - so my inside connection is gone.

On the Sirius front - I see that Opie and Anthony will be part of the "Best of XM on Sirius" package - now if they'd just sign their contract....

 

Bummer. I'm a little irked that they seem to be putting more Sirius execs in control than XM execs. I always thought XM had a better handle on the business. The only reason Sirius ever caught up was because of Howard Stern, but I always felt that XM was more classy and pleasing to the ear than Sirius.

 

I got the HD option as part of the audio package on my 2007. I find the audio quality of HD stations far surpasses every other source I've tried (aux input, fm, am, CD, mp3). Literally FM sounds like mono after you hear the same station in HD. As far as Bay Area stations, many in that area are broadcasting in HD and have 2nd channels as well.

The HD option doesn't "improve" reception. You'll get the same reception with or without the HD option. With HD stations, there is never any static. You can't lose part of the signal. The sound cuts out completely instead of hearing static as you are losing reception.

 

To me, CD can be a tiny bit better in quality depending on the music.

I don't have satellite radio in the MINI, but compared to the rental car I was in that had it, the HD is better hands down.

Ditto Minidrivr's note on the reception, although if you're listening to an HD1 station, it will drop back to the FM signal instead of cutting out. Only the digital-only HD2 and HD3 stations will cut out.

 

That's entirely a matter of opinion.

 

Yes, you are correct.

 

Unfortunately for satellite radio, it's true that both CD & HD Radio have better sound quality due to the high compression rate and bandwidth issues that SatRad has.

 

CD can be a LOT better at times. some HD stations use more compression than others.

 

Those two statements would indicate that the stock CD player must be really, really low quality. HD stations themselves play recordings that are no better than CD quality, then broadcast with data compression.

 

A local station here has an HD broadcast that sounds exceptional compared to everything else. I haven't noticed that much difference in Bay Area stations though I haven't spent a lot of time in that area in my Mini. Just like FM, sound quality varies station to station, as does from CD to CD.

 

The only reason I can tell the difference between the two, is that in the HD signal I can hear some compression artifacts in the highs. I have pretty forgiving ears though (A disclaimer I should have included with my original post ) and a MINI is hardly an ideal listening environment for judging quality.

I mainly meant for my post to vouch for the jump in quality from FM to HD- I doubt I could tell the difference in a high end and low end deck.

 

I agree that HD sounds light years better, but mine doesn't seem to work in a binary fashion like XM or Sirius. I have used broadcast very little and mostly on AM, but I seem to have trouble keeping an HD signal and when I lose it I go back to regular AM. This flipping in and out of HD can be quite annoying.

 

With the HD option, there is a setting to turn it off. That would help if you are on the edge of receiving a station in HD and it keeps dropping back to regular FM or AM.