FM Radio
Cruisin'
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
It does sound pretty bad- and I am not sure why as FM has the capability to sound pretty good.
I did notice that dolby prologic 2 cannot be used with FM which is a little bizarre because all dlpii requires is a stereo signal which FM almost always provides.
If I were to venture a guess; there is a some type of DSP that is tuned to the cabin of the vehicle that is bypassed when FM or AM is in use so the sound is worse. The only other thing could be that the tuner just sounds awful.
$.02
I did notice that dolby prologic 2 cannot be used with FM which is a little bizarre because all dlpii requires is a stereo signal which FM almost always provides.
If I were to venture a guess; there is a some type of DSP that is tuned to the cabin of the vehicle that is bypassed when FM or AM is in use so the sound is worse. The only other thing could be that the tuner just sounds awful.
$.02
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,496
Likes: 169
From: San Jose, CA
I don't think the FM radio is particularly bad. It sounds just fine compared to my other cars. Note that I am not an audiophile. I don't buy high end sound systems, since I usually can't tell the difference.
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Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 151
Likes: 1
2008 Acura RDX
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,227
Likes: 58
From: Jamaica W.I.
I think the FM sensitivity for the radio in the RDX is low. As a result it doesnt 'pull' in weak stations very well.
I was looking into adding an FM signal booster but the RDX does not use the standard antenna cable that these units employ so......
I was looking into adding an FM signal booster but the RDX does not use the standard antenna cable that these units employ so......
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Instructor
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 151
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Cruisin'
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
FM is known to be a decent source. If you were to go ask in an audiophile forum 10 out of 10 people would prefer a strong FM signal to XM or Sirius mostly due to the compression that Satellite feeds utilize. There are some superb FM tuners available from companies like Magnum Dynalab. So FM can be good.
I thought some more about this and I think that the fact that prologic2 is not available on FM in the RDX provides the best clue. FM being an analog source would need to be digitized using an analog to digital converter. Same for the aux input which I havent tested but would guess is the same. Acura most likely chose not to implement an ADC for FM and aux inputs so the DSP utilized in the cabin is not available. This gives the digital sources- CD, XM, etc a huge advantage over the unprocessed analog signals.
DVD-A is the highest quality format available in the RDX as it is a true 24 bit format. Unfortunately DVD-A and its competitor SACD are essentially deads o buy them while you can!
$.02
I thought some more about this and I think that the fact that prologic2 is not available on FM in the RDX provides the best clue. FM being an analog source would need to be digitized using an analog to digital converter. Same for the aux input which I havent tested but would guess is the same. Acura most likely chose not to implement an ADC for FM and aux inputs so the DSP utilized in the cabin is not available. This gives the digital sources- CD, XM, etc a huge advantage over the unprocessed analog signals.
DVD-A is the highest quality format available in the RDX as it is a true 24 bit format. Unfortunately DVD-A and its competitor SACD are essentially deads o buy them while you can!
$.02
10th Gear
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Interesting discussion. This is my first experience with XM but after driving my RDX for 3 weeks and comparing frequently, I prefer the sound of my FM stations to XM. And I have been actually quite happy with the quality of the sound. It took me a few tweaks to the config but I prefer it now to a fairly high end system I had installed in my previous car. Granted it is not the best I have ever heard, but for the standard package FM, I think it sounds fine. Just my $00.02
Pro
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 570
Likes: 3
From: Boston, MA
XM will always beat out FM in my mind for two reasons....better selection of music and less commercials!
I know satellite radio is getting worse with commercials but there are still less. I listen to my iPad 90% of the time anyway so doesn't really matter.
I know satellite radio is getting worse with commercials but there are still less. I listen to my iPad 90% of the time anyway so doesn't really matter.
big shot.
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,706
Likes: 10
XM BETTER THAN IPOD. WHAT? lol either the encoding ur using for your ipod is absolutely terrible (like ur ripping tracks under 128kbs) or u have no idea what ur talking about.
XM is about, at its BEST CHANNEL around the quality of 64kbs stream, which is not only awful but the frequency loss is huge. no way in the world would or could or remotely possible would XM 'sound better' than ANY direct ipod source (unless the audio file on the ipod is so low that you wouldnt want to listen to it anyway ie 64/128 kb track)
XM is about, at its BEST CHANNEL around the quality of 64kbs stream, which is not only awful but the frequency loss is huge. no way in the world would or could or remotely possible would XM 'sound better' than ANY direct ipod source (unless the audio file on the ipod is so low that you wouldnt want to listen to it anyway ie 64/128 kb track)
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