BoilermakerFan

I need to order mine. Kept the link you sent me a few weeks ago.

needforsleep

EPImporters.com seems to be selling them cheaper...check them out.

palewhitemale

if you read the install directions for a home install of an XM system you'll realize how fragile the entire thing is. The only way you're guaranteed to get good coverage is if the antenna has direct line of sight to the satellite. This explains the bad signal when you're inside.

As for the sound quality issue, you're not actually getting real CD quality, you're gettting 'CD quality sound'. The signal your car is receiving is actually a satellite stream of digitally compressed music. A bunch of different digital compression methods are considered to be 'CD quality sound' but are clearly not.

I'm sure that someone else will one up me with the tech jargon, but these are the basics as I understand them.

-bill

choolie

I had it two ways...First on my passat, I had it running straight with my Alpine H/U. The receiving antenna was in the middle of my back window tray. The ins & out of my signal were consistent. I knew which bridge would cause me to lose signal and for how long. With my first A4, the '03, I used the modulated because I didn't want to go through pulling the stock h/u out. I had bose and figured (at the time) it wasn't worth it. The antenna was in one corner of my back window tray and I had pretty much the exact same issues. Other than that, XM was great. I haven't installed it in my '04 due to the '03 having a major electrical problem about 3 months after the XM was installed. I was about to go through the legal lemon laws and the dealer offered me a deal. I figured I needed to take the deal before they were able to tie the XM install to the electrical problems. Not that I'm a 100% sure that was the problem, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I would like to have it again, I'm just a little scared. I don't want to go through the month and a half of loaners.

joe@vwvortex

where I lost the signal for a split second. The sound quality is as good as CD's - albiet the volume has to be cranked up more. I'm very happy with it.