XM music volume

[kris_adams]

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like there are quite a few of us with XM music on board.  I get mine through my 696 which is wired into the audio jack off the audio panel.  With the XM volume on the 696 turned all the way up, I hear it ok but my co-pilot would like it louder.  We've tested different headsets and she still can't get it as loud as she'd like.

For those of you with XM how's the volume?  Do you run the XM volume all the way up?  Just wondering if my XM audio will be louder with my panel upgrade.

-Kris

[Bob_Belville]

14 minutes ago, Kris_Adams said:

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like there are quite a few of us with XM music on board.  I get mine through my 696 which is wired into the audio jack off the audio panel.  With the XM volume on the 696 turned all the way up, I hear it ok but my co-pilot would like it louder.  We've tested different headsets and she still can't get it as loud as she'd like.

For those of you with XM how's the volume?  Do you run the XM volume all the way up?  Just wondering if my XM audio will be louder with my panel upgrade.

-Kris

Kris, I have the same setup, I think, 696 feeds XM through a Garmin GMA 240 audio panel. I set XM volume at some level between 4 and 6 depending upon how busy the COM is. 

We have 4 DC headsets - two ANCs and 2 passive - and volume is fine.

It might be that the wiring through the audio panel can be tweaked to move your volume up. 

[donkaye]

6 hours ago, Kris_Adams said:

Hi Everyone,

It sounds like there are quite a few of us with XM music on board.  I get mine through my 696 which is wired into the audio jack off the audio panel.  With the XM volume on the 696 turned all the way up, I hear it ok but my co-pilot would like it louder.  We've tested different headsets and she still can't get it as loud as she'd like.

For those of you with XM how's the volume?  Do you run the XM volume all the way up?  Just wondering if my XM audio will be louder with my panel upgrade.

-Kris

As I mentioned, I have XM music from both the Aera 796 and GDL69A, both of which are connected to the GTN 750 and run through the GMA 35C audio panel.  I control the volume on the 796 from the 796 and it is usually set on 3 or 4 out of 10.  The volume from the GDL 69A is controlled from the GTN 750.  I don't like the volume muted, so on startup I disable the muting on both units.  This is call Karaoke mode, and I have the volumes set to not interfere with ATC.  I also have panel switches to turn off either audio at any time if they do interfere with ATC.  See the switches in the picture below.

[slowflyin]

1 hour ago, donkaye said:

As I mentioned, I have XM music from both the Aera 796 and GDL69A, both of which are connected to the GTN 750 and run through the GMA 35C audio panel.  I control the volume on the 796 from the 796 and it is usually set on 3 or 4 out of 10.  The volume from the GDL 69A is controlled from the GTN 750.  I don't like the volume muted, so on startup I disable the muting on both units.  This is call Karioke mode, and I have the volumes set to not interfere with ATC.  I also have panel switches to turn off either audio at any time if they do interfere with ATC.  See the switches in the picture below.

Don, where do you disable the muting?   I have a 796, 750, and GMA 35.  I get the 500 foot callout and button sounds from the 796 but no XM.  Not even the "demo" station.   I've checked every setting I can think of and had given up assuming the 796 has an xm problem.  

[donkaye]

19 minutes ago, slowflyin said:

Don, where do you disable the muting?   I have a 796, 750, and GMA 35.  I get the 500 foot callout and button sounds from the 796 but no XM.  Not even the "demo" station.   I've checked every setting I can think of and had given up assuming the 796 has an xm problem.  

PS Engineering allows, at the touch of a button, muting to be disabled.  Garmin does not.  It must be disabled on every startup.  To do  that with the GTN 750 and GMA 35, tap Intercom, tap Music 1, or Music 2, or both in sequence if you have both connected, then tap Radio.  Additionally, if you have the GDL 69A, if you want to hear anything, on every startup you have go to the main menu and tap Music, tap volume, then tap the unmute icon.

[slowflyin]

Just now, donkaye said:

PS Engineering allows, at the touch of a button, muting to be disabled.  Garmin does not.  It must be disabled on every startup.  To do  that with the GTN 750 and GMA 35, tap Intercom, tap Music 1, or Music 2, or both in sequence if you have both connected, then tap Radio.  Additionally, if you have the GDL 69A, if you want to hear anything, on every startup you have go to the main menu and tap Music, tap volume, then tap the unmute icon.

Thanks Don!

[steingar]

Only way I was ever able to hear music in the cockpit was good ANR headsets. That said, I think XM is the spawn of evil and the most dysfunctional company with which I've ever had the displeasure of doing business.

Edited September 10, 2019 by steingar

[kris_adams]

Thanks guys!  From what I can tell I think my XM should be louder once the panel upgrade is done (Steingar, I've tried ANR, passive, as well as my Halo's).  Volume is ok but not too loud even all the way up.  They will be re-wiring everything so hopefully this will remove any other miscellaneous splutters that were installed that I've also heard can cut volume up to in 1/2.  I'll keep you posted!

[gsxrpilot]

+1 for the PS Engineering audio panels. I have the latest and greatest PMA450B which allows everyone on the airplane to have their own settings, sources, bluetooth and muting. I like "karaoke" mode as well. 

[Andy95W]

4 hours ago, steingar said:

That said, I think XM is the spawn of evil and the most dysfunctional company with which I've ever had the displeasure of doing business.

Same here.  The only way I could get them to finally cancel my subscription was for my credit card to expire.  Dysfunctional might be generous.

[kris_adams]

hmmm...I'm going with the built in Garmin audio panel controlled through the 750 as I'm trying to get more in the center stack. otherwise I would definintely be doing the PS Engineering.  I love the sounds of it.

[larryb]

I have a gdl52r and gma345 audio panel. The SXM music is hard wired. The nice thing about the gma345 is that the pilot and copilot have independent volume control for music.

[201Mooniac]

7 hours ago, donkaye said:

PS Engineering allows, at the touch of a button, muting to be disabled.  Garmin does not.  It must be disabled on every startup.  To do  that with the GTN 750 and GMA 35, tap Intercom, tap Music 1, or Music 2, or both in sequence if you have both connected, then tap Radio.  Additionally, if you have the GDL 69A, if you want to hear anything, on every startup you have go to the main menu and tap Music, tap volume, then tap the unmute icon.

Just for completeness, PSE only allows that on the 450 audio panels, not the 8000 audio panels.

[donkaye]

22 minutes ago, 201Mooniac said:

Just for completeness, PSE only allows that on the 450 audio panels, not the 8000 audio panels.

I had it when I had the PMA 7000B audio Panel.

[201Mooniac]

Just now, donkaye said:

I had it when I had the PMA 7000B audio Panel.

Yes, the original 8000 also had it.  According the Mark from PSE, the FAA made them change it when they went to the 8000 B and since then (I have an 8000 BTi) it needs to be set on each power up.  Come to think of it, I don't know how it responds on the 8000 G however when I brought this up to the sales guy at the AOPA expo at LVK earlier this summer he agreed only the 450 enabled it to be saved across reboots.  Maybe he was just trying to upsell me.

[chrixxer]

FWIW I have the GPS496 hardwired into my audio panel (was a PM8000B, swapped for a PMA450), and on the lowest volume sometimes wish the XM radio was a touch quieter! (I’ve also used my iPad for music over Bluetooth, and its volume control is more finely spaced with a lower “low”). Bose A20 headset.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Andy95W]

Try turning your headset volume down and all the other inputs up.  Sound quality might be better as well.

[chrixxer]

7 minutes ago, Andy95W said:

Try turning your headset volume down and all the other inputs up.  Sound quality might be better as well.

Yeah, I've fooled around with all of that, the main issue is the sound from the GPS496 and the intercom volume level are linked (mixed internally on the PMA450), and the XM radio is (just a tiny bit) too loud relative to the in-cockpit audio. Probably wouldn't bother anyone else, but I'm so used to having such precise control on the iPad, the coarseness of the XM audio levels out of the old Garmin kind of jumps out.

[apenney]

My XM radio is thru my 796.  It used to be quiet but still loud enough to enjoy.  796 volume was always on 10 though.  Had to change my XM antenna recently and now the volume is even lower and in addition to that there is a static/distortion that I can hear with volume peaks.  If I reduce the 796 volume or my audio panel volume for the XM radio, the static/distortion spikes disappear.  At any level though, I can barely hear the audio.  For talk/news, it is barely audible, for music if I know the tune than I can enjoy it but otherwise its a strain to hear.  

Not sure where the problem is.