Pandora, Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon Music, etc. which do you use and why?

BlakBeard said:
Late to the party but I use pandora when the kids are with. Mainly because it's edited. With the 5$ monthly subscription it will play your "most frequents" even with no cell or wifi connection. On the rare occassion it's just the wife and I on the boat then i will use Amazon music(we have service on 95% of the lake)FYI, Amazon doesn't play anything if there's no service. Although, Amazon let's u play their music as well as your own library. Pandora is strictly their music.
Click to expand...
You can download Amazon Music to your phone.

Screenshot_20230407-122829.png
 
Cell service is good all over Lake Norman in NC. I use Apple Music (paid), Pandora (free), and I Heart Radio (free). Apple Music is for a custom playlist. The other two are more set it and forget it, pick a station and let it play.
Apple Music can be downloaded so you would have offline with no Cell service.
 
The Clarion CM6 on my boat has a 6 digit Sirius XM ID. They are asking me for an 8 or 12 digit one. Anybody else run into the same problem?
 
If you have a good sound system and an ear for quality sound then look for lossless music streaming or source. Sirius XM isn't lossless but it, DTV, CD's, and bluetooth from the smartphone library are really the only options for us away from cell and wifi services - which is much of the summer. I have read the DTV music feeds are lossless and I can tell the difference when listening to music in the boat's solon; compared to SXM. Playing a CD is definitely superior in music quality however. We have Pandora also which we use rarely but for a music request.
 
I stream (or download) using YouTube Music. We're an all-google house and spotify has let me down too many times. The regular "High Quality" streams are more than adequate for 99% of listening. The improvement HD/lossless streams bring is only barely noticeable to our hearing in the best situations. Which a boat (my boat) is not.

I have a very open bowrider. And I don't care for blasting tunes with reckless abandon. I like loud music, just not when on a boat (I'm old, but not THAT old). I do care about quality, however out in a boat in an open environment with people (I boat with friends) I don't do anything close to critical listening. I have a Fusion headunit (RA-70, simple & solid), MB-Quart Marine speakers (four for now), and two 10in JBL Marine subs in sealed boxes I built into the seat bases. It's more than enough for hanging out on the water.
 
We run Spotify and SirusXM. Spotify just streams from phone, we keep this year round. SirusXM we get a marine seasonal rate every year. Activates April 15 and deactivates October 14. Premier listening plan @ $65 for the 6 months, includes activation fee. Been doing this for many years. Works out to about $10 a month. For the off months, the service is suspended. Have to request cust serv to go back and look at last years plan to get this promotion. Also have to call B4 it times out to request the service be suspended as well as call B4 the suspension expires to request the marine sesonal plan. If not, it will automatically switch over the premier plan at like $23 a month. I just keep reminders on my calendar.
 
If I can figure out the ID on my Clarion CMD6 I will get SiriusXM on the boat. It's giving me a 6 digit #, they need an 8.

PXL_20220326_183603213.jpg
 
mrsrobinson said:
If I can figure out the ID on my Clarion CMD6 I will get SiriusXM on the boat. It's giving me a 6 digit #, they need an 8.

View attachment 143073
Click to expand...
Yup - that's pre Sirius XM; before they merged - there is a separate Sirius tuner somewhere close to the head. My boat had two Sirius tuners on it OEM and all were not useable when I wanted to activate the service. Had to update using the SVX300V1 tuner. I'm pretty sure the tuner will plug into the clarion but you'll have to verify.
 
ttmott said:
Yup - that's pre Sirius XM; before they merged - there is a separate Sirius tuner somewhere close to the head. My boat had two Sirius tuners on it OEM and all were not useable when I wanted to activate the service. Had to update using the SVX300V1 tuner. I'm pretty sure the tuner will plug into the clarion but you'll have to verify.
Click to expand...
Makes sense and I was wondering about that (the age and merge). I will pick up a SVX300V1.
 
I can definitely relate to holding onto physical music formats like CDs and vinyl, but streaming services have really changed the game when it comes to music listening.
Personally, I use Spotify because I love the user interface and the ability to discover new music through their algorithm-generated playlists. Plus, it's pretty much the standard when it comes to music streaming and has a huge selection of music and podcasts. I've never tried SiriusXM myself, but I know some folks who swear by it. Let us know how it works out for you, my friend!
Also, if you wanna become bigger on Spotify, check out https://streamingfamous.com/buy-spotify-plays/. They can help you get more plays there and, therefore, get more money from the platform.
 
For those who have added a SiriusXM Turner to their head unit, did you go with the marine antenna or the car magnet one? Also, I notice in my SUV when I go under an overpass I lose the signal. My boat is in a covered slip; fells like a dumb question, will I get a SiriusXM signal?
 
mrsrobinson said:
For those who have added a SiriusXM Turner to their head unit, did you go with the marine antenna or the car magnet one? Also, I notice in my SUV when I go under an overpass I lose the signal. My boat is in a covered slip; fells like a dumb question, will I get a SiriusXM signal?
Click to expand...
My truck and car siriusxm work in my garage. I use Bluetooth to stream it through my phone on the boat. That way I'm not paying for an additional subscription.
 
Jus Cruisin said:
My truck and car siriusxm work in my garage. I use Bluetooth to stream it through my phone on the boat. That way I'm not paying for an additional subscription.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same, though using a 3.5mm audio to RCAs on the back of the head unit to bypass Bluetooth. I do this at home from my phone to my home stereo for SiriusXM and Prime Music, works well. The audiophile SMEs say get the SiriusXM Tuner though for a better signal, so I was exploring that option, thus the antenna question.
 
mrsrobinson said:
For those who have added a SiriusXM Turner to their head unit, did you go with the marine antenna or the car magnet one? Also, I notice in my SUV when I go under an overpass I lose the signal. My boat is in a covered slip; fells like a dumb question, will I get a SiriusXM signal?
Click to expand...
We use the dock kits so we can use XM in home and all vehicles with just one subscription.
In respect to your covered slip question, if it is just a light roof for a cover, you should be fine.
It sounds like some slips have lofts in them? If yours does, you may have problems. Our system works fine in the shop, but in the winter, it quits with more than a foot of snow on the building. We also live in north, so our signal is not as strong as it would be farther south.
 
Thornton69 said:
We use the dock kits so we can use XM in home and all vehicles with just one subscription.
In respect to your covered slip question, if it is just a light roof for a cover, you should be fine.
It sounds like some slips have lofts in them? If yours does, you may have problems. Our system works fine in the shop, but in the winter, it quits with more than a foot of snow on the building. We also live in north, so our signal is not as strong as it would be farther south.
Click to expand...
It's a cloth like material for the roof.
 
I mix it up, but this seems to be my order of preference on the boat. All via bluetooth streaming from my iPhone.
  1. Free - I Heart Radio - Yacht Rock Radio is commercial free on weekends - love the 70-80's rock!
  2. Paid Apple Music - Create my own playlists, play their playlists, and their radio stations
  3. Free - Pandora - You can create some cool stations on here if you take the time to thumbs up and down on your likes/dislikes
  4. Free - Spotify
 
mrsrobinson said:
For those who have added a SiriusXM Turner to their head unit, did you go with the marine antenna or the car magnet one? Also, I notice in my SUV when I go under an overpass I lose the signal. My boat is in a covered slip; fells like a dumb question, will I get a SiriusXM signal?
Click to expand...
I have one subscription. One device. But have the docking station at home and an auto station in the boat and one in my pick up. The docking stations are cheaper than another unit with subscription.

As for the signal, it depends. I live in an area with tall trees. And they can block signal. Same when I go into the big city with taller buildings. But signal will bounce, it seems so the outage is spotty. Anything metal for roofing and your not going to get a signal. Unless there is a satellite below the line of sight.
 
Pandora here or CDs, which I still love.

My wife lives Spotify, but its too damned complicated looking for me.

Had Sirius from day one, but lost interest a few years back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,182
Messages
1,428,063
Members
61,088
Latest member
SGT LAT
Back
Top