19VFB19

I have a 2014 VW Tiguan with factory standard audio system.
AM FM and Sat Radio sound like absolute crap.
CD sounds great.
Streaming audio thru bluetooth sounds great.
I dont understand how streaming from my phone sounds so much better than FM or Sat functions.
Anything I can do other than replace the radio unit?
It doesnt make alot of sense how streaming can sound so much better.
Thnks

jennifer911

Sat radio is licensed for a fixed amount of bandwidth. because they went from 50 channels to 100 to 150 channels they have had to keep compressing the bandwidth more and more for each channel. The more popular channels are allocated a little more than the fringe ones, but the fidelity suffers greatly even though you get great reception. FM radio on the other hand offers great fidelity, but depending on the area you drive in the reception may be poor.

12v Nick

Sat and FM will always sound worse than streaming bluetooth from a portable device. You have to consider the fact that you're listening to an analog signal with both of those technologies, opposed to listening to a full quality digital file over a digital streaming technology. With A2DP and AptX bluetooth profiles it can be tough to discern an audible difference between a CD/USB connection and a bluetooth stream — at least on a factory stereo.

Bottom line, if you want better audio quality look into streaming apps like Pandora, Spotify, or Tidal to run from your smart phone.