How satellite radio enriched my life on a rainy day
Heads up!
Welcome to this article from the Crutchfield archives. Have fun reading it, but be aware that the information may be outdated and links may be broken.Yesterday's late lunch took an unexpected turn, and along with giving me a rock-solid excuse for hanging around in my car listening to music, it was also the perfect demonstration of why XM satellite radio's massive variety is so cool.
I'd headed to a nearby grocery store to pick up some lunch, but on the way back to work, I saw a thick, dark storm-front unfolding in the sky. Between the amazing display of jagged lightning, the powerful winds, and the torrential rain, it definitely wasn't safe to drive. And I really like thunderstorms — I'd happily sit outside in the pouring rain, if not for my mother's voice in the back of my head nagging me about not having the sense God gave a turnip. So I parked in a vacant area of the shopping center's parking lot and just watched.
Now, if all I'd had to listen to at the time were the CDs I had in the car or a few local radio stations, nothing would've come close to providing an acceptable soundtrack. But this is where XM's wide variety of options made things even better. I'd been listening to Cross Country, XM's alt-country station. But those twangy tunes about love, life, and discovery weren't going to cut it. I considered switching to Sonic Theater, another favorite of mine, but an audio book would just be distracting. I started scanning my channel presets by artist and found something called, enticingly, "Gojira." I selected the channel and found myself assaulted by the thrashing of industrial speed metal. Channel 42: Liquid Metal. Perfect! The unbridled energy of Gojira and the bands that followed were an ideal match for the storm.
And I was in heaven.
Most of the time, my satellite radio just provides entertainment, but yesterday, it provided enrichment to an already exciting experience. And there's good news ahead — today's forecast is calling for thunderstorms.
by Crutchfield's
Meet Robert Ferency-Viars
Eating up the highway with clarity and volume — a champion of car audio.
During my first few years at Crutchfield, I served as one of our Advisors, helping our customers choose new audio components for their homes and cars. Eventually, I moved to the writing team and spent a decade researching new products and getting even more hands-on with car audio gear.
I've performed many car and home audio installations over the years, some of them even on my own cars. As the editor of Crutchfield's car audio web articles, I couldn't ask for a cooler job. We listen to music and play with car audio gear every day!
Like most of us here, I've always been into music. I installed my first car stereo system before the family car was even mine. In college, I helped friends and roommates install their car stereos and set up the stereos in their apartments. I was a volunteer DJ for the local community radio station for a few years (playing late night metal and Sunday morning bluegrass & alt-country). That's where I also first learned a little bit about sound mixers.
These days, I serve my community by volunteering with the Boys Scouts of America. I also love playing board games & RPGs, spending time with my family, and installing new audio systems for my friends.
More about Robert
More from Robert Ferency-Viars
Car stereo buying guide
Review of the Sony XAV-AX5500 car stereo
Single-DIN vs Double-DIN car stereos
How to connect your new car stereo's wiring
How to choose a replacement FM antenna for your car
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