XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

I don't know if we went thru this before or not. Does anyone on here have XM or Sirius? Just wondering what you think of it, good and bad. Does anyone subscribe to any of the premium channels?

I am kicking around the idea of buying an XM unit. We had one on the way down to Texas this weekend and it was really nice. We listened to Opie and Anthonie on there. Those 2 are funny as hell!!!!! Monster Rain!!!!!!!!!

The only bad part I have heard is that you lose the signal when the weather gets bad, basically like Dish TV.

I used to sell Sirius and XM radio units, and I must say that I'm very satisfied with them both. You'll find that Sirius has a little bit less commercials, but that's mainly because they have less of a captive audience due to a higher subscription cost.
I've been a fan of the Delphi headunit that XM offers, due to its versatility. But recently Sirius released a new transportable headunit that seems to be equally good. So it's really a toss-up. Both choices are better than the boring, repetitive alternative of FM radio.

"The only bad part I have heard is that you lose the signal when the weather gets bad, basically like Dish TV."

Wrong. Either system relies on two types of signals, straight from the satellite or from a series of ground repeaters that rebroadcast the signal across the surface of the planet. It allows nearly flawless reception, I can get XM in the Lowry tunnel in Mpls, during rush hour while I sit in the middle.

I have XM and have had Sirius. I personally like the selection on XM and they have a killer comedy channel(uncensored). They also will be carrying MLB next season and they currently have just about every college sports game too. All their music is commercial free. They run 9.95/month. I don't have any of the premium channels(Playboy or Opie and Anthony).

Sirius also offers commercial free music, but they have the NFL and NHL(if they ever start a season). Not many college games. They cost 12.95/month but will match XM's rate if one were to pay a year in advance. They also let you listen to the music channels online for free as a subscriber, XM will be soon charging for that service. Sirius also plans on within a year or so to launch a video service. They anticipate having an introductory lineup of 4 channels, a couple being music videos and then movies.

Both have Traffic and Weather stations dedicated to every major metropolitan area. Either service has hardware that enables the service to be heard ANYWHERE, you ca take it from your car to your home to your office and even to the beach with a boombox style unit. XM even has a completely portable Walkman style unit that is great. All in all it is a great service, digital quality sound, commercial free music, coast to coast reception(no need to change channels every state), and a choice of professional sports without any blackout concerns. The prices have really come down since it came out about 2 1/2 years ago, it is really cheap to get into it.

I sell and install both services at the Circuit City Roadshop I run, if you, or anyone, have any questions or want prices on hardware, just let me know.

But like I said the general Sattelite Radio service is just awesome, I don't even listen to FM because of the commercials and shitty quality. Just ask JDM, he seemed to like it a lot when he was in my car.

I have the XM radio erik. i like it alot. its especially great in big cities and on long trips. the music is up to date. pretty much you just pick the type of music you are into listening to. when i was in downtown chicago i was supprised to be picking up signal with full bars. in the very small distant towns, the signal can get cut off between tall buildings. i have the older style smaller unit i picked up with everything for 75 bucks so i cannot complain. my antenna is the older bigger bulb looking crap and i have it in my rear dash instead of mounted and it picks up signal great from there because i did not want to mount that ugly shit. the music is crystal clear to cd quality if not better depending on your sound system in your car. for 10 bucks a month i am satisfied with the XM. your only choice would be to choose which service you want. look onto the we sites to see which has what you want to listen to and choose from there. i say go for it. :)

I plan to have Sirus by next year for the NFL games alone, but if XM gets NFL I will get that for the Games and the comedy. I have been in several long trips with people who have sat radio and I loved it!

i have sirius at work...the antenna is right next to the building on a 4 ft pole. never had a problem with signal, suprisingly. i like it alot. i spend most of my time at there...so having it in my car wouldnt be as good....
there is alot of channels that i like, and finally, im free of the shittyest station possible. KDWB.

What I dont get is... Id rather WATCH NFL then listen to it.
Just me.

Still like to listen to it on long sunday drives.

I'm looking at a Roady 2 by Delphi. Pretty good bang for the buck. Has a FM modulator built in. That way it can be used without having to plug it into your stereo or have a cassette adaptor. They have them for $128 at Walmart.

That's a good unit, you can also pick up the home kit for about 40 dollars, then you can take just the unit in to your house or work at anytime.

It also comes with different colored bezels so you can make it match your interior! ;) I was gonna buy that same unit a year ago, but spent all my funds on bills. :(

Re: XM Radio
 

Sorry to bring this back from the dead, but I'm looking at getting sattelite radio, but am having a hard time chosing between the two. It looks like they are both at 12.95 a month now. I've heard from most people I've talked to that Sirius is the way to go, and that XM is struggling right now as a company. Anyone have any input on this? I've gone through and compared the stations and what not, and they seem pretty deng close. I don't care about sports, I am getting it for the music, and they seem to have similar stations in the categories I like (New Rock/Alternative, Hip Hop, Techno, Reggeaton). Same monthly fees, pretty similar prices on the receivers. Just wondering if anyone with more knowledge of this then me can give me a little input. I'd be getting a portable receiver that I could mount on the windshield of the car.

Re: XM Radio
 

I would personally get XM, I've always liked them better for no real good reason I guess. Plus, XM is doing much better as a company and has a lot larger listener base which may prove to be beneficial in the long-run.

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Sirus get the NFL Games :D

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I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have XM. My bro had it first, then got my mom and dad hooked on it. They all love it. The only reason I don't have it is cuz I don't wanna buy all the stuff for it and pay the subscription fees.

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I really like XM, My buddy bought a 06 accord ex and it has that with the factory radio. XM has a pretty nice mix of music and has basically any type or enough of a mix for anything I would ever need or want.

Re: XM Radio
 

I don't listen to sports on the radio, it's boring to me. Sounds like I'll probably be going with XM. Once I get home I think I'm going to hit up best buy or radio shack and see what they have to say. If they have some sort of deal going on for Sirius, then I'll get that. But if everything is pretty much identical, then I'm thinking XM.

Re: XM Radio
 

most of the people I know have XM, only because it was bigger, faster. Sirus has really made some great moves to their service and I know that's who I will be going with. The Steath I want to buy comes with an XM setup, it will get ripped out and replaced with a Sirus unit.

Re: XM Radio
 

A couple of my friends had XM a couple of years ago and both ended their subscriptions rather quickly. They werent to happy with it and I wasnt too impressed when I would listen to it.

This of course was a couple of years ago shortly after it came out so things may have changed. If it were me buying one of those units I would probably go Sirius just because I havent heard any complaints about it from anyone that I know.

Re: XM Radio
 

XM is much better these days than back then. Sirius is actually the struggling company. XM just added 10 new channels. Plus you get XM online with your subscription. Opie and Anthony are included as well. With Stern going over to Sirius, they are going to be having some issues. Stern is getting sued by CBS (his former employer) because of the way he exitted. To the tune of 500 million dollars. The same amount Sirius is paying him. They put all their nuts into one basket with him and he's not delivering. Back in the day he was worth listening to. Now he just sucks. O&A are the way to go now. Their material is 100 times better. XM has Nascar (I know roundy round racing), NHL, MLB, etc. Plus Xm is the only one of the 2 that has a portable device that you can listen to the programming live rather than having to record it then play it back. They are leagues ahead of Sirius as far as the technology goes.

Re: XM Radio
 

Well I ended up getting Sirius. WE'll see how it goes. If it sucks bad then I'll prolly end up just selling it and getting XM.

Re: XM Radio
 

What type of contract did you have to sign?

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No contract. I signed up for the year plan though to save money. But if I cancel before then, I get reimbursed.

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That's the same way XM is. I am on the every 3 month plan.

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So far so good. Those of you with the portable units that attach to the windshield, what do you guys do with the antenna? Mine is just kinda shoved behind the unit, and I know that isn't ideal, but I don't want it just swinging around the dash everytime I take a turn.

Re: XM Radio
 

In case you question a change: http://www.radiosatellite.org/

Very strong comparison of the 2 in their current forms. Sirius has a better satelitte situation currently than XM's 2 made by Boeing. This is comparable only to the area they cover though. Since Boeing's allows coverage in more dense area's (Canada and Alaska) and Sirius does not. Probably not relevent here.

Re: XM Radio
 

I wouldn't put a huge amount of faith in everything listed on that site. There are partners that are missing, channels that are wrong and a few other flaws.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Bringing this one back up. More so to chat about current receivers.

I have 2 options with the 6. Spend around $600 to have the mazda equipment installed to make my factory system a full working Sat radio ready unit. No additional antenna, everything is hooked up under the dash, and the wires are run under the carpet with everything else. Just like it would of came if we would of opted for it as a factory option.

Or I can spend under $250 for a receiver to be installed on the side of my current radio, and have a portable reciever to use as well. I'm leaning to this direction just for the cost aspect alone.

But I am not sure what receiver I would go with. We are thinking about the Starmate 4 but the downfall is how do all these compare when we talk about sound quality? I've been told by one best buy intalled that going with the factory setup will result in 50x better qaulity of sound and if cost isn't an issue he'd suggest that over anything they would sell.

But at Circut City i was advised it wouldn't even be noticeable and it's all personal choice on what type of unit you want to work with.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Personally I would go the factory route so its all integrated as one unit. If for no other reason than just having a much cleaner install. I would assume your steering wheel controls would be able to adjust the sat stations.

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Yeah, I would maintain all options. The upside to havign a portable unit is the abililty to bring it inside or anywhere else I may want to listen to it.

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Do you ever actually listen to the radio inside your house? I know I wouldn't, but Brandon's does come in useful when throwing BBQ's over at his place.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

I'm not sure how much I would use it in the house.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Ok, I have been a Sirius customer for the better part of 3 years now and have never had a problem, I drive for a living so I have the portable unit the Sirius X-act but you get 2 antennas one for the Flashy whip and one for the other vechile your choice and you bury the wire under the head liner and for the Eclipse or Talon owners go out the top of the back hatch and magitize it to the roof the only problem I've encountered was the 94 tunnel, no one will ever get reception in their so here is the Break down...

1 Siruis portable unit $40.00 to $130.00 "different units different options"
2 One antenna comes with unit $35.00 for another
3 Options for billing Monthly $12.00 or do what I did and buy a Yearly subscription $150.00 "no fuss with the monthly"
4 Enjoy and drive Listening to over 165 channels

Hope this helps have nothing against XM but I think Sirius is better.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Everybody has their own opinions. I personally go with XM because they are consistantly coming up with better technology with better options. I also stay away from Sirius because of Stern.

No matter which one you get, you get online access to most of the channels with your subscription, so using your portable in the house has become a thing of the past. Just run your computer throught your stereo system and you get the same thing without having to put up a house antenna.

If you have a jack on your car stereo that you can hook up your Ipod to, you can hook your portable directly into that and get perfect sound quality. The subpar quality that you experience from portable units is usually because of having to use that units FM transmitter. I personally like the portables because I have mine set up for the car and the bike. In your case, I'd go with factory install for options and cleanliest.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Here's a link to a similar setup, except I'd put the portable unit on in place of where this guy put his I Pod.

http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.ph...7095&hl=sirius

In the end, I'm just nto sure WTF I want to do. It's a $400 differance in price, and that does play a big part.

Thanks for the input though guys.

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Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

Anybody want to buy a slightly used Inno portable XM receiver/recorder (had it since Thanksgiving) and all it's accessories for cheap? The stupid thing flakes out after being in the car docking station for more then 2-3 hours. It's like it over heats and then it acts like you're pushing random buttons on the remote. Not cool when I really only use it for long trips.

I can't really justify the cost of XM radio any more.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

I have Sirius also. And I have the X-ACT receiver too. Just like you said, with the portable units, you do lose a little sound quality since your counting on the FM Modulator to send the signal from the receiver to your car stereo. But I didn't want a permanent install because I want to be able to swap it from the galant to the talon whenever i want, and to be able to bring it with when I travel. I love it. Sometimes if the frequency your using is a frequency that comes in a little through the air waves, you can hear some interference. But I just deal with it.

Also like Chris said, it comes in handy since it's portable, if I ever want to bring it into the house for a party, and play it through the home stereo. You can just sign on to their site, and listen to it through the site in your house, but my computer isn't hooked up to my home stereo so that doesn't really work out well for me. Once I get a real nice daily driver, I'll get a permanently installed one in it. And if you don't care about swapping it from one car to another, or bringing it inside, I'd get it permanently installed, becaues it'll sound better, and just look cleaner overall.

Re: XM Radio (or Sirius)
 

I had that same problem with the frequency that comes through all I did was disconnect the ant from back of my deck.