I realize this might be a bit OT, but I have a Sirius and a GM car (Olds Intrigue) with 6 +1 woofer speaker Bose system with CD changer in trunk and a couple of steering wheel controls. There is no plug in input, and I assume the CD changer takes up the input to the headunit.
I'd like to get an integrated unit but don't want to replace everything and lose the CD changer. Is there way besides using a cassette adapter to get a direct connection to a Sirus, or a good headunit that has it built in?
Most of the head units I've seen on Crutchfield seem to use a fairly large looking tuner unit that has to connect with a cable to the headunit that is "Sat radio ready".
Any suggestions welcome. I'm thinking that the factory radio "aux input" can be setup with a Y connector to go to the cd changer and the Sirius. I guess I need a good car stereo shop, but I'm used to doing things myself LOL.
Oh yea, the extra $ for an additional unit on Sirius gets you something like 4 extra receivers, so no reason not to have all the cars setup.
I don't care for Stern at all but do like the comedy, music and sports, some talk shows.
The traffic is pretty lamely done here in Houston, seems like a highschool student reading it with all the interest that a student would have reading remote city traffic reports, and the text for traffic doesn't get into any details like the local stations, that was dissappointing.
Redoing the Bose setups can be a PITA. Just check out any Chevy or Pontiac forums and search for Bose. Upgrades/mods are VERY tough and can be pricey.
You are not going to find any factory Sirius setups for a GM car. You will have to go aftermarket if you want Sirius.
That said, Alpine makes units that are ready for satellite, but you WILL have to add an external box of some type for the antenna connection etc. Those boxes you mention from Crutchfield are only 3x4" or so, not very big. Just have to find a place to stuff it in the dash somewhere. For my Jeep, that was easy.
Now that I have the Fit, I'm confused. It has an aux jack that is easily accessible, so I'm planning on adding a Roady or other XM add-on radio (there sure seem to be lots of choices now!). However, they all seem to come with cables that are to RCA jacks (the home kits) or with internal FM modulators - jack on the Roady a mini jack, like the car has, I think? Do I just need to buy a mini to mini cable at some place like Radio Shack? I actually would like a more professional installation and have someone power the unit directly, rather than tying up the power point.
I have both Sirius and XM and in my area, Sirius has better traffic coverage. I have found it to be more up-to-date and the announcers have more pleasant voices. On XM they sound like robots.
There are many ways to direct wire satellite radio to a factory car stereo so you don't have to use FM modulation. The solutions vary based on the vehicle you drive and the stereo system you have in the vehicle, so there is no general solution I have come up with that works for everyone.
The promotion was free; it was for 2 months and time is up...you were cut off. You have to pay now. There's no hardware problem, just a little $$ issue that needs to be taken care of before you can listen again. zekeman1
car (Impala) a couple of weeks ago and learned within a few miles that it came with XM. Over the following ten days, I learned to love it. . . for free. I rent cars a dozen or so times a year for my job, and this time I wanted a good one -- I needed to drive it through several NE states -- ended up being over 1800 miles.
The XM is integrated very well into the Bose/Chevrolet audio system. Instead of the 3 bands (AM/FM1/FM2) normally available, it's possible to program 6 bands, with 6 choices in each, and the sound quality is good.
While I'm a slow adopter of much technology, a couple of things I've acquired over the past several years (GPS & Replay TV) have added immensly to the quality of my life. I've gone on and on about how GPS makes my business travel safer & more pleasant on other Edmunds boards.
XM is really, really good for those who drive a lot; I drove a truck in a past life, & it would have been invaluable. Even now, with a 30-40 minute commute, given the 10 days of learning with this recent rental, I'd sign up.
GM/National are definitely doing the right thing by providing rental cars for people to use to try the system out.
Having had access to XM for an extended period, I've now adjusted my shopping list for my next car to include satellite radio. Based on this board and the two websites, I'm thinking XM is the way to go, as opposed to Sirius.
I found this board & looked over the past 1000+ posts -- was hoping this board would include some posts comparing the offerings of the two systems: who has the better comedy/talk/music choices?
Does anyone have comments on that sort of thing? XM is bigger & Sirius has Howard. I'd like to think there's more to it than that.
All I know about Howard is that he doesn't come cheap.
Stern Leads Sirius to Large Loss
As a Sirius owner/user, this doesn't surprise me in the least. I've listened to H.S. and much of the time there is a "news" segment or he and his crew are sitting around talking about what a legend he is in the communications industry. He seems to be a legend in his own mind.
I've already got a wearable one, just bought it last week. But it's XM rather than Sirius, made by Pioneer. I use it in the car mainly, but it can be used in the home. The salesperson said I could use it while jogging, though I did tell him he was way overestimating my interest in strenuous physical activity
The sound quality is better when it's used with the headphones rather than through FM modulation.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
Am interested in hearing more about this. Have been looking for a portable music solution. I really have tried to get into the iPod thing without much success. Now that I have XM in my new vehicle am giving serious thought to just dumping the iPod and getting a portable XM solution. Let us know what you got: I know Pioneer has a neat, new handheld. Is that what you went with?
Yup! That's the one I went with, the Pioneer. I paid 199.99 for the unit itself. To be honest, I haven't checked out the portable capabilities all that much, but I have carted it from car to house several times and really like the ease in doing that.
iPod is just such a different animal that it's hard to compare. You can "save" music on the XM portable, but you can't just upload anything you want - it's gotta be something that's playing on one of the XM stations. But I make mix CDs with the songs I really want anyway, so the portable XM works best for me. Don't know what else I can say, but if you've got questions, fire away.
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Does anyone know if there are any current promos for the monthly service. I have a new Acura which came with the first 3 months of service free. I had read somewhere that there was a promo for $77 for 9 months.
Stern sure looks to be the reason Sirius is doing better than XM at the moment.
Another take on the Jacobs Media study has XM and Sirius tied, each having 6% of US radio listeners. I still don't see real numbers off-hand so I don't know if that means 6.5 million subscribers each.
This graph is fuzzy but 70% of us agree that we won't pay for radio when we currently listen for free. (FMQB)
It's funny how people will not admit the "Stern effect" on satellite radio. I mean just look back at the beginning of this thread. It was all about XM and almost nothing about Sirius. Back when we started carrying satellite radios at Circuit City way back when, XM was the only one we bothered even mentioning. Sirius has been slowly climbing and with Stern, they have had a huge surge of popularity, and it just keeps going. They still dont even offer all the tech stuff that XM offers, and that will also help.
Say what you will, but Stern has more than paid for himself and Sirius is doing what they can to be the satellite radio provider of choice.
. . .since the board seems to have come back from the dead: Can anyone who's spent time listening to both the XM & Sirius channel selections compare & contrast them?
I rented a GM car with the XM activated back in April & had 10 days to play with the thing over 1800 miles of driving. Loved it -- couldn't do without it if I was on the road now as much as I used to be.
Therefore my next new car will have satellite radio & I'd be perfectly happy with the XM setup I had in the Impala I rented. There were a lot of sports channels I cared nothing for & no big-name talk shows, but otherwise I was always able to find something I preferred to 98% of what was available over the air. Plus (of course), no commercials.
I have no feel at all for Sirius though. I listened to Howard from time to time over the air, but he certainly wouldn't represent a reason to choose one provider over the other. What else makes Sirius better than XM?
Sirius recycles its songs on it music channels. H.S. and his sidekicks discuss what a media giant he is or dwell on screw ups of others. Think of what you'd be missing with XM (LOL).
Let me first say that I do listen to Howard Stern, have been for almost 20 years. He made a deal with Sirius and was scheduled to start in January, 06. 2 years ago, there were rumors of him getting out of his contract early and going to Sirius. To avoid the rush of people trying to buy equipment, I bought my Sirius tuner early... 2 years ago. I listened to Stern in the morning on FM, and then turned Sirius on for my ride home and on weekends. I loved it! Since Stern came to Sirius in January, I have truly not once turned on my FM tuner. If it's not Sirius, it's a CD.
With that being said, let's get off of the Stern topic, as that is only one slice of the pie.
I drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Sirius installed, and I have been nothing but overwhelmingly pleased with Sirius. I just traded the Jeep in a bought an Acura MDX, which offers only XM, and has a 3 month trial.
I am not impressed. I find the choice of music to be not to my liking. The list of stations is as long as Sirius, but I have not found something I like. (I hear 1 or 2 songs I like, and then I have to start surfing again.) The talk stations are unbearable (I do like some on Sirius) and as for the traffic.... the people talking all sound digitized. It does not sound like a human, more like a computer. They are crystal clear and easy to understand on Sirius and the traffic and weatcher is very accurate as well.
Also, Sirius and XM have different sattelite paths. Sirius signals come in more from above, while XM comes in at more of an angle. I find that Sirius will cut out if you are under a gas station roof, or in traffic under a bridge. XM cuts out if you are on back roads with tall trees and in the city if tall buildings are all around.
Now that I have personally tested both, I find that XM cuts out FAR more often that Sirius. Both have issues in foggy rainy conditions. Sirius never cut out in snow storms, havent tested XM in the snow.
My new MDX is only 2 weeks old and I have already started my phone calls trying to find a Sirius system to integrate into the Navigation screen. XM is out, it's Sirius for me.
No problem, glad to help. I honestly had no idea which to buy when I first started considering Sat Radio, and only went with Sirius to prepare for Stern. Now that I have heard both, I am SO happy with my decision.
Now, I have met people who swear by XM and like it leaps and bounds over Sirius, although I have NO idea why.
Most Sirius haters just bash Stern, and have no real input as to why they like XM better.
I've seen reviews which state that XM equipment is better and a year or two, they were correct.... but Sirius is catching up VERY quickly. By end of year, they have plans on a completely wireless device which will also record hours of programs and music and can used as an MP3 player as well. And Sirius also has talks on supplying Video feeds as well.
It's all getting better every day, for both XM and Sirius.
Everyone has their own preference, and they're own opinions. I respect their opinions, but I'm positive that Sirius is better for me.
I have XM and am very happy with it. I have had absolutely no problems with reception, except for in a tunnel that I have to go through on my way home. Otherwise, I've never had problems in foggy conditions, snow storms, or in Los Angeles. I did have an issue in LA when I used a wireless FM modulator.
As far as I was concerned, Sirius and XM have the same quality - I couldn't hear anything different that way. It seemed to me that I could find more that I liked in XM than I could on Sirius (I don't listen to rock or any of the variations of it, which seemed to be one of Sirius's strong-points). I haven't checked Sirius recently, they may have improved their selection of things that I would like by now.
As far as operating in Los Angeles - at this moment I have an old XM Roady hooked up to a Bose radio, with the home antenna pointing out a north facing window (satellites are to the south) and it's very grey today (June Gloom in full force). I'm happily listening to Zoot Sims.
Go for whichever service provides you the programming you like and don't fret over the rest of it. I like XM and won't change, especially with the NHL finals going on.
Gee, for a guy who hasn't lived here for a while, you sure remember your roads, don't you? Yes - that's the "tunnel" - really part of the interchange - that causes me to loose the XM signal (causes me to lose broadcast radio, too, though my cell phone works fine in it).
I did have some drops in one vehicle with XM at first - I had the antenna on the dash of a Toyota Tacoma. Once I put it on the roof, no problems. I've also had the antenna on the roll bar under both a hard top and a soft top Wrangler without any problems.
Come to think of it, my sister does quite well with the antenna on the dash of her Prius.
I think traffic coverage sucks...at least in Seattle. Heck, the announcers can't even pronounce townn name correctly. Their information is woefully outdated by 30-45 minues. Same for the weather.
Just wanted to add my $.02. I have had Sirius (JVC Unit)in my car for about a year and a half and have truely loved it. The selection is great when it comes to music, talk and news. I have had no major reception issues and the sound quality has been great!!!
I have not listened to XM enough to give a valid opinion.
Bottom line: The $20 or so I pay each month for 2 receivers is well worth it for me and my family.
GiGi got the Alpine head that includes an XM tuner put in her, so I never tried to add Sirius. I sold my NBS a few weeks ago, but kept the Roady - it's the one in the office attached to the Bose Wave radio (great combination). Since I'm now having a Fit - nameless at the moment - I got a Roady XT and have plugged it into the Aux jack on the dash (easiest thing in the world). There aren't any aftermarket installation kits for the dash yet and I wasn't willing to wait to add XM, so I didn't go with an aftermarket head. It's much more relaxing to listen to XM without commercials when the freeways are doing their imitation of a parking lot.
I noticed that Kermit has sure "grown" since I saw him!
For what it's worth, I've had XM for the last five months. At first, I was disappointed because I couldn't find a channel with music I liked. But, over the last couple of months, XM has adjusted their playlists and changed the names of some of their channels. Now, I have several stations that I surf between. I switch stations now based on mood more than not liking the music that's being played. At work, a couple buddies switch out their radios (one has XM, the other Sirius). They both seem to like both networks and enjoy the variety between the two.
I just officially subscribed to XM as my 3-month trial is up soon. I've got to say, even with a few holes in coverage here in the land of hills and tall trees, I'm loving satellite radio. Smart move to offer the free trial.
I've had XM for about 3 years and got Sirius back in February because it carried my favorite college team sports and Howard Stern. Because of my job I listen to about 50-60 hours of radio every week. I love satellite radio and rarely listen to terrestrial radio except for the weatherband on occasion. I have the XM and Sirius radios mounted one above the other on the dash. Most of my travel is in the midwest and I can't see any difference in reception between the two. When one cuts out the other one usually does too (when listening to Sirius I keep my XM on because it has an antenna signal strength meter on it) with Sirius probably losing signal slightly more often. Neither loses signal often and when it does its just for a few seconds. As far as programing Sirius has Howard Stern, which he is infinitely more entertaining uncensored and some college sports teams that XM doesn't. It has NFL, NBA and next year NASCAR(which XM has now). XM has better sports talk(more variety) and quite of bit of sports in its own right MLB, Indy car etc. Also XM has dedicated channels for its sports, like certain channels for MLB or the college conferences it carries. Sirius preempts other channels to carry an event, like carrying a ballgame on the Bloomberg channel for example making them harder to find. As far as talk, the nod goes to XM. More choices and more "known" people. IMHO the music is better on XM. It has more original programing and XM to me seems just better organized. Sirius has some original programing(concerts, interviews) but finding them is another thing. Its more of a stumbling onto deal where XM keeps you better informed about when and where something is going to be on. Sirius also has alot of channels that duplicate themselves while leaving out complete cateorgories. No alternative country or folk channels for example while easy listening pop is covered by about 4 channels and album rock is extensively covered. I've tried every since I got Sirius to get an updated channel guide as the one that came with my radio is completely useless and while promised have yet to receive one(the one you can print out is too small to be of any use to me). XM routinely sends you an updated program guide whenever there are any changes to its lineup, which it tweaks at least a couple times a year. So the question then I guess is whats more important to you. Rather you like Howard Stern or not no one can deny the effect he has had on Sirius and satellite radio. Before Howard Sirius was going nowhere and now they are almost equal with XM as far as subscribers go and they will probably surpass XM when they get NASCAR. I doubt Oprah will bring many subscribers to XM. I hope XM will make some kind of move to counter the Howard effect. Two strong satellite companies makes it better for us. To me, if I wasn't a Howard fan and music and news/talk where more important I'd go with XM. Bottom line though, if you love music you have to go with sarellite....the longer you have it the more you'll like it.
If I still drove for a living (was leased to Boat Transit '78-'80), I'd probably have both like you do.
As it is, I'm just trying to figure out what I want on my next car. Some only supply one or the other, some say they'll do either, but it turns out to be much easier to get one than the other. I'm still a year or two away, so gathering info.
As with any questions like this, I think the number one item is personal preference. This is not really an objective test where you can do some measurements and come out with a conclusion. I think that asking anyone which system is "better" and then basing your purchase on the answers is very unreliable unless you happen to know the person you are asking very well and know that your taste and their taste agree 100%. While I have owned Sirius for about 18 months and love it, that's not to say someone who likes XM better is not right...but for them!
Having said that, I think one thing we can all agree on is that satellite radio has it all over broadcast radio with choice being the #1 advantage.
I'm torn between the two. One of my rides has XM - the Jeep. My other car has Sirius. I am finding myself preferring the selection on Sirius a lot more lately. Hard to say.
I have a Sirius factory installed radio in my Toyota Avalon...the antenae is mounted on the front windshield inside the car. I find the reception generally okay on the inter states (though it fades at times) and on country roads with lots of trees, the reception can be piss poor. I am not impressed...and I'm not sure if its the equpiment installed by Toyota or if satellite radio is not perfected yet.
The factory installed units have me wondering as well. I have a plain 'ol Sirius Sportster in my Jeep and in my wifes Honda. I installed both of them and they both work fantastic... and never cut out. (Unless in my parking garage at work)
I have a factory installed XM unit in the MDX and it cuts out all the time.
Who knows..... But both are definitely better than FM.
I have the Sirius music channels on my Dish Satelite piped via fiber optic cable to my stereo and the full XM channels that I switch between my stereo (via an RCA cable), my truck and a boombox. When listening to my stereo, I prefer XM in many situations, but often switch back and forth between the two providers The sound is a little better quality on Sirius - probably due to the connection via fiber optic cable. XM has a deeper play list than Sirius, so I do get exposed to more music with XM than with Sirius. I like MLB and the dedicated channels for each team is great. When listening to XM on my truck, I rarely have any drop in signal and if so, only for a few seconds. I have no problems with reception even at the cabin in Northern Wisconsin with the antenea shooting through the trees. Bottom line, both are good, my nod goes to XM. husker5
Antenna placement does have alot to do with reception. Some of my co-workers have their antenna mounted on the dash and they lose signal quite often. I have my antenna mounted on my outside mirror(semi truck) and have generally good reception and if I do lose signal its only for a few seconds. I've found the best place to mount an antenna on a car is on the roof. I think Honda does a pretty slick job mounting theirs in the rear/center area of the roof and the antenna is color matched with the car.
-Programming varies by your taste, of course, but I find it decent, with a few bright spots. Some of stations are awfully redundant -- is it really necessary to play the Allman Brothers numerous times per day on the rock stations, as they seem to do? -- but some do have relatively adventurous playlists.
-Reception has not been great, any minor obstruction -- overpasses, gas station shelters -- seems to cut the signal. And being that I have a roof-mounted antenna, there's no excuse for this.
-Sound quality varies. The compression on non-music programming can be awful, almost like a stereo version of AM, while the music stations are about on par with FM, and not as good as CD.
-Customer service is less than satisfying. Getting the radio activated took three people and over an hour, with little in the way of apology for the problems and without any follow-up. (From the sound of things, I believe that they outsource the customer service to India, but they swore up-and-down that they were based in Dallas.)
On the whole, it's not bad but I can't give it an overwhelming endorsement, particularly if you are satisfied with your local broadcast radio programming. I may reactivate it later or switch to XM (I hear XM has fewer signal dropouts), but betweeen the customer service and constant signal loss, I'm not exactly in a hurry to do it. If I drove frequently for long periods in rural areas, I'd be more motivated, but for now, I'll save the money.
I find the sound quality of XM to be much more digitized, not sounding natural at all. Sirius has always been crystal clear. (For me)
Yes, under a bridge or gas station, Sirius cuts out more than XM. But for me, in the woods... XM cuts out WAY more often than Sirius. I don's spend much time under bridges or gas stations, but I do drive the back roads a lot. Sirius works better (For me)
Customer service.... I have had great success with Sirius. I was on hold all of 30 seconds and they helped me renew and move accounts quickly and painlessly. The girl who helped me was very friendly, no complaints there.
Setup of my device took all of 15 seconds, did it online. Punched in the device # and a credit card, wait 15 seconds, done and done! I have not called XM so I cannot compare.
Sirius offers a lifetime subscription for $500. I just received my XM welcome pack last night, no lifetime package available. That way, when the price goes up... and it will, you're stuck.
Some like XM and have great luck. Some like Sirius and have the same great luck.
Unfortunately, it's an opinion and a choice each person will need to make for themselves. No matter what decision they make, they will SO happy to be done with FM. I haven't listened to it since.
I find the sound quality of XM to be much more digitized, not sounding natural at all. Sirius has always been crystal clear. (For me)
I'm not comparing to XM, because I have little experience with XM. XM may be better, worse or similar, I really don't know.
As for sound quality, this can vary in part based upon the quality of your stereo -- the better your stereo, the more that you'll hear the compression, which means that a better stereo unit will make the flaws more obvious. The sound for the music stations isn't bad, but the sound quality of CD's is certainly better. (CD's lack the compression of the satellite signal.) Aside from the signal drops, I found the sound quality to be pretty good, but not fantastic.
I had Sirius from 01/04 through 05/05, went to XM from 05/05 through 01/06, and am currently back to Sirius.
XM Pros: Music has a more "dynamic" quality to it, stereo seperation is better, but it does get harsh when cranked up. The "decades" stations are slightly better on XM. XM Cons: Music selection is awful. They play a lot of b-sides and you're constantly flipping around to find something to listen to.
Sirius Pros: Better overall music programming. It's very easy to tune into a station and listen to it for hours. NFL Radio is the best NFL talk you will get anywhere, especially the "Afternoon Blitz" (they also air NFL Total Access off NFL Network). More sports in general. Stern, if you're into him (I think he's kind of boring).
Sirius Cons: Music quality isn't quite as sharp as XM's.
Up until recently, XM had vastly superior hardware. Sirius has caught up in the past year, however. I have a Starmate Replay, and the artist s-seek feature is awesome (I believe XM's higher-end units such as the SkyFi2 offer this as well).
All in all, if I bought a GM or Honda that had XM, I probably wouldn't throw a plug and play on the dash just to get Sirius, but I'd be tempted. Coming back to Sirius after my 8 month "vacation" to XM was like coming home, there is just more programming on the service that appeal to my tastes.
Either way, you can't lose. They're both pretty good.
XM Cons: Music selection is awful. They play a lot of b-sides and you're constantly flipping around to find something to listen to.
Ironically, I chose Sirius because I had heard that it had the more adventurous playlists of the two, but I'm finding more information that indicates that is XM that might have the more edgy (and therefore, more interesting for me) program choices.
In any case, I'm wondering whether we need to start choosing based upon the financial viability of these companies. Although XM clearly had a lead, and benefited from investments from some of the automakers, Sirius seems to be making more strides in getting branded content, which might help grow its subscriber base in the long run. My bet is that there will come a day when one company will buy the other, I'm just wondering which one will be on the winning end of the deal.
Ironically, I chose Sirius because I had heard that it had the more adventurous playlists of the two, but I'm finding more information that indicates that is XM that might have the more edgy (and therefore, more interesting for me) program choices.
"Edgy" has nothing to do with it. Take your favorite albums, and cull your least favorite, ear-shredding songs off each one. Those will be the songs XM plays.
Contrast to Sirius, where they will take the top half of an artists' catalog, and play that.
I'm generalizing, but that's what I found over the time I listened to XM.
Comments
I'd like to get an integrated unit but don't want to replace everything and lose the CD changer. Is there way besides using a cassette adapter to get a direct connection to a Sirus, or a good headunit that has it built in?
Most of the head units I've seen on Crutchfield seem to use a fairly large looking tuner unit that has to connect with a cable to the headunit that is "Sat radio ready".
Any suggestions welcome. I'm thinking that the factory radio "aux input" can be setup with a Y connector to go to the cd changer and the Sirius. I guess I need a good car stereo shop, but I'm used to doing things myself LOL.
Oh yea, the extra $ for an additional unit on Sirius gets you something like 4 extra receivers, so no reason not to have all the cars setup.
I don't care for Stern at all but do like the comedy, music and sports, some talk shows.
The traffic is pretty lamely done here in Houston, seems like a highschool student reading it with all the interest that a student would have reading remote city traffic reports, and the text for traffic doesn't get into any details like the local stations, that was dissappointing.
Redoing the Bose setups can be a PITA. Just check out any Chevy or Pontiac forums and search for Bose. Upgrades/mods are VERY tough and can be pricey.
You are not going to find any factory Sirius setups for a GM car. You will have to go aftermarket if you want Sirius.
That said, Alpine makes units that are ready for satellite, but you WILL have to add an external box of some type for the antenna connection etc. Those boxes you mention from Crutchfield are only 3x4" or so, not very big. Just have to find a place to stuff it in the dash somewhere. For my Jeep, that was easy.
-Paul
I have both Sirius and XM and in my area, Sirius has better traffic coverage. I have found it to be more up-to-date and the announcers have more pleasant voices. On XM they sound like robots.
zekeman1
The XM is integrated very well into the Bose/Chevrolet audio system. Instead of the 3 bands (AM/FM1/FM2) normally available, it's possible to program 6 bands, with 6 choices in each, and the sound quality is good.
While I'm a slow adopter of much technology, a couple of things I've acquired over the past several years (GPS & Replay TV) have added immensly to the quality of my life. I've gone on and on about how GPS makes my business travel safer & more pleasant on other Edmunds boards.
XM is really, really good for those who drive a lot; I drove a truck in a past life, & it would have been invaluable. Even now, with a 30-40 minute commute, given the 10 days of learning with this recent rental, I'd sign up.
GM/National are definitely doing the right thing by providing rental cars for people to use to try the system out.
Having had access to XM for an extended period, I've now adjusted my shopping list for my next car to include satellite radio. Based on this board and the two websites, I'm thinking XM is the way to go, as opposed to Sirius.
I found this board & looked over the past 1000+ posts -- was hoping this board would include some posts comparing the offerings of the two systems: who has the better comedy/talk/music choices?
Does anyone have comments on that sort of thing? XM is bigger & Sirius has Howard. I'd like to think there's more to it than that.
Stern Leads Sirius to Large Loss (BetaNews)
Interesting aside in the article - wearable satellite radio is coming soon.
Steve, Host
Stern Leads Sirius to Large Loss
As a Sirius owner/user, this doesn't surprise me in the least. I've listened to H.S. and much of the time there is a "news" segment or he and his crew are sitting around talking about what a legend he is in the communications industry. He seems to be a legend in his own mind.
The sound quality is better when it's used with the headphones rather than through FM modulation.
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Steve, Host
Am interested in hearing more about this. Have been looking for a portable music solution. I really have tried to get into the iPod thing without much success. Now that I have XM in my new vehicle am giving serious thought to just dumping the iPod and getting a portable XM solution. Let us know what you got: I know Pioneer has a neat, new handheld. Is that what you went with?
Mike
iPod is just such a different animal that it's hard to compare. You can "save" music on the XM portable, but you can't just upload anything you want - it's gotta be something that's playing on one of the XM stations. But I make mix CDs with the songs I really want anyway, so the portable XM works best for me. Don't know what else I can say, but if you've got questions, fire away.
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Anybody know ? Thanks!
Steve, Host
It should read "Among Satellite Subscribers..."
Another take on the Jacobs Media study has XM and Sirius tied, each having 6% of US radio listeners. I still don't see real numbers off-hand so I don't know if that means 6.5 million subscribers each.
This graph is fuzzy but 70% of us agree that we won't pay for radio when we currently listen for free. (FMQB)
Steve, Host
Say what you will, but Stern has more than paid for himself and Sirius is doing what they can to be the satellite radio provider of choice.
I rented a GM car with the XM activated back in April & had 10 days to play with the thing over 1800 miles of driving. Loved it -- couldn't do without it if I was on the road now as much as I used to be.
Therefore my next new car will have satellite radio & I'd be perfectly happy with the XM setup I had in the Impala I rented. There were a lot of sports channels I cared nothing for & no big-name talk shows, but otherwise I was always able to find something I preferred to 98% of what was available over the air. Plus (of course), no commercials.
I have no feel at all for Sirius though. I listened to Howard from time to time over the air, but he certainly wouldn't represent a reason to choose one provider over the other. What else makes Sirius better than XM?
Sirius recycles its songs on it music channels. H.S. and his sidekicks discuss what a media giant he is or dwell on screw ups of others. Think of what you'd be missing with XM (LOL).
May I assume you prefer XM?
May I assume you prefer XM?
I have both XM and Sirius in my cars. Yes, I give the slight edge to XM.
2 years ago, there were rumors of him getting out of his contract early and going to Sirius. To avoid the rush of people trying to buy equipment, I bought my Sirius tuner early... 2 years ago.
I listened to Stern in the morning on FM, and then turned Sirius on for my ride home and on weekends. I loved it!
Since Stern came to Sirius in January, I have truly not once turned on my FM tuner. If it's not Sirius, it's a CD.
With that being said, let's get off of the Stern topic, as that is only one slice of the pie.
I drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee with Sirius installed, and I have been nothing but overwhelmingly pleased with Sirius.
I just traded the Jeep in a bought an Acura MDX, which offers only XM, and has a 3 month trial.
I am not impressed.
I find the choice of music to be not to my liking.
The list of stations is as long as Sirius, but I have not found something I like. (I hear 1 or 2 songs I like, and then I have to start surfing again.)
The talk stations are unbearable (I do like some on Sirius)
and as for the traffic.... the people talking all sound digitized. It does not sound like a human, more like a computer. They are crystal clear and easy to understand on Sirius and the traffic and weatcher is very accurate as well.
Also, Sirius and XM have different sattelite paths.
Sirius signals come in more from above, while XM comes in at more of an angle.
I find that Sirius will cut out if you are under a gas station roof, or in traffic under a bridge.
XM cuts out if you are on back roads with tall trees and in the city if tall buildings are all around.
Now that I have personally tested both, I find that XM cuts out FAR more often that Sirius.
Both have issues in foggy rainy conditions.
Sirius never cut out in snow storms, havent tested XM in the snow.
My new MDX is only 2 weeks old and I have already started my phone calls trying to find a Sirius system to integrate into the Navigation screen.
XM is out, it's Sirius for me.
This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for.
I honestly had no idea which to buy when I first started considering Sat Radio, and only went with Sirius to prepare for Stern.
Now that I have heard both, I am SO happy with my decision.
Now, I have met people who swear by XM and like it leaps and bounds over Sirius, although I have NO idea why.
Most Sirius haters just bash Stern, and have no real input as to why they like XM better.
I've seen reviews which state that XM equipment is better and a year or two, they were correct.... but Sirius is catching up VERY quickly.
By end of year, they have plans on a completely wireless device which will also record hours of programs and music and can used as an MP3 player as well.
And Sirius also has talks on supplying Video feeds as well.
It's all getting better every day, for both XM and Sirius.
Everyone has their own preference, and they're own opinions.
I respect their opinions, but I'm positive that Sirius is better for me.
Glad I could help.
As far as I was concerned, Sirius and XM have the same quality - I couldn't hear anything different that way. It seemed to me that I could find more that I liked in XM than I could on Sirius (I don't listen to rock or any of the variations of it, which seemed to be one of Sirius's strong-points). I haven't checked Sirius recently, they may have improved their selection of things that I would like by now.
As far as operating in Los Angeles - at this moment I have an old XM Roady hooked up to a Bose radio, with the home antenna pointing out a north facing window (satellites are to the south) and it's very grey today (June Gloom in full force). I'm happily listening to Zoot Sims.
Go for whichever service provides you the programming you like and don't fret over the rest of it. I like XM and won't change, especially with the NHL finals going on.
-Paul
I did have some drops in one vehicle with XM at first - I had the antenna on the dash of a Toyota Tacoma. Once I put it on the roof, no problems. I've also had the antenna on the roll bar under both a hard top and a soft top Wrangler without any problems.
Come to think of it, my sister does quite well with the antenna on the dash of her Prius.
I have not listened to XM enough to give a valid opinion.
Bottom line: The $20 or so I pay each month for 2 receivers is well worth it for me and my family.
I remember your Taco... and your NBS.
-Paul
I noticed that Kermit has sure "grown" since I saw him!
As far as programing Sirius has Howard Stern, which he is infinitely more entertaining uncensored and some college sports teams that XM doesn't. It has NFL, NBA and next year NASCAR(which XM has now). XM has better sports talk(more variety) and quite of bit of sports in its own right MLB, Indy car etc. Also XM has dedicated channels for its sports, like certain channels for MLB or the college conferences it carries. Sirius preempts other channels to carry an event, like carrying a ballgame on the Bloomberg channel for example making them harder to find.
As far as talk, the nod goes to XM. More choices and more "known" people.
IMHO the music is better on XM. It has more original programing and XM to me seems just better organized. Sirius has some original programing(concerts, interviews) but finding them is another thing. Its more of a stumbling onto deal where XM keeps you better informed about when and where something is going to be on. Sirius also has alot of channels that duplicate themselves while leaving out complete cateorgories. No alternative country or folk channels for example while easy listening pop is covered by about 4 channels and album rock is extensively covered.
I've tried every since I got Sirius to get an updated channel guide as the one that came with my radio is completely useless and while promised have yet to receive one(the one you can print out is too small to be of any use to me). XM routinely sends you an updated program guide whenever there are any changes to its lineup, which it tweaks at least a couple times a year.
So the question then I guess is whats more important to you. Rather you like Howard Stern or not no one can deny the effect he has had on Sirius and satellite radio. Before Howard Sirius was going nowhere and now they are almost equal with XM as far as subscribers go and they will probably surpass XM when they get NASCAR. I doubt Oprah will bring many subscribers to XM.
I hope XM will make some kind of move to counter the Howard effect. Two strong satellite companies makes it better for us. To me, if I wasn't a Howard fan and music and news/talk where more important I'd go with XM.
Bottom line though, if you love music you have to go with sarellite....the longer you have it the more you'll like it.
If I still drove for a living (was leased to Boat Transit '78-'80), I'd probably have both like you do.
As it is, I'm just trying to figure out what I want on my next car. Some only supply one or the other, some say they'll do either, but it turns out to be much easier to get one than the other. I'm still a year or two away, so gathering info.
I live in the back roads of New Endland.
Sirius hardly ever cuts out and XM cuts out all the time.
Sirius is a Sportster mounted on the dash with the antenna on the roof.
XM is a factory installed unit on the Acura MDX.
I say that the amount of cut outs depends more on where you drive, since the 2 companies have completely different signal angles.
Having said that, I think one thing we can all agree on is that satellite radio has it all over broadcast radio with choice being the #1 advantage.
I'm torn between the two. One of my rides has XM - the Jeep. My other car has Sirius. I am finding myself preferring the selection on Sirius a lot more lately. Hard to say.
-Paul
I have a plain 'ol Sirius Sportster in my Jeep and in my wifes Honda. I installed both of them and they both work fantastic... and never cut out. (Unless in my parking garage at work)
I have a factory installed XM unit in the MDX and it cuts out all the time.
Who knows.....
But both are definitely better than FM.
husker5
I've found the best place to mount an antenna on a car is on the roof. I think Honda does a pretty slick job mounting theirs in the rear/center area of the roof and the antenna is color matched with the car.
-Programming varies by your taste, of course, but I find it decent, with a few bright spots. Some of stations are awfully redundant -- is it really necessary to play the Allman Brothers numerous times per day on the rock stations, as they seem to do? -- but some do have relatively adventurous playlists.
-Reception has not been great, any minor obstruction -- overpasses, gas station shelters -- seems to cut the signal. And being that I have a roof-mounted antenna, there's no excuse for this.
-Sound quality varies. The compression on non-music programming can be awful, almost like a stereo version of AM, while the music stations are about on par with FM, and not as good as CD.
-Customer service is less than satisfying. Getting the radio activated took three people and over an hour, with little in the way of apology for the problems and without any follow-up. (From the sound of things, I believe that they outsource the customer service to India, but they swore up-and-down that they were based in Dallas.)
On the whole, it's not bad but I can't give it an overwhelming endorsement, particularly if you are satisfied with your local broadcast radio programming. I may reactivate it later or switch to XM (I hear XM has fewer signal dropouts), but betweeen the customer service and constant signal loss, I'm not exactly in a hurry to do it. If I drove frequently for long periods in rural areas, I'd be more motivated, but for now, I'll save the money.
I had a completely different experience.
I find the sound quality of XM to be much more digitized, not sounding natural at all.
Sirius has always been crystal clear. (For me)
Yes, under a bridge or gas station, Sirius cuts out more than XM.
But for me, in the woods... XM cuts out WAY more often than Sirius.
I don's spend much time under bridges or gas stations, but I do drive the back roads a lot.
Sirius works better (For me)
Customer service.... I have had great success with Sirius. I was on hold all of 30 seconds and they helped me renew and move accounts quickly and painlessly.
The girl who helped me was very friendly, no complaints there.
Setup of my device took all of 15 seconds, did it online.
Punched in the device # and a credit card, wait 15 seconds, done and done!
I have not called XM so I cannot compare.
Sirius offers a lifetime subscription for $500.
I just received my XM welcome pack last night, no lifetime package available.
That way, when the price goes up... and it will, you're stuck.
Some like XM and have great luck.
Some like Sirius and have the same great luck.
Unfortunately, it's an opinion and a choice each person will need to make for themselves.
No matter what decision they make, they will SO happy to be done with FM.
I haven't listened to it since.
I'm not comparing to XM, because I have little experience with XM. XM may be better, worse or similar, I really don't know.
As for sound quality, this can vary in part based upon the quality of your stereo -- the better your stereo, the more that you'll hear the compression, which means that a better stereo unit will make the flaws more obvious. The sound for the music stations isn't bad, but the sound quality of CD's is certainly better. (CD's lack the compression of the satellite signal.) Aside from the signal drops, I found the sound quality to be pretty good, but not fantastic.
XM Pros: Music has a more "dynamic" quality to it, stereo seperation is better, but it does get harsh when cranked up. The "decades" stations are slightly better on XM.
XM Cons: Music selection is awful. They play a lot of b-sides and you're constantly flipping around to find something to listen to.
Sirius Pros: Better overall music programming. It's very easy to tune into a station and listen to it for hours. NFL Radio is the best NFL talk you will get anywhere, especially the "Afternoon Blitz" (they also air NFL Total Access off NFL Network). More sports in general. Stern, if you're into him (I think he's kind of boring).
Sirius Cons: Music quality isn't quite as sharp as XM's.
Up until recently, XM had vastly superior hardware. Sirius has caught up in the past year, however. I have a Starmate Replay, and the artist s-seek feature is awesome (I believe XM's higher-end units such as the SkyFi2 offer this as well).
All in all, if I bought a GM or Honda that had XM, I probably wouldn't throw a plug and play on the dash just to get Sirius, but I'd be tempted. Coming back to Sirius after my 8 month "vacation" to XM was like coming home, there is just more programming on the service that appeal to my tastes.
Either way, you can't lose. They're both pretty good.
Ironically, I chose Sirius because I had heard that it had the more adventurous playlists of the two, but I'm finding more information that indicates that is XM that might have the more edgy (and therefore, more interesting for me) program choices.
In any case, I'm wondering whether we need to start choosing based upon the financial viability of these companies. Although XM clearly had a lead, and benefited from investments from some of the automakers, Sirius seems to be making more strides in getting branded content, which might help grow its subscriber base in the long run. My bet is that there will come a day when one company will buy the other, I'm just wondering which one will be on the winning end of the deal.
"Edgy" has nothing to do with it. Take your favorite albums, and cull your least favorite, ear-shredding songs off each one. Those will be the songs XM plays.
Contrast to Sirius, where they will take the top half of an artists' catalog, and play that.
I'm generalizing, but that's what I found over the time I listened to XM.
Thanks, all.
Sounds like it'd be hard to go wrong either way, but the Sirius user comments are compelling.