Cheap Chick Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 I'm thinking of getting a satellite radio for my car. I am going to look into Sirius and XM on my own, but thought I might ask the teeming masses here who may have had experience with one or the other.I'm not a Howard Stern fan (I'm not a hater, just don't care one way or the other) and I don't listen to sports on the radio, so neither of those matter to me.So.. any great/awful experiences? Which one is better?
bach Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 I don't have any experience with XM, but I purchased Sirius abot six months ago. The glaring reason that I chose Sirius over XM is the lifetime plan. The $500 one time charge breaks even vs. the monthly fee after about three and 1/2 years, assuming the monthy fee stays the same - which it won't.The reception is very good. There's one place in a valley on my way to work where I lose service, but only for a few seconds. Also, I lose reception if I'm stuck in traffic and pause under a bridge or when I pull under a roof at a gas station, etc. Other than a prolonged barrier between my car and the sky, it's great.And the programming is great too. No commercials on the music stations drove me to satellite. Great variety too.Hope this helps...Edited for speling.
m chops Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 I have had no experience with Sirius. I've had my XM radio for a couple of years. It's on about 10 hours a day at the office. I'd hate to be without it. In the car, I've momentarialy lost reception in the mountains, particularly in the tunnels, but that is to be expected.I know you can sample the programming on XM and assume you can do so with Sirius. Listen to both for a while and see what best suits your needs/wants/desires.
Steve Haynie Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 Save your money and listen to your CD collection while you are in your car.
ChillyWater Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 Have had XM for 3 years. LOVE IT!! Not a Stern fan and wont be switching. If you have a XM account, they give you free access to their online streaming program so you can listen on your computer and leave your reciever in the car/home.
bobbymack Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 LOVE IT!! Not a Stern fan and wont be switching. If you have a XM account, they give you free access to their online streaming program so you can listen on your computer and leave your reciever in the car/home. +1. I've listened to regular radio less than an hour total since I got my XM last Christmas...and listening on your pc for free is nice too.
jerseydrew Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 I have Sirius and I love it. You can also listen to it on your computer if you're a member. I don't even listen to regular radio anymore. When Howard comes aboard, I will never listen to regular radio again.
edgar_allan_poe Posted July 7, 2005 Posted July 7, 2005 If you are choosing for the music...then it is a toss up. Go with the one that gives you the better deal. The difference between the two services are their other stuff...Football and Stern = Sirius...Baseball and College Football = XM.I have Sirius and love it...
nosajwp Posted July 8, 2005 Posted July 8, 2005 I have Sirius, and while it's much better than the regular radio, I have a few issues with it.1. Reception...driving through my neighborhood, I always have signal interruptions, and there are only a few tree branches that I actually drive under. Yesterday, I was on the first floor of a 4 story parking deck, and still had a signal. Must be some mercury or lead in the water those trees were drinking!2. Repetitive...while the channel selection on Sirius is good (except that they don't have a "decent" country channel, and there is too much overlap between the rock channels), you can listen to the same channel several different times of day and probably hear some of the same songs from the earlier time. Don't know if XM is like this, but it's getting old.3. Too many Hispanic channels.I might try XM in the near future. I will say the suction cup mount that came with my Starmate is leaps and bounds better than the mount I have seen for the Roady.
bobbymack Posted July 8, 2005 Posted July 8, 2005 I have Sirius, and while it's much better than the regular radio, I have a few issues with it.1. Reception...driving through my neighborhood, I always have signal interruptions, and there are only a few tree branches that I actually drive under. Yesterday, I was on the first floor of a 4 story parking deck, and still had a signal. Must be some mercury or lead in the water those trees were drinking!2. Repetitive...while the channel selection on Sirius is good (except that they don't have a "decent" country channel, and there is too much overlap between the rock channels), you can listen to the same channel several different times of day and probably hear some of the same songs from the earlier time. Don't know if XM is like this, but it's getting old.3. Too many Hispanic channels.I might try XM in the near future. I will say the suction cup mount that came with my Starmate is leaps and bounds better than the mount I have seen for the Roady. I do not have any of these complaints with XM...
John E Posted July 8, 2005 Posted July 8, 2005 I have XM, and I listen to NPR once in a while for news, otherwise not at all. I have no experience with Sirius, so can't comment on that.I really enjoy XM. They have a channel for about everything I could want to listen to. The one thing I've heard of on Sirius that I wished I had is Stephen (Steven?) Van Zandt's electic music mix. Otherwise, I got about everything I could want. XM is particularly strong on "alternative" music from the 1980s until today on Lucy/Fred/Ethyl etc.Plus, they have several comedy channels, which makes life much more tolerable when you hit a traffic jam.I think it's better than listening to your own CD collection, because it exposes you to music you've never heard. I've heard things on Deep Tracks (XM's channel for more obscure classic rock) that I've never even heard of. During one quick drive to a Thai take out place, I heard about three songs I'd never heard but always wanted to hear, like the Move's "California Man." (Always loved CT's version of that song, but wanted to hear the original.)Think of what your favorite style of music is, and then inquire of Sirius and XM radio fans which channels would cover that.
black magic Posted July 11, 2005 Posted July 11, 2005 Too many Hispanic channels would bother me personally, but Howard gets me to Sirius. Jack.
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