Opinions Needed - XM or Sirius?

[Flaren]

Anyone have an opinion either way on XM or Sirius? Also, anyone have any input on which module-unit-receiver thingy you bought? I was kinda looking at XM Sky-Fi 2 or the Blaupunkt blue one for Sirius. Any advice/info/input/$0.02 is appreciated! Thanks all!

[-=JoN=-]

xm has more channels that sirius, and (since ur from new england) they also have O and A as a premium channel (for like an extra 2 bux or something)

sirius has less channels, and has Stern....again as an extra...
i know a few ppl personally that has xm, it seems cool..nice clear sound..and so far they have not said anything about signal loss

dont know anyone with sirius...i think a few ppl have em here

[Talon]

I have Sirius, and we(my gf & I) both love it. My mom has xm, and while I haven`t been down her way to check it out yet, she has said she likes it too. It`ll probably just boil down which company offers what you want most. I got the Sirius sportster model for the Football season (it allows you to see your favorite football team logo whenever you turn on/off the reciever) and I can listen to any NFL game as well as the Redskins (you don`t need the Sportster model to listen to them). There are a few pics on my cardomain site (link in sig) if you want to see how mine is mounted).

Mike

[BluPhant]

XM is the way to go, imho. The only exception would be if you want to listen to football games in the car. I have XM with the O&A package, it's like $12/mo.

Howard has jumped the shark in my mind, and in a lot of other peoples minds too. Sirius may get a little blip in subscriptions because of him coming on board, but being realistic about it, the boy is in his 50s already, and his show is already starting to stink. Dunno that satellite is going to help that problem.

But for music, there's no comparison- the variety that XM offers is well beyond that of sirius. Even weird groups (like for example Minor Threat) that I've not heard on the radio in many years are available on some of the XM channels.

The only problem I've had so far is one that I need to address soon - I cinked my antenna wire in such a way that its become almost dysfunctional. So I'm gonna have to re-run it.

Important to note that no matter which way you decide to go, Satellite radio, by its very nature, is line-of-sight -- which means that the satellite antenna needs to have a clear view of the southern sky to get a good signal. Going under a longer bridge/tunnel will cause some dropouts, and if you drive on a heavily tree-lined street you might have a problem with reception.

To give you my personal take on my purchase, the only regret I have is not doing it sooner. We've not used anything but since we got it.

If you decide to do XM, let us know, theres a deal we can hook u up with that will get you the hardware at a discount.

-Blu

[valoflyby]

I'm going to disagree w/ BluPhant on the Sirius vs. XM issue.

I *had* XM from July 'til November of last year. I thought that it was night and day compared to FM radio, but I thought that the programming was "strange". Here's an example: When you're listening to one of the Decades channels, for example the 90's on 9, they'll go from something like Nirvanna then immediately play a Celine Dion song. Now, granted, they were both released during the 90's.. but COME ON!! Given the right situation, I can groove to either, but back to back? Also, it seemed that on some of the other genre channels they merely put their collection on "random", rather than gave it any thought as to how the songs would flow.

Again, this solution was AWESOME in comparison to FM radio. So, if you only ever experience XM, you'll be pig-in-$hit happy with it.

However, what ruined it for me was when the guy I commute with bought a new Audi. It came with a free year's subscription to Sirius. To me, it was another great leap in listening pleasure. The songs would flow together. I knew then I would have to dump XM in favor of Sirius.

For me it breaks down like this:

XM Pros:
1. Cooler equipment.
2. Cheaper monthly subscription. ($10)
3. More subscribers, possibly more likely to succeed?
4. Dedicated (not shared) traffic channels.

XM Cons:
1. Screwy programming
2. Only two satellites (What happens when one takes a dump?)
3. Want to stream @ your computer? It'll cost you extra.

Sirius Pros:
1. MUCH better programming (to my taste)
2. Streaming @ your computer is free.
3. NFL while on the road.
4. Three Satellites.
5. Try before you buy.

Sirius Cons:
1. More expensive per month for basic subscription ($13)
2. Chunkier receivers.
3. Shared traffic channels. (Why do I care what's going on in Baltimore when I'm trying to get DC traffic?)

The bottom line is an agreement with BluPhant: *EITHER* Satellite radio service is worth the money. You'll realize how much you hate FM once you make the leap. With Sirius, you can try the service via streaming on your computer for free for three days. (If you've got more than one email address, you could conceivably "try" it @ your computer for as long as you like, making a change every three days.. ;) ) XM doesn't offer this.

Hope that this helps.

- Jeff

[squid729]

imho either will give you great music selection and a great variety of news and talk, you wont be disappointed either way and will never go back, at least until hd radio is widely available

both are growing by leaps and bounds, xm was first and has more subscribers but sirius is growing very rapidly right now

i agree with jeff my personal preference is the programming on sirius, we have the factory sirius and as others have said we hardly use the fm or cd since getting this. WE LOVE IT!

your factory libby radio probably has the sirius port if you want to add without a new head unit

the sirius music channels are commercial-free but i believe that xm does have some commercials. both have limited commercials on their news and talk stations

sirius is a couple of bucks more per month but offers free music streaming to your pc, which xm charges for. i find the streaming to be very useful (ie we can listen at home, office, laptop etc without a 2nd receiver)

if you are a sports fan sirius has nfl, nba, nhl and some college sports...xm has mlb and some college sports. nascar is moving soon from xm to sirius. the nfl coverage on sirius is outstanding

both have cnn, cnbc, cspan, bbc, bloomberg, fox, weather channel, and local traffic & weather. sirius has npr and pri

i am not a stern fan, so that is not a draw for me

btw both sirius and xm have ground repeaters in major urban areas so that you can get their signals without satellite line-of-sight there, for example office buildings or driving between buildings. our reception hardly drops out anywhere

both have free trials i think, or you can rent a car with sat radio, check them out and see which you prefer!

i can recommend for learning more about sat radio

sirius discussion
http://www.siriusbackstage.com

xm discussion
http://www.xm411.com

[jjo]

I opted for Sirius because:

1. I listen to Stern
2. I like that the radio is integrated into the factory radio (I hate aftermarket radios)
3. I get a free year from Chrysler

[sbelkins]

:-k Hmm tough one. I have a Sirius and really like it, lots of good music, sports, talk etc. I know people with xm and they like it too! I guess it came down to price for me and the hardware was way cheaper for me to go with Sirius rather than XM. Also XM is technically legal in Canada whereas Sirius is not technically speaking, thats another reason to get it. LOL (whistle)

Here is a pic of mine installed. I think it looks like it is susposed to be there.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/517000-517999/517482_6.jpg

[BoeserBlick]

Thanks to my job I've had both services for free for quite some time. At the end of the day, I listen to XM MUCH more (almost never with Sirius).
Regardless of price, I think XM is better. Better equiptment, and most of all better sound quality (probably thanks to the superior equipment), and better content (my tastes of coarse).
Stern might still command many listeners, but his halcyon & best days are behind him - he's turning into a has-been.

[BluPhant]

Here is a pic of mine installed. I think it looks like it is susposed to be there.

I like how you have this installed. Because I have XM, my reciever is much smaller, but I think it would mount well there. Can you provide some detail as to how you mounted this? I need to consider a new mounting solution sometime in the next couple weeks, because I'm going to be replacing the antenna (I think I kinked the wire a lil too much somewhere along the line) - plus I dislike the double-stick tape thats currently holding it on.

Thanks!

-Blu

[squid729]

well the sat radio landscape changed a bit today

<snip>
2/28/05

In an unexpected move, XM Satellite Radio increased its monthly access fee to $12.95 per month, in line with its competitor SIRIUS. The change will take effect April 2; however, the company said customers who sign up for a prepaid plan before that date would be able to lock in the old $9.99 rate from anywhere between one to five years.

While the new rate is nearly $3 more, XM sweetened the deal for its users. All basic customers will now have access to XM Radio Online, formerly a $3.99 per month premium service. XM Online allows customers to listen to programming over a broadband connection...
</snip>

i also read that due to subscriber complaints xm has recently moved away (again) from commercials on their music channels, so things are even up there now also

and of course there is renewed speculation that now that their subscribers are paying the same rate sirius and xm can work on merging so we (hopefully) get the best of both

[squid729]

more sirius & xm stuff

estimated subscriber base for end of 2005
xm 5 - 6 mil
sirius 2.5 - 3.5 mil
sat radio total 7.5 - 9.5 mil

current subscribers as of 2/28/05
xm 3.6 mil
sirius 1.5 mil
sat radio total 5.1 mil

subscribers as of end of 2004
xm 3.2 mil
sirius 1.15 mil
sat radio total 3.35 mil

subscribers as of end of 2003
xm 1.36 mil
sirius .26 mil
sat radio total 1.62 mil

xm subscriptions have been largely driven by GM OEM sales, Sirius subs are just starting to get serious growth from Chrysler and Ford OEM sales

Written in the Stars : Sirius and XM are taking strategy and competition to the skies in an epic, multibillion-dollar struggle to dominate next-generation radio. (Feb 2005)
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/91/open_stars.html

i understand that the March issue of Money magazine has a cover story on satellite radio, XM vs Sirius
http://money.cnn.com/magazine/

[CoasterG]

I've had XM for over a year now - I love it.

Its purely personal preference, I've listened to both services extensively and:

Music - I'm a Alternative, 80s, Rock, etc fan
XM - Deeper selections from artists but plays the popular stuff as well
Sirius - More popular oriented, not too deep, and somewhat repetitive but its good

Sports
XM - Baseball, College Sports, NASCAR
Sirius - Football, Basketball, Hockey (I think)

Talk
Roughly equivalent, just Sirius = Stern, XM = O & A

XM is raising their prices but it now includes XM Online and O&A as a toss in plus family plan for extra units (+$6.99/mo). Can also lock in old prices with yearly subscriptions thru April 2.

Sirius is $12.99, has online music service, don't know about family plan/extra radio discounts.

[Flaren]

Thanks for all the great input! I think I'm leaning more towards XM right now. Just gotta wait for my KJ to come in so i can install it!

[Flaren]

So I signed up for the 3-day trial thingy for XM, and I LOVE IT! I've already decided on a SkyFi 2 and the apprpriate home and car kits. I think I'm also gonna sign up for a year before the 4/2 deadline to try to save a few $$$. Not a bad welcome home present for my new KJ....lol.

Thanks for the heads-up, CoasterG. I listen to pretty much the same thing, and I, too, now prefer XM over Sirius.

[flyingpylon]

XM just announced that they'll be broadcasting IRL races on channel 152 for at least this season and next season. That's a plus in my book (don't flame me if you're a Champ Car fan... I watch their races too... it's all good).

[BoeserBlick]

Lets sweeten this a bit more...

https://xmradio.metrononline.com/xmpromotion/emaillogin.aspx

Seach around on the regular XM website for anyone's email address & enter it in there. SWEET deals.


(BTW, I found out that this is an open-ended promo for people in the know - NOT limited as I initially thought. But don't share with too many people, lest they shut it down.)

[Flaren]

I'm quite curious about this, but I gotta say, i"m stumped. I've been looking for about a half hour now, but I still haven't been able to find any sponsor emails. I've tried quite a few, but none of them have worked. Have any suggestions for one that does? Thanks so much! =)

[BluPhant]

Check your PM.

As a side note, I just ordered a new antenna (I kinked mine one too many times) and a Pro-Fit bracket. With my discount code, I got free shipping + $10 off, so both ended up being just shy of $60.

I'm psyched... gettin rid of the double-stick tape once and for all :)

-Blu

[Flaren]

Ok, so I got all my XM stuff today. I ordered it all off Ebay. Ended up going with the Delphi SkyFi 2, the car kit, and the home kit, all nicely bundled up and shipped 2 day express to my door for $175. Not too shabby, IMO, considering it wold have been about $250 to get it all retail around here after all was said and done. Thanks for all the great input and help everyone! =)

[bacchus]

I've had my Sirius for three months and barely listen to the radio anymore. Most people don't change their channels that much anyway, so more stations isn't that big a deal to me. I just like the fact that I don't have to listen to the morning dingbats on my commute. Just look for the best deal.

Radio shack offers Sirius units for about 75% of the normal cost. Same product too. Good deal.

[BluPhant]

XM is going to be $12.95/mo starting in May I think. It will include High Voltage (Opie & Anthony) and internet streaming. Current customers (maybe new ones too?) will have the option of buying multi-year packages (up to 5yrs) at the current $9.95 rate.

I know you've already done it, but you need to be careful when buying XM stuff (or sirius stuff) online, because if the radio id was ever reported stolen you'll not be able to activiate it.

-Blu

[Bennett]

XM is going to be $12.95/mo starting in May I think. It will include High Voltage (Opie & Anthony) and internet streaming. Current customers (maybe new ones too?) will have the option of buying multi-year packages (up to 5yrs) at the current $9.95 rate.

I know you've already done it, but you need to be careful when buying XM stuff (or sirius stuff) online, because if the radio id was ever reported stolen you'll not be able to activiate it.

-Blu

Really 12.95?? what about existing customers?

[BluPhant]

Existing customers will have the option to renew before the end of april for 1-year to 5-year terms at the $9.95 rate, but you have to prepay for it. I'm prolly gonna bite for 2 years, maybe 3. For me it's going to be a little better than a wash, since I'm paying extra for O&A now. So, I'll be getting O&A for the <$10 rate, plus I'll be able to stream at work.

XM rocks.

-Blu

[Bennett]

I don't know if I will keep it, I might spring for a digital cable box for my room instead. I like it, but I really can't justify paying more for it.

I guess I will decide when the time comes.

[Bennett]

Just got a thing in the mail from XM letting me know about the price change.

After listening to Opie and Anthony on internet radio and XM will provide free internet radio as an extra, I think I am going to keep it.

Bennett

[Bennett]

The internet radio version of XM is sweet! I am hooked on it now! Its nice since I never has xm inside the house or in the lab at school. It would be nice to be able to stream it to my pda! I am figuring that out later today.

Bennett

[BluPhant]

Bennett-

I have an archive of O&A shows on mp3 if u want any, lmk.

[Flaren]

Just activated my SkyFi2. Love it! I'm really grooving on this whole TuneSelect feature, it notifies you when your favortie artists/songs are on. Great idea! =D>

[BluPhant]

Since the launch of XM — and particularly during 2004 and 2005 — XM has made dramatic improvements to its channel lineup. To provide you with the best listening experience, XM converted all music channels to 100% commercial-free while adding 50 new channels.

XM recently announced an agreement with Major League Baseball to provide play-by-play coverage for every team, all season long, beginning this spring. In addition, we've added nine sports channels dedicated to ACC, PAC-10, and Big Ten college football and basketball, traffic and weather channels covering the top 21 markets, XM Public Radio featuring legendary journalist Bob Edwards and all-new music channels including Starbuck's Hear Music channel. We've also created exclusive music series like Artist Confidential and Then...Again...Live.

Beginning April 2, 2005, we will expand the basic service package to include two premium services at no additional charge — the High Voltage channel (previously $1.99/month) and XM Radio Online (previously $3.99/month). The monthly subscription price for our new expanded basic service will increase to $12.95 beginning April 2, 2005. The price change will not affect XM's Family Plan, which allows you to add up to four additional subscriptions for $6.99/month per radio.

Until April 2, 2005, we are offering our existing subscribers an opportunity to lock in today's lower monthly rate by selecting a one-year or multi-year pre-paid subscription plan, which provides significant long-term savings.

http://img.xmradio.com/images/svcup/table_box.gif
Click for more details (http://www.xmradio.com/serviceupdate/index.jsp)

[Flaren]

Not sure if you all know about this site, but www.xm411.com has an interactive channel listing thingy that tells you what's on all the channels all the time. Pretty handy if you listen to it at your desk, like me. =)