Any one have any experience with either the XM or Sirius satellite radio systems? Quality? Cost? I was thinking about checking one out as an add-on to my existing cd-changer.....
you'll need an XM Receiver, an XM car stereo and of course the XM monthly subscription. cost is about $200 for the stereo, $200 for the XM receiver and I think the subscription is about $10 a month... http://www.xmradio.com/ for more info good luck, let us know what you decide to do! rH
I really really wanted a XM radio whenever my factory cd player went out. The fact of the matter is they are too pricey right now. It's gonna run at least 350 to get into XM radio plus the subscription rate right now. If you have the money go with XM radio. I don't give Sirius much of a chance at survival. I did a research project on satellite radios for one of my classes at HS and it seems like a great technology. I love the idea of being able to travel from coast to coast listening to the same radio station with no commercials and never going out of range. Plus the music is CD quality. On the down side, there is no guaruntee these companies will float. If they go under, you are out of luck as far as the satellite radio products you buy.
My head unit is XM ready, but I would need to get a XM satellite receiver to open up the XM functions. I don't use my radio enough to spend $200 and $10 monthly.
Thanks alot for the info!! Right now I'm thinking about getting this pioneer http://www.xmradio.com/offers/xm_christmas.html . If I'm reading it right, it says you can hook it to any radio. Still debating whether it's worth 300 bucks to have commercial free radio though. Although it would be nice to have since there's so many places up here where you can't get crap for radio reception.... Anyway, it'll be about 6 weeks before my car comes in.....so I have a little time to think about it.
NECROBUMP! With the Ipod on shuffle of the same playlist for about 8 months now, I am starting to wonder if it's worth getting Satellite radio? Thoughts, opinions? Should I get the basic subscription for $10/month or bulk up to the $19/month to get stern and sports?
Our free subscription just ran out. We did not renew, for cost reasons principally, even though we wouldn't need to add any equipment or anything. But when I had it, of course I listened to my fair share of ESPN, talk shows, COMEDY, and music. Not sure why I'd get it just for music. On that topic, if you have good cell phone coverage, just use Pandora for music. Frankly, maybe the only reason for satellite is more of the proprietary stuff?
It's great for driving vacations. Radio pretty much sucks in rural areas. You can also catch almost all radio broadcasts of sports. Also, if you are a Howard Stern fan, then there's that, which makes it almost required subscription.
Once you have a sub, always call and ask to cancel it because it is too expensive. Usually they will give you 12 months for $77. Sometimes you can get 6 months for $25 also (what I am currently on).
Sounds like it's a within good viewpoints on the forum so far. I might do some research for a trial or something
I'll be getting rid of it as soon as Stern retires. I use Spotify and my ipod much more. The quality sucks, the DJs now talk too much and it's now no longer worth it. The play lists have now become so mundane its pretty much like paying for terrestrial radio. Even YouTube has better playlists. Also Pandora BLOWS compared to Spotify, trust me.
i got 6 months free when i bought my car a few years ago, thought there was no way i would pay for it...and i ended up listening to howard stern and decided to keep it. i work out of my car quite a bit so its nice to have the extra option in addition to cd's, npr and various other radio. his interviews alone are worth the price, imo. sound quality is pretty good and the only time it cuts out is when you go under a bridge or something. that being said, the music stations alone are not all that...there are maybe 5 that i listen to with any regularity and they end up playing the same stuff over and over. i did discover my new favorite beach boys song thru sirius though... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RQOaLP-qPmk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> and learned to appreciate the smooth badassery of loggins and messina... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/w9iTjVfh558" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> i never heard either of these songs before sirius so i do owe them that. deep cuts FTW!!!
great for sports on long road trips. listened to several world cup games on long road trips this summer. also listened to texans bengals regular season when yates had that 4th quarter comeback!!! i don't like it for music, sound is very thin.
Got to try it for 3 months after buying a new car, like a lot of you, and simply couldn't justify the cost. If the yearly fee had included access to all devices my family has in the house and automobiles, I might have kept it. Way too much bread for what you get, in my humble opinion. Make it a lot cheaper, comparable to Netflix, for example, and I'll probably sign up.
I got it with a car I bought in 2008, and have renewed every year since. I couldn't live without it. I haven't listened to FM radio in years, which means I no longer have to listen to terrible music. It's well worth it for me. Also, hilarious to read this thread talking about CD changers from 2002. Kids are probably wondering what the hell that is.
i have it, both an online and satellite subscription, and love it, even though my listening is pretty much limited to 4-5 stations: The Loft (Channel 30) is a fantastic rock/americana station in the vein of WXPN (Temple) or WFUV (Fordham), and features some classic NYC DJs, and Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight (old style, free form radio). Real Jazz (Channel 67) is likewise a worldclass jazz radio station, up there with WBGO (Newark) WRTI (Philly) and KCSM (San Francisco) Deep Tracks (Channel 27) is to classic rock as The Loft is to new rock, and plays exactly what its moniker suggest- deep album cuts by rock legends- it's not the same old classic rock station you'd find on FM. Metropolitan Opera (Channel 74) Live and archived performances from the Met, not available anywhere else. essential.
I've done this 4 times in a row now. Even when I genuinely think I'm going to cancel it, 6 months for $25 is practically free, and they offer it to me every time.
Renewed it in my car when the free subscription ran out. I only have service in one car...and will not pay more than $5 per month for it. When my contract (usually 5 or 6 months) runs out, I call to cancel and eventually get them to renew at the discounted rate. The games they play regarding their rates and renewing are stupid...but I get a lot of joy from listening during my commute to and from work. Listen mostly to Comedy Central. Can't believe how listening to something funny can change your mood and outlook on your day. Also really enjoy Backspin (Old Skool Rap), 1st Wave (80s alternative), Electric Area (EDM), and The Joint (reggae...lol). edit: Exactly what DarkHorse just said.
