XM vs Sirius Options

[Rob Hood]

OK, I'm up for renewal on my XM subscription, and I've got free Sirius in my VW Jetta for a few more days. Since sampling the Sirius for the last couple of months, I do like their music selection (classic rock and country stations primarily) better than XM. Both carry the same newstalk stations I listen to as well. I do like XM's traffic coverage better than Sirius' for the Phoenix area, however, although IMO neither does a better job of traffic coverage than the local AM/FM stations. Sirius has NASCAR, but since I'm no longer making 7-hour road trips, that's not necessarily a high priority for me. My XM is portable between my truck and Z, but the Jetta is integral to the OE radio and I would rather be portable (which I know I can get with Sirius as well).

So, who has which one and likes/dislikes? Is it a tomay-to/tomah-to issue? Less filling? Tastes great?

[BumpaD_Z28]

Tastes GREAT !!!

I've always been more partial to Sirius since at the time Sat. radio was coming out... they had VERY hot models in the booth at CES, and one of the game me a hat !!! Sorry I was young and impressionable (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CJ-TA]

it comes down to what stations you like to listen to, and the total bandwidth that station has..

for *me*.. the stations I listen to on XM sound better than the competition..

However, I love the top 40 hits channel that Sirius has on my DISH.

My XM is either on 20, 21, 22, 30, 121 or 150. 150 being 80% of my listening.

[slowTA]

It sounds like you have both so you're stuck making that decision. I'm a Sirius subscriber with a portable radio. There are a few things to consider. The XM radios have worse FM transmitters than Sirius, but the new Sirius radios aren't as good as the older ones. I have an older version and can transmit from my room out to the shed about 75 feet and most of that has the house in the way. From what I hear you can't get that with a newer Sirius radio or, apparently, any XM. Ebay has a good selection of older Sirius radios... if you want it to be portable. Some of the XM radios have nicer features, but I'm in it more for the content. Sirius has 1 show that XM will never have... and I'm addicted to it.

One thing I noticed when my mom had XM's free trial is that her station didn't have any DJs, just a computer set to shuffle. Not sure if many channels are like that or not. Also XM supposedly has commercials on the music stations. Another note is that I had to adjust the radio settings in my car to get good sound quality. With my Delco radio set to rock, the talk stations sounded bad. I set it to either Jazz or News and it was fine, something to consider for either Sirius or XM.

[Rob Hood]

That's interesting about the FM transmitter for XM. That's what I use in the Z since it came with a CD-only radio, whereas the truck has the cassette adapter for its XM transmitter. The cassette adapter sounds just like it's an OE sat radio, but the FM transmitter drives me nuts having to search for the right channel just to get rid of the AM static. When I was driving across LA, I'd have to constantly change the FM transmitter's channel just to keep the XM reception. It was no problem in the desert...

Also, RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, the XM signal cuts in and out. The Sirius does not, but does drop out while going under two (and only those two) bridges.

[CMC #37]

I've had XM since getting th 2004 Duramax new...thought I would get rid of it immediately, after all, who would pay for radio, right? Wrong! Love it. No commercials on their own music channels. On channels they carry from other programs like Good Morning America and ESPN there are commercials. When I look into it XM is bigger and has more channels. Some folks do prefer one or the other (XM programming or Sirius). Someone is giving Howard Stern his big bonus on Sirius! XM has NASCAR if I remember right. I like listening to XM on my computer while at home, nice perk. Reception is great on the road.

[slowTA]

FYI, as of January 1st Nascar is now on Sirius channel 128. They used to be on XM before that. Also, the Playboy channel jumped from XM to Sirius.

As for commercials, I think all satellite talk stations have them.

As for the FM transmitter, both Sirius and XM sell these boxes that you plug in between your car's radio and the AM/FM antenna. That will eliminate all static while on the road and should overpower even the strongest local FM signal. It costs about $20 -$30.

Rob, your Sirius will never cut out unless the Sirius antenna is covered because it is internally wired to the car's radio. The portable radios can cut out when distance/interference become an issue. Even with my stronger Sirius transmitter I had an issue on the way home from work on a certain stretch of highway, it only lasted a few weeks strangly.

Try this website to find the best station to broadcast on.

I will say that carrying the radio from house to car every day is annoying. They'll get me buying another radio and subscription eventually.

[Rob Hood]

My Sirius is factory-installed in the VW with an external antenna. I just chalk up the signal interruption to PFM, and probably same for the XM.

My XM antennas are mounted inside the car on the dash, and rarely drop signal, which is why I get so frustrated when coming/going from the house. I've been in lengthy tunnels and never lost signal...

I don't mind carrying the radio unit from car to car, no big deal to me. By the time you add in cell phones, keys, wallet...

Interestingly enough, I took a rental car from LA to Phoenix and put my XM boombox in the back seat, and just set the antenna on the dash. Never dropped signal.

I'm probably going to stay with XM since the other two cars are already set up for it and it's less hassle to add one bracket vs changing three cars to Sirius radio brackets and antennas.

I'm actually curious as to whether or not XM and Sirius will combine into one satellite radio system. IIRC I've seen some recent articles discussing that possibility/rumor.

[CamaroFS34]

I first experienced XM in a rental car I grabbed at BWI and drove down to Jacksonville and back. I loved not having to switch stations through multiple states.

When Joel Fehrman lent me his SE-R for a few weeks while my green car was spending some quality time in Atlanta, I again got to play with XM.

I got an XM "Roady" (portable) soon afterwards, and just renewed the yearly subscription the other week. Mine spends most of the time on XM 47 (ethel), 150 (comedy) and 204 (home ice). The traffic reports are great too, as is the music selection (I also jump between squizz, lucy and the 80s station). Pat has his own "setting" for Opie and Anthony.

I can't see buying Sirius for one station (Stern). I'm sorry, his antics do nothing for me.

Karen

[marka]

Howdy,

We have Sirius and have been pretty happy with it overall.

We tried the FM transmitter for a while and it was _useless_ for us on our longer (60 miles each way) commutes since you'd drive into and out of coverage zones. Figure out a way to get it hardwired to your stereo.

Haven't tried XM. If Stern had already been on Sirius when we started with it, we'd have likely gone to XM just to avoid supporting anything he does.

Mark

[BigEnos]

Howdy,

We have Sirius and have been pretty happy with it overall.

We tried the FM transmitter for a while and it was _useless_ for us on our longer (60 miles each way) commutes since you'd drive into and out of coverage zones. Figure out a way to get it hardwired to your stereo.

Haven't tried XM. If Stern had already been on Sirius when we started with it, we'd have likely gone to XM just to avoid supporting anything he does.

Mark

I have an XM Pioneer AireWare and overall it's a good unit. In the truck I have it hooked through a Scosche FM Modulator that plugs between the radio and the external FM antenna. There is an on-off switch that's mounted on the console to disable the modulator when you want to listen to AM/FM and it will definitely drown out anything that is on the air when the switch is on. The sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. I've been contemplating returning to use the tape adapter because of this.

In the other car the Alpine head unit has an AUX input capability and the sound quality is much much better.

[00 Trans Ram]

I've had XM for about 4 years now. When they came out, I made my decision based on the total number of stations offered (XM has the edge), number of stations I'd actually spend time on (XM has more rock stations, but Sirius has the Hair Band station - its a draw) and coverage. When I say coverage, I mean possibility of losing a signal. I read a magazine article in Sound and Vision magazine that compared the 2 in the same car. The XM won out in the country and it was a draw in the city (something to do with the location of XM satellites vs Sirius satellaite placement).

I now have 4 XM radio subscriptions (1 house, 1 tow vehicle, 1 per daily driver) and love them. My mom recently bought a new BMW with a Sirius. As I was helping her program the stations in, I couldn't help but notice how few channels there really are. I'm used to scrolling for days on XM - I was through the whole lineup in a few minutes on the Sirius.

[slowTA]

The only times my Sirius drops the signal is under an overpass that takes 6 seconds to clear at 70. It usually drops for about a second or so just as I'm clearing the overpass. The other time is random during the summer with the home antenna facing south when it should be facing north instead, this is when the sun's rays drown out the satellites. Around 3 pm, my TV has done the same thing. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I'm not a music critic, so I can't comment on the rest of the content. But I also enjoy Octane, Raw Dog, and Buzzsaw. I'll have to see how the nascar channel does, if I'm interested at the time. One thing I noticed about my mom's trial is that it took forever to scroll through all the baseball channels, must have been a good 20 channels. This was in February and they all had the same broadcast. I don't listen to the traffic since I don't have many options to get home and it is usually clear. I get my weather online the day before at the latest.

As for XM and Sirius combining... the only downside is the monoply and how the sevice can drop while cost will rise.

If I get a new GM in a year or two I'll keep the XM trial to compare them back to back.

[rushman]

Sirius user here. No real issues with reception except the occasional overpass.

I would say since you have the option of checking both out, go with the one whos selection you like better.

[pknowles]

My wife has XM. I bought her XM because at the time (3 years ago) Sirius looked like they were falling behind.

She listens to it on the internet more then in the car. We use it on long trips, but her commute is so short that she doesn't use it driving to work. The FM transmitter is a PINA. Her old car had a tape player, so she could play the XM through that and it worked great. But her newer car doesn't have a tape player, so she has to use the transmitter. When the portible IPOD like XM recivers get a little better, then I'll upgrade her hardware, because the old hardware is flakey (drops signals a lot more then other peoples hardware, randomly shuts off sometimes, freezes a lot so you can't change stations). One day her SkyFi just started doing all that crap, so I know it's not the service.

I listen to 90's rock that you don't hear on the radio anymore, I mean when was the last time you heard a Courtney Love song on FM radio? That's why I like XM. <insert head banging emoticon HERE>

[wvumike]

I just got the Sirius Stiletto for Christmas and I really like it. Of course, I am only listening to a couple stations right now... Hair Nation (80's hair bands), Raw Dog Comedy, and the Playboy channel occasionally (for articles only...)

[CJ-TA]

speaking of playboy.. I don't get that... it's like turning on the playboy TV channel and turning off the TV...

Who wants to just listen to people F? ... me? I want to see the chicks (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[35th_Anniversary...]

I had XM, got tired of truck driving commercials... ditched it. The Sirius in friend's Mercedes was much nicer IMHO, though I only spent a few hours in that trying to stay warm from the cold rain in Devens.

[wvumike]

speaking of playboy.. I don't get that... it's like turning on the playboy TV channel and turning off the TV...

Who wants to just listen to people F? ... me? I want to see the chicks (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Well, it's not quite like that... I was laughing my a$$ off listening to a talk show run by Jenna Jameson and Christy Canyon one day... I like to hear girls talk dirty, I guess... Use your imagination - if you get married some day, you'll need it. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[LT4Firehawk]

I've had both XM and Sirius, and I much prefer the music selection on Sirius. My wife likes the selection on XM better. Basically it's just a matter of what kind of music you like. When I canceled our last XM I told them the reason was because Sirius had a better selection of classic rock, and the guy aknowledged that they had quite a few people site that as their reason for leaving XM.

As to reception, they are both pretty close, but I did notice that the XM units tended to loose the signal more than the Sirius units. This is going over the same exact route, and was repeatable every time and with multiple XM units. Also, the XM units I've had actually had a short burts of "static" when they lost signal sometimes, whereas with all the Sirius units I've had there was never any noise when loosing the signal. Finally, I've also noticed that the actuall sound quality on Sirius seems to be better. Some XM stations are great, but they are quite a few of the music channels on XM that are like listening to an MP3 that's not high quality, like they are compressing the data stream too much.