On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 01:26:44 -0500, ethan@ethanschwartz.com (Ethan
Schwartz) wrote:
>Does anyone have any exp. with sattelight radio?
I've had XM for going on two years now. My feeling is that XM has a
wider range of programming, but honestly, the reason I got it was
because I already had a Pioneer head unit that was XM ready when the
tuners were released. Crutchfield sent me a coupon and I got the
whole deal going for about $120 for tuner and antenna.
The FM reception in my area really stinks, so it's more than worth the
$10/month to not have to worry about carrying CDs. It's also nice to
be able to switch to various news stations when there is something
interesting going on.
I have always been partial to Pioneer gear, which is why I bought my
head unit in the first place and ultimately why I ended up with XM
instead of Sirius. In terms of financial position for future
viability, I think XM is in a better position as well. They've got
some big backing and their technology is being implemented in a fair
number of new cars (and boats).
If you haven't purchased a heat unit yet, wait until you decide. You
don't want to be locked into one technology (definitely go for the
setup where your tuner integrates with your head unit -- not an FM
modulation unit with separate controls). I would let the deciding
factor be which set of programming appeals to you the most. I've
listened to both and the sound quality is the same for all intents and
purposes. Much better than FM (no static -- either you have a signal
or you don't), just a tiny bit lower quality than CDs.
The only time I ever lose the signal is when I drive on surface
streets under overpasses. If I drive under overpasses on the freeway,
there's no interruption in signal at all because of the speed (there's
a tiny "buffer").
In short, I love it. I would never go back. If Pioneer made Sirius
units as well, I wouldn't necessarily pick XM over Sirius, so
definitely look at the programming to see what interests you most. I
wouldn't worry about the reception issue. (And, in any case, if there
is a problem and you buy from Crutchfield, you can return it for any
reason within the 30 days for a full refund..)
-Bill
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