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Old 06-16-2010, 05:33 PM   #1
me_dennis
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Default XM vs Sirius

I did a quick search and didn't see anything comparing the two.

I've been looking at getting satellite radio, and I'm not too sure which one to get.

I read some reviews on some receivers, and seems like sirius receivers have bad FM transmitters with lots of static. Does anyone know if any of the Sirius receivers come with an aux cable?

I was leaning towards the XM Onyx because it has the powerconnect, which seems to be pretty easy to install, and it comes with an aux cable. It is fairly cheap, $50 bucks, but Sirius has a promo right now where 6 months subscription is 50% off.

What are your thoughts between the two? Are they pretty much the same? Does anyone have suggestions on which receivers are good?
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Old 06-16-2010, 05:41 PM   #2
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I think they can all be hardwired to your radio, so you don't use the fm transmiter, that's the way to go. FM = posible inferference, think about it.

Customer service is very good with Sirrius.
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Old 06-16-2010, 05:48 PM   #3
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this would require a purchase of an adapter of some sort would it not? I'm probably going to be using the aux cable anyways, which would eliminate the static.

but thank you for the comment on Sirius' customer service. Are these subscriptions like cell phone contracts, where in order to cancel before the contract is up, there is a penalty? or is it month to month, cancel anytime?
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Old 06-16-2010, 05:55 PM   #4
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Yep, cancel any time, It's 17 bucks a mo. month to month or by the year at a discount.
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Old 06-16-2010, 05:58 PM   #5
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Get XM. It has the NHL channel as part of its regular package. Sirius doesn't.
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Old 06-16-2010, 06:52 PM   #6
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^^ Yes, do not confuse Sirius having a "CBC Hockey Night in Canada" channel as them having hockey play by play.

Edit- just to add one more consideration. XM and Sirus use different satellites with very different orbits. Have a look here.

The key is the Sirius satellites make sure at least one is north of South Dakota all the time; and usually one over Manitoba. XM's are geosynchronous; meaning they are always in the same place in the sky. What often happens is you can lose signal if there is something tall between you and the satellite; like a 2 story building, or if you drive through the mountains.
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Old 06-16-2010, 08:59 PM   #7
LIP MAN
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There are lots of sports on Sirius though, and I really enjoy HNIC radio. Plus it has Stern, by far my fav radio show ever, it's the reason I got a radio. I'm hooked!
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Old 06-16-2010, 09:19 PM   #8
sclitheroe
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Does anyone have experience with the XM iPhone app? I’m looking at that, and thinking...hmmm...I could stream that over 3G rather than buy a radio, and it’s only like $7.xx a month...
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Old 06-16-2010, 09:52 PM   #9
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If you aren't hard wired into your car radio you might experience poor reception. This is due to a USA regulation that limits the power of the built in transmitter. In Canada you can buy a $30 transmitter from Radio Shack you can plug into your cigarette lighter which will boost the signal. It works well.
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Old 06-16-2010, 10:32 PM   #10
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If you go satellite, hard wire the thing in your car. FM is alright, but check online to see which fm station to tune into.

Sirius all the way, for Howard Stern and later on in the day Bubba. I only go to 100, 101 and 27 (I think that is the metal station!).

No point in XM, as far as I am concerned.

My car stereo has a real ipod jack in the glove compartment (I can see the song title etc. on the dash) along with hard wired Satellite. I have a similar setup in our other car, and a satellite unit in my house. They are always on Stern.
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Old 06-16-2010, 10:36 PM   #11
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The music's pretty much the same, so it basically boils down to what you want more, O&A or Howard Stern? And the NHL channel or the NFL channel? For me, I'm a huge NFL fan, and I figured if I wanna hear great, in depth hockey coverage I can simply turn it to AM radio, we are in Canada after all. Whereas with NFL, not so much. If you're an "other sports" guy I'd highly recommend Sirius. If not, go XM.
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Old 06-16-2010, 10:43 PM   #12
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I have both now and I prefer Sirius. I was pissed to find out there is no Stern on XM Canada (came with my new 4Runner). I also find that the signal cuts out too often with the XM - the Sirius in my other truck pretty much only cuts out when in underground parking.
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