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Satellite Radio - XM vs. Sirius?

Posted by Cliff on from the decisions-decisions dept.

wizman asks: "I am getting a new car tonight and will be upgrading the audio system. Now that satellite radio is available in most markets and becoming more affordable, I am definitely planning to take the plunge. Unfortunately, the 2 providers -- XM and Sirius -- both seem to have just as many strengths as weaknesses. There is a three dollar price difference, which is really not a concern for me."

"So far I have gathered that XM seems to have better audio quality, and a larger selection of music channels. Sirius has less music channels, but more "commercial free" music channels and more talk channels. Also, it scares me that Clear Channel has a stake in XM -- does this mean XM will eventually turn to utter crap like every Clear Channel station seems to have? Does Clear Channel have enough ownership to have a say in programming?

I'm looking for more strengths and weaknesses from people who have used one (or better yet, both!) of the services. I'm leaning towards XM right now, with the Clear Channel issue being my main fright. Sirius streams their stations online, giving me a good sample. So far I have been fairly impressed. But, I like the fact that XM carries Art Bell, more than one 80's station, and VH1 content. It's a toss up, so I'm looking forward to some info from the Slashdot community."

3 of 496 comments (clear)

  1. In Car MP3 Player Still seems like the best bet by hooded1 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    If i were you i'de jsut invest in an In-Dash MP3 Player, they're not that expensive. It give you the freedom of selecting your own music and over the long run it will actually save you money.

    --
    A rabbit in the hand is worth 4 in the cage
  2. Re:First Post! by Launch · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    There always has to be one of you.... thanks for nothing insightful or even funny.

    --
    Your mammas flamebait.
  3. Too bad the current satellite radio solutions.... by Cinematique · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    ... look (physically) awful.

    I hope this isn't rated off-topic :(

    Who wants to have a piece of hardware mounted to a random point in your car so you can get the stations? I understand it's a solution for older cars... but it's pretty pricy if you ask me. For the price they're charging for the hardware, it should, at least, be TINY.

    Tech companies can cram a hard drive and mp3 decoder into a footprint that's about the size of a deck of cards, but the current satellite solutions are about the size of a 10 disc CD changer, if not larger. What the hell is up with that?

    Furthermore, most of the replacement decks out there with XM/Sirrus tuners built-in look kitschy. Hell, the entire car audio section of my Crutchfield catalog seems completely rice-burner oriented.

    I wish the car audio manufacturers would realize that not everyone who wants a new deck for XM/Sirrus has a Civic. :/ I want a simple and elegant deck, not something that looks like a 747 jet landing strip... at night.