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Satellite Radio Systems Compared
The NYT has a review/comparison of XM radio and Sirius, the two systems of digital satellite radio. Not everyone wants to pay for radio, but I guess if you spend enough time listening to it, maybe it's worthwhile.
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"It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
The bottom line, for those needing a quick answer, is Sirius is superior in sound quality, features(free streaming from their website!), and channel quality(better music, no commercials, better talk). XM has a few more channels that make very little difference to the end result (read on).
After careful review of both systems, Sirius came out the winnner, as I have said. The channels are laid out well, lack commercials, sound great, and are streamed on the internet. The only disadvantage of Sirius was its oft-sited lack of Nascar, which they seem to be trying to remedy. Also, XM has an extra comedy channel (it's boring, and features older, censored comedy), and a few more "experimental" music channels which most will find totally useless. Surfing XM for music is often like surfing the regular (terrestrial) radio in a large city-you get nothing but frustration. It's no wonder XM doesn't stream live on the net so that you can try before you buy. Also, XM's channel layout was unfriendly, in my opinion.
The greatest and most dizzying drawback in comparing the two, however, are the staggeringly stupid and annoying XM commercials. Not necessarily the corporate commercials that come from outside companies (which are annoying in an expected way), but the ridiculous and loud in-house XM stuff that makes you have to turn down your radio really quick when you've had it up loud-especially with the windows open (yes, they are that embarrassing). This, and the better performance of Sirius, was the deciding factor in my cancelling XM.
XM, however, holds their own and can satisfy a customer with some decent music and a fair selection of Talk. If not for Sirius, I would have kept XM, I think; probably because it IS nice to listen to the same station no matter where you go. Yet, as is the way of competition, Sirius has offered everything good that XM does and DONE IT RIGHT. Sirius outshines in the talk category, with a variety of Right and Left-wing shows, all of the useful talk channels XM has, and NPR, PRI, and a well laid-out channel plan.
XM does a bit better in the design of their customer care website. Sirius also has a customer care website, but it is not as robust (less detail). However, XM doesn't have streaming audio on its website-apparently we all have to pay XM $6.99 extra in additon to buying another $200 receiver for the house. In addition to the crappy commercials, this is probably where the corporate influence of XM being part-owned by ClearChannel and GM shows. (Clearchannel is responsible for the reason regular radio is so terrible).
One other interesting tidbit is that I was able to receive both services with an antenna hidden below the rear-deck of my car-made possible probably because it has a large rear-window at a steep angle. Sound quality was the same wherever the antenna was placed-inside or outside-of course. I understand that there was a professional review of XM vs. Sirius and that XM was said to have better sound, but the superiority of Sirius was glaring in my test. I say A-B it at a store with XM, if you can, on the same system. Do a channel comparison, too-I'm sure you'll see that what I've written is the case.
Good luck, and, for my two cents, I would support Sirius unless XM does an about-face. XM may be cheaper by a few bucks, but trust me: you get what you pay for.
There is no censorship on many stations. I have XM and words like "shit" and "fuck" pop up quite often. Ben Folds was broadcasting a live concert on XM Cafe, he asked "I don't know, can you say "shit" on XM?" He wasn't bleeped, so yes, he could. In fact, you don't even get versions cut down for radio on XM. If the song is 14 minutes and 31 seconds, by God, they will broadcast the whole damn thing!
common sense: noun
What those who are ignorant of the subject matter think; usually wrong.
Yes and No.
Yes, some of the channels (especially the re-broadcasts of CNN, Fox, and other actual radio stations) are censored.
But XM Comedy, Channel 150, is not fucking censored. No fucking way. Fuck Fuck Fuck. You can listen to Richard Pryor describe his love affairs in all it's wonderful detail or listen to Jackie the Joke Man make his sick fucking jokes as much as you want and you'll never hear a bleep.
Sirius has no commercials. And better channels (my mouth watered at their online trials). And subscribers can stream the music to any computer. Consider the large amount of time our soceity spends in front of the computer and the luxury of having excellent music for that entire time.
While I haven't used Sirius yet, I hope to afford it soon. XM seems like the work of monopolistic, commercialistic, record-company-loving businesspeople, rather than music lovers, and their service is inferior. Take a stand for a company that respects its customers by subscribing to Sirius.
I have an aftermarket Sirius unit in my 2003 Chevrolet Silverado. The variety is absolutely awesome, but in my case the sound quality isn't. The reason for this is that my satellite receiver is connected to my truck's head unit via an FM modulator. The XM receiver integrated into my Mom's Honda Accord sounds dramatically better. If you visit satellite radio fan sites, you'll find that people generally accept the quality of satellite radio if FM modulation is not involved, and are not fond of it otherwise.
Both the XM and Sirius radio streams are compressed to somewhere in the neighborhood of 64kpbs. They sound far better than what one would normally expect at that bitrate (I'm the type of person who encodes MP3s at 256k-320k). I believe each system uses its own proprietary codecs, and both have the capability to update those codecs over time and continue to work with existing equipment. Anyway, back to the point, it's a highly compressed audio stream. Between the compression and FM modulation, the music takes on a very dull sound. I do not think it is worth buying satellite radio unless you can have it direct input into your head unit.
I've finally managed to locate a company ("SoundGate") who makes an adapter to connect my Kenwood sat. receiver directly into the back of the truck's head unit (GM makes this a big PITA, by not providing a direct input unless you speak their proprietary protocol). It shows up this week or next, and I can't wait.
What has *science* done?!? -- Dr. Weird (ATHF)
Satelitte isn't just used by radio aficionados. Real folks like you and I sometimes need it.
I recently bought a Sirius subscription because, though I am not a radio afficianado, I do like to hear music/news/actual programming when I turn on the radio. As it was, I found I had recently been listening to about 3 or 4 of the dozens of local stations in my area, one in particular because it averages only 5 minutes of commercials per hour, and the other couple stations for those few minutes. (the main is a listener-supported classical music station, and the only non-Sirius station I still listen to).
I gave up on the 20 minutes of hourly ads and the continuous rotation of the same dozen songs on all the other stations 6 months to a year ago.
Although I do have a CD player in my car, I like to hear new things that I haven't heard before, and it gets expensive buying new CD's all the time, even the generally more economical classical ones that make up the majority of my collection.
So after weighing my options, and with plenty of holiday travel in my immediate future, I decided in the long term it would be nice to go with satellite radio, as it would be cheaper than laying out the $20-30 per month I have been for new CD's. Plus I can have the opportunity to see what some of the 'music' out there sounds like that I wouldn't pay for under other circumstances. And the being able to listen through their website wherever I happen to have a live internet connection is a nice plus. Now if only the people who sell the stuff at Circuit City/Best Buy had a clue about it and could have told me that due to the poor placement of windows in my apartment it would be virtually impossible for me to get a direct satellite signal at home. But that's what rebates are for, to cover such costs of experimentation.
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!" -Rush
As both of my favorite entertainment acronyms that begin with "N" are on Sirius (namely, NPR and NFL), I'm all about Sirius. My car stereo is due for an update, and Sirius compatibility is topping then list.
I live in a part of the world where I can't tune in the insanely ecclectic interviews and call-in panels on The Connection, or Click and Clack's "Car Talk." I can burn CD's for music, but not for NPR or NFL game play-by-plays. (I heard the Patriots make their goal-line stand on a staticky, faint AM station. I was honking my horn like a madman.)
XM has some really corporate news stuff (read: fluff), and some right-wing talk radio masturbation festivals, but Sirius has that =and= NPR. (Liberal-leaning hosts and commentators, usually, but a stringently centrist editorial policy. PRI and Pacifica are public radio left-wingnuts, but NPR makes damn sure all sides of a story are given their say.)
SoupIsGood Food
i work at bestbuy and i know pretty much about the satellite radios considering i sell them all day.
Hands down Sirius is the better choice.
First off Sirius has no ads, XM does.
Sirius is 12 a month, XM is 10.
Sirius has 2 satellites, 1 on each coast
and 1 doing a figure 8 over the the
middle of america and mexico.
Sirius has much better satellite service
than XM considering their better satellite
placement, and since XM only has 2.
Also in NYC alone Sirius is better as they
have ground transmitters to carry the signal
throughout the whole city, and they broadcast
from here in NYC.
From one of my old University buddies: Ars Technica: Satellite Radio Review
Everytime you look at porn a devil gets their horns.