Looking at new HUs for the daily driver, and I've about decided I want some sort of satellite radio so I dont have to haul my CDs around (plus they get old after a while). I like rock and easy listening type stuff (list of my type of music below), as well as a little country and rap from time to time. I also like comedy stuff too, so if either has a comedy channel thats cool too. Sirius is supposed to be commercial free, whereas XM says only some of it is commercial free. Are the commercials long and annoying? Do they have DJs that talk alot? Just trying to get a feel for what I want. Really looking at getting the Delphi Roady XM package, it's $119 from Crutchfield and the XM antenna is TINY, which really appeals to me (like to have it as inconspicuous as possible), but am I going to get a huge degredation on sound quality by using an aux input rather than a true XM tuner module? I'd most likely get something Alpine has to offer, or if I went Sirius just get a Clarion HU and the Clarion tuner module. Thanks for any input. I'm in the dark on this satellite radio stuff, but hopefully not for long.
Is it me or is Alpine's satellite radio stuff really expensive compared to the other companies(kenwood, Clarion, Pioneer)? I was thinking also about getting satellite radio with my 9815 later....but the prices on the alpine modules are prett $$ Scott, SC
I have XM Radio. Some of the channels do have commercials, quite a bit of them are commercial free. Some of them have the commercials because they are real radio stations around the US (ex: KISS fm from LA is on XM). Personally I don't think the majority of the commercials are long. Quite a few of the stations do have DJs, and they can talk and talk sometimes. It can get annoying (especially on the 90's channel), but you could just change the station to something else that is good. XM has 3 comedy stations. Honestly I really only like the XM Comedy channel. I havent actually listed to one of them yet as I didn't know it existed til now :blush: . I'll have to listen to it next time I go out. XM comedy is great. It's mostly stand up comedy from great names (George Carlin, George Lopez, Mitch Hedberg, Lewis Black.... too many great comedians to list). Occasionally there is a crank yanker skit or funny songs by Weird Al or whoever. I listen to this channel the most on my 45 minute drive to school. I also like to listen to a little country or rap from time to time. The country stations seem to be pretty good. The rap stations are.... what can I say... rap stations . But there is an old school rap station that I go to when I'm in the mood for rap. There are tons of rock stations, I really dont like rock so much so I can't really comment on the quality. I occasionally go to a classic rock station and it is good enough to feed my need at the time. All in all I am happy with XM. It doesn't matter what kind of music I feel like, there seems to be something on worth listening to all the time. If you want to spend another $3 a month you can get the playboy channel :lmfao: . And no I don't have this channel
Thanks ASM, very helpful. I think I'm going to go with XM, because I feel it's more stable than Sirius and also because it's cheaper monthly (yeah, its just a few bucks, but thats money I could save or put towards Playboy XM ). I'm pretty much set on that little XM Roady deal, just a reciever and an antenna (thats microsized), so just mount the antenna, hook it up to the reciever, and then hook that up via whatever HU I buy's aux input. I'll probably get an Alpine, and the aux input on those are optional, so I'll have to buy that as well, or I might get my old Clarion 835MP back, which already has aux inputs. Either way, just use the aux input and control my XM through the little docking station. I'm out whatever the head unit costs, plus $120 or less for the Roady, an XM subscription, and I've got XM :ss: Can even choose from a few colors to best match my interior, sweet little package it seems http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-qmSzw...SA10035&g=79800 I wonder though, how am I supposed to get the single wire from reciever to the antenna to the roof without it being noticable. I'll have the reciever up front, then I'll run the wire under the dash and up one of the a-pillars, then under the headliner, but how am I supposed to get it outside of the car??? I'm trying to think creatively but I'm at a loss. Are all XM antennas wired?
Other than drilling a hole , I'm not sure how to get the wire outside the car. They do make antennas that you don't need to run the wire to the outside of the vehicle. Instead they send the signal through a glass window (the antenna goes on the outside on the window and the receiver goes in the exact game spot on the glass on the inside). They are quite large from what I've seen. I have one, but it's on a truck so it doesn't look too bad.
Thats why I want the Roady, it's really, really small (like fit in the palm of your hand small). I called Crutchfield and they said you can pull back the seal on your window and feed the wire through, and lay the seal back down, and since the wire is so small, it'll still seal up just fine. Probably give that a shot.
My sentiments exactly. Now if they did broadcast it to where for that extra $2 or $3 a month you got visual too, I'd have a monitor in the daily in a second (we need a devil smiley).
i have XM and im very pleased with it commercials arent very long and chances are theres another station with a good song anyways channel 150 i think is comedy, and it is unedited and pretty funny... i have no experience with the sirius radio though...so i cannot speak there -Cody
actually josh i think that is a stupid way of doing it. I would put it in the trunk and run the wire for the attena out the trunk to the roof of the car and tuck the wire under the gasket. DO not push the window out as far as you can go. Also i put mine on my dash in my 98 civic and my 91 crx. Put it as far forward to the window as possible if its going in the neon i dont see any probs. We also did this on a mini cooper and have some minor problems when going due north as the sattalites are to the south of us. For my install it will always go in the back window or on the back deck. Us double sided tape to try it if you do not like it you can move it. BTW dont you remeber my ant on my dash when you demo'ed my car? Scott Stoner
