Satellite Radio worth it? (Sirius)

[XxXSnake23XxX]

Im kinda growing tired of just radio and the "mix" stations. Im looking for something more specific to dance/trance. So i was thinking of moving to sirius. Any one know if the switch is worth it? Im not only going to be listening to 1 station.. maybe just a few like hip hop stations, some howard stern and maybe some pop channels.
I was looking on the site and ~600 for a lifetime plan :confused: worth it?
anyone with experience?

[scouzer]

lol why would you get a life time plan if you're not sure you would like it??? just stick with monthly until you decide

i don't listen to dance so i cant answer that, but i love sirius. keep in mind i drive 30k a year, i wouldn't have it if i drove 10-15k. maxim radio ftw!

the sound quality is pretty crappy even with the FM adapter.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

lol why would you get a life time plan if you're not sure you would like it??? just stick with monthly until you decide

i don't listen to dance so i cant answer that, but i love sirius. keep in mind i drive 30k a year, i wouldn't have it if i drove 10-15k. maxim radio ftw!

the sound quality is pretty crappy even with the FM adapter.

i thought that the sound would be better:confused:

[scouzer]

i thought that the sound would be better:confused:

regular FM stations sound better.

[nalababe]

Funny, on my car the Sirius does sound as good as the FM stations in my car (came with sirus for 6 months).

While there are tiimes that I like to listen to Q, 102 or 97.7 (or even AM for sports), I find myself returning to the Sirius channels as I have more options and am not hearing the same songs over and over and over (unless you choose a current hits channel).

I like the option of listening to the same channel when I drive to Montreal or Windsor. I like having the kidstuff (even if it is repetitive) if I forget CD's for my son.

[xmkd]

i been listening to Sirius for over 2 years now and i think its totally worth it. Having the ability to not burn cd's or bring your MP3 player everywhere you go is awesome.

I also like the fact that when im driving with other people in my car, i can easily change the music type to w/e they like or w/e im in the mood for.

Sirius also has the artist alert function which basically alerts you if a certain artist is playing on any channel.

Just go month to month, thats what i did when i started...its bout $14 a month.

When you also sign up for Sirius you also get access to the channels online (web browser) so you can listen while at home/at work.

When you get the chance, listen to Jason Ellis's show after 4pm everyday channel 28...his show is hilarious.

[mr_raider]

Im kinda growing tired of just radio and the "mix" stations. Im looking for something more specific to dance/trance. So i was thinking of moving to sirius. Any one know if the switch is worth it? Im not only going to be listening to 1 station.. maybe just a few like hip hop stations, some howard stern and maybe some pop channels.

Those are very niche tastes in music. I doubt Sirius/XM has enough content to feed a serious dance or hip-hop fan (as I am :cheesygri ). I think mp3/ipod is your best bet.

[Rekognize]

Not worth it, I got bored of it after a while, they play the same songs and it's not really commercial-free. They play a bunch of stupid ads much like the ones you'd here on the GTA game.

I'm canceling mine this month...

I have the US subscription, the Canadian version is worse... More expensive, less channels.

My 2 cents

[M-e-X-x]

lol why would you get a life time plan if you're not sure you would like it??? just stick with monthly until you decide

i don't listen to dance so i cant answer that, but i love sirius. keep in mind i drive 30k a year, i wouldn't have it if i drove 10-15k. maxim radio ftw!

the sound quality is pretty crappy even with the FM adapter.

never understood why ppl would run sat. radio with an FM transmitter? i mean, if u want good quality, get the direct kits, not the FM transmitter kits...

[Rekognize]

fm transmitter = bad quality
direct kit = slight improvement, still bad though

quality will never be close to mp3, let alone cd quality

[foam]

I've been with Sirius for 2 1/2 years. I don't listen to normal radio anymore (other than for traffic reports). There is just to much variety at Sirius to go back to normal FM.

Check the Sirius Canada website, I think you can register to a free one week online membership to give it a try. There will also be a list of every channel they have (easily over 125) and its basic description.

There are probably 2 or 3 channels that are similar to your typical "today's hits" type of stations, the rest is open to some pretty niche music types. Channel 24 is "The Flannel Channel" all grunge and 90's alternative. Channel 104 is "Raw Dog", all uncensored comedy, 97 is reggae, 30 is "The Coffee House" all acoustic rock etc, etc. I'm not into dance/trance music, but last time I checked, there was 2 stations dedicated to that type of music.

Give it a try, I think you'll be impressed.

[3weddings]

We have had it since December 2006 and love it. I personally can't do without my Howard fix in the mornings :D

We go annually on three radios, which provide us with free internet radio and it costs us $140 a year for the 1st unit and the others are $82 . Don't do a lifetime sub, as when you change radios (and you will either b/c they no longer work or you want a new one) you will incur service charge.

We have two Stilettos and an older s50.

[scouzer]

never understood why ppl would run sat. radio with an FM transmitter? i mean, if u want good quality, get the direct kits, not the FM transmitter kits...

i have the FM direct kit.

[romsan04]

i have the FM direct kit.

I have cassette adapter and it sound way much better than regular radio. Very close to CD quality.

Who did the installation??

I am using it right now XM and so far so good, not sure what commercials ppl are talking about I never heard one. Sometimes they are promoting their own channels but never something outside.

Yes if you listen 24/7 to the same channel they do repeat some of the tracks but i guess they don’t have unlimited access to all the trance/dance e.t.c

The only thing I wish I had is Howard channel :)

[scouzer]

I have cassette adapter and it sound way much better than regular radio. Very close to CD quality.

Who did the installation??

I am using it right now XM and so far so good, not sure what commercials ppl are talking about I never heard one. Sometimes they are promoting their own channels but never something outside.

Yes if you listen 24/7 to the same channel they do repeat some of the tracks but i guess they don’t have unlimited access to all the trance/dance e.t.c

The only thing I wish I had is Howard channel :)

i did the installation myself. the sound sucks for music, but is fine for talk radio. i mostly listen to talk anyway so it's not too big of a deal. it's probably equivalent to a 56kbps MP3 with a little bit of static thrown in.

most channels on sirius have commercials.... typically annoying trucker ones with red neck accents.

howard stern sucks too btw

[romsan04]

i did the installation myself. the sound sucks for music, but is fine for talk radio. i mostly listen to talk anyway so it's not too big of a deal. it's probably equivalent to a 56kbps MP3 with a little bit of static thrown in.

most channels on sirius have commercials.... typically annoying trucker ones with red neck accents.

howard stern sucks too btw

I have XM, may be that’s why. Sound quality is very very good, you can easily test it by switching from 92.5 to XM station.....
No static and no commercials.

[SLOGAN]

If you drive a lot, it is totally worth the money.

Better variety than CDs, even MP3 CDs and it is pretty inexpensive.

Sirius is good, I really enjoy howard. I have heard a bit of XM and I like it as well.

[M-e-X-x]

i have the FM direct kit.

?

[scouzer]

?

that's where you get an adapter that plugs the FM connection right into the back of your radio. it's not a modulator (its not actually sending out radio waves)

[M-e-X-x]

that's where you get an adapter that plugs the FM connection right into the back of your radio. it's not a modulator (its not actually sending out radio waves)

right.. okay coz ur HU isn't sat. ready... so u'd need to go that route or do fm transmitter..

[phucyall]

To all those that bash the quality, buy better receivers.

I know for a fact XM boadcasts in really high quality and I doubt sirius is much different. While it's still compressed with a lossy compression and is digital, the quality will be that of a 256kbps MP3, maybe even higher.

I am not even going to talk about quality with FM transmitters. If you don't understand why it sounds like crap there is nothing more I can say.

I'll give you an example. I had the cheapest XM receiver I can get (total cost for me was $4 and it came with 3 free month of service, and I installed it all myself). My deck has auxiliary input so I used that. The sound was alright, but it lacked bass, treble and everything else. At first I blamed it on XM being crappy. Then I heard friends setup with Alpine deck with the special XM module for it. It sounded absolutely amazing. Damn near CD quality. So if you want quality get proper equipment and if you buy the cheapest receiver you can find, then don't complain about quality.

[jandumm]

We have had it since December 2006 and love it. I personally can't do without my Howard fix in the mornings :D

We go annually on three radios, which provide us with free internet radio and it costs us $140 a year for the 1st unit and the others are $82 . Don't do a lifetime sub, as when you change radios (and you will either b/c they no longer work or you want a new one) you will incur service charge.

We have two Stilettos and an older s50.

me too!!!!!!!!!! totally LOVE howard :) :) :)

Anyway got Sirius last May as a gift from a friend w/a one year subscription. I wasn't totally sold on it and wasn't sure if I was going to renew, but I can't stand the commercials on regular radio now (especially z103.5) and I find the music selection is quite good. There are 3 hip hop stations, including 1 "hip hop oldies" station, one reggae station, a bunch of dance stations - pretty much covering most ppl's taste. I just wish they had at least one international music station - BBC 1 is about as ethnic as they get.

Soooooo I've just renewed w/my friend - i'm an add-on subscribee so its only $82 for me.

Only negative is that I used to listen to CBC 99.1 all the time....now i'm so less informed about world affairs ;)

[nalababe]

Stuck in traffic on the way home (65 minutes on the 401). With Sirius, I was able to listen to the overtime and penalty kicks for the Champions League!!

[smithfan]

My sirius stiletto using aux in on my deck sounds every bit as good as any MP3's.
I will agree that Howards pretty crappy now with too many commercials.
Id much rather listen to Jason Ellis on faction.

Sirius or XM is worth it if you have long commutes (like I do) or live in the sticks (like I do LOL) where theres real limited radio.

[xiLLeNtz]

i have sirius.

i still listen to regular radio, especially in the morning for talk shows like z103 or 102.

the thing i like is that you can hear some things there first before you'll hear it on regular radio. the thing i dislike the most is that some stations, not necessarily all, have the same play list playing over and over which caaan get annoying sometimes

[steve-0101]

If you're looking for a decent deal on a Sirius radio, there are a few to be had.

http://www.kromerradio.com/promo.htm
- Sirius Stratus for $22

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10096553&catid=23639
- Sirius Stiletto 100 + executive dock + vehicle kit for $229

I personally picked up the Stiletto kit yesterday at FS, got a great deal on it. It works really well. This kit is listed on the Sirius site for $499. I realize there is a newer model out now (Stiletto 2) but I don't see any major differences.

Steve

[raymondly]

me too!!!!!!!!!! totally LOVE howard :) :) :)

Anyway got Sirius last May as a gift from a friend w/a one year subscription. I wasn't totally sold on it and wasn't sure if I was going to renew, but I can't stand the commercials on regular radio now (especially z103.5) and I find the music selection is quite good. There are 3 hip hop stations, including 1 "hip hop oldies" station, one reggae station, a bunch of dance stations - pretty much covering most ppl's taste. I just wish they had at least one international music station - BBC 1 is about as ethnic as they get.

Soooooo I've just renewed w/my friend - i'm an add-on subscribee so its only $82 for me.

Only negative is that I used to listen to CBC 99.1 all the time....now i'm so less informed about world affairs ;)

+1 for Howard. Listen to a lot of different stations on the sat. radio though, not just 100 and 101. Can't stand driving in my wife's car and putting up with Toronto's horrible, HORRIBLE, radio.

[smithfan]

If you're looking for a decent deal on a Sirius radio, there are a few to be had.

http://www.kromerradio.com/promo.htm
- Sirius Stratus for $22

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10096553&catid=23639
- Sirius Stiletto 100 + executive dock + vehicle kit for $229

I personally picked up the Stiletto kit yesterday at FS, got a great deal on it. It works really well. This kit is listed on the Sirius site for $499. I realize there is a newer model out now (Stiletto 2) but I don't see any major differences.

Steve


One major difference is the new Stiletto has an SD slot.
Another one is that the Stiletto 2 is much smaller (the "standard battery gets the same life as the extended one on the first one)
Its too bad they still both only allow you to record 10 hours of songs you actually want though.

[steve-0101]

One major difference is the new Stiletto has an SD slot.
Another one is that the Stiletto 2 is much smaller (the "standard battery gets the same life as the extended one on the first one)
Its too bad they still both only allow you to record 10 hours of songs you actually want though.

Not sure if I'd get much out of the SD slot, but the smaller size sure would be nice. This thing needs a diet.

+1 on the 10 hours. Wish it could hold more.

Still, for $200 I'm a happy camper.