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Location: 6 String Ranch | Just wondering what you all think. I've had Sirius in the imports and it's OK but they talk alot, (Like I don't need to know what I'm listin too, I fookin bought it already, ya know?)
Just made the step up to Chevy and they have XFM and it's great!!! Much better programming and not so much talk.
Anyone else had an experience they care to share? |
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Location: SoCal | Chevy's a step up?
What's the difference between Sirius and XFM? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I have Sirius in both kraut cars. I actually like it but I only listen to about 3-4 stations (Classic Vinyl, Sirius Disorder, etc.). I like that they have quite a few of the old WNEW DJ's (Meg Griffen, Vin Scelsa, Dennis Elsas). What I also like is that with the internet log-on I can listen to it on any PC. I assume XFM has the same thing. Dave |
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Location: NJ | The new Cruiser came w/fee Sirius for a year and I like it. I can see y'can often find that they "talk" too much, tho . . .
The problem that I have is that my factory-installed unit doesn't have the digital "crawl" display. It tells me the Channel#, the ChannelName, and the "Genre", but it doesn't tell me artist/title, so I often find myself hearing something that I like and I don't know WHO the f@ck it is . . . Conversely, some of the channels that play the more mundane "ClassicRock" have a tendency to "ChatItUp" incessantly on the blatantly obvious (like I didn't know that Tull performed "LocomotiveBreath") . . .
Rick's got XM and he swears by it . . .
6ofOne, HalfDoz of the other, I guess . . .
When the "free"-thing runs out, I might switch (if it's not too big of a PITA) just to see what it's like.
I just love the fact of not having to deal w/stupid, annoying commercials every 15 mins.
and (living in NY/NJ area) the LocalTrafficChannel is invaluable. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I have Sirius and as far as I am concerned it single-handedly saved radio for me. Commercial radio sucked so much it could been a eastern European porn film fluffer.
They are similiar, but I got Sirius because it carries NPR whereas XM don't... |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I have XM and have compared to Sirius often. You nailed it. Sirius has a bit more "talk radio" and lots more sports available. XM is more music and entertainment driven. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of crossover between the two, the music choices are simlar, but even there, Sirius has more DJ's more like regular radio. On XM, if I'm not listening to Comedy, then I'm on Channel 49 which is commercial free classic rock from the 70's - 90's. What I like about this particular channel and others that target a genre of music on XM in particular, is that I can listen for a couple of days and "maybe" hear an artist repeat. Haven't heard a song repeat that I can think of. However, to be fare, there is a channel called "Boneyard" that initially attracted me to XM and the playlist seems to repeat every few hours.
Bottom line, if you tend to like "talk radio" and are even remotely into sports, you may like Sirius more. If you are into music and entertainment, the XM is the way to go. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | What a timely topic. I have been thinking about going with one of these but was kinda on the fence as to which one fit my desires.
Sounds like XM is the way for me to go.
Thanks guys! |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | For the best comparison here are the channel guides.
XM = http://www.xmradio.com/programming/full_channel_listing.jsp?sort=nu...
Sirius =
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedP...
Also, both provide the option for listening on you PC, which is a nice added bonus. |
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Location: Germantown, MD | We've had XM for a couple of months and love it. There are a lot of channels that we don't listen to, but it's worth the price because the music channels we listen to are commercial-free (except for XM promos) and we never have to worry about finding a new station on longer trips. We chose XM because it has an ACC sports channel and I'm a Maryland alum. Our son has Sirius, but after listening to XM on a three-hour trip with me, he says that some of the XM music stations have much longer playlists than their Sirius counterparts.
Peace,
John |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I'm lovin XFM. I hear a wide variety and no repeats. I got to the bluegrass, blues and litejass and a few others.
When the Benz sirius contract runs out I'm switching.
On Sirius the dj tries too hard to be part of your listening pleasure (shut tha fookoop!) and the only play a few tunes. Blues, Buddy Guy at least every other hour and bluegrass, Third time out, over and over and.... On XFM I've been on it for about 3 weeks and have yet to hear a repeat.
To Miles point, check them both out. The cost is about the same.
To Jeff's point, they have saved radio because without them, I'd NEVER listen to it. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I've heard it's likely that XM and Sirius will merge in the future (one will acquire the other).... |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | and the knucklehead suits that run the companies will keep the worst aspects of each and combine them. |
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Location: SoCal | knucklehead suits And, since it has been a number of years since I wore a tie (except for sometimes at church), I can agree with the description :D |
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Location: Germantown, MD | CWK wrote: "On Sirius the dj tries too hard to be part of your listening pleasure (shut tha fookoop!) and the only play a few tunes."
I feel your pain, Bill: During afternoon drivetime on XM Channel 6 (The Sixties), the DJ drags out old AM radio jingles from--surprise--the Sixties. Even my wife, who really didn't experience the Sixties until after we were married in the mid-Seventies, hates it. |
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Location: NJ | Does anybody (with Sirius or XM) experience intermittent “drop-outs” in reception??
From time-to-time, I’ll get drop-outs that can last anywhere from a couple hundred mill-secs to four or five seconds that can be QUITE annoying (especially when it’s during a tune that I REALLY wanna hear). It’s really weird too in the location of some of the known “trouble spots” . . .
I can see where it would be prevalent when going under large (or a succession of) bridges or underpasses. But there’s an area along my commute on the NJ Turnpike that’s equidistant to the LincolnTunnel and NewarkAirport where it consistently cuts in/out for about a mile. This area’s on an elevated roadway, up above everything else around it for miles, and there’s NOTHING “over” it except clear blue sky (WHEN the sky IS clear and blue, that is). Odder still, is that I travel this stretch of roadway coming/going to work, and the reception on my morning commute is perfect, but the trip home along that stretch is fraught w/drop outs. I’d heard someone call in on the SternShow who said that they had reception trouble near NewarkIntl. As well, so I’d assume that airport system are possibly causing interference
I’ve recently noted it happening more frequently when “riding around” in my town. Summit, NJ is an old town built in the hills of the Watchung Mountains. The town’s got a LOTTA tree-lined streets that are home to some BIG, old trees that hang over the roadways. I got my car back in November (bare trees) and I’ve noticed how the reception has progressively denigrated as the “canopy” grew-in over the Spring(and now Summer) and the “trouble spots” are always the same, and I can pretty much anticipate when they’re coming up.
It’s just annoying as hell when it happens, in that (as opposed to a bit of “static” – which I used t’HATE) it now just cuts in&out (like a bum speaker lead).
Does anybody else experience anything even remotely similar??
I tend to attribute it (in my case anyway, as far as I can tell) to obsolete hardware.
I bought my car in Nov’05. It’s an ’04 that “sat” on the lot for more than a year (because it’s “stick”).
It’s classified as a “DreamCruiser”, which is basically a limited-run PT w/every conceivable “option” thrown into it (Sirius being one of ‘em). I’m thinking that the car was actually “built” mid ’03 (while Sirius was still a “fledgling” outfit). As I said before, I don’t have the graphic-intensive “display” on the dash unit, and my “antenna” is a black fiberglass bulb (about the size/shape of half a SillyPutty “egg” – only a little bigger) mounted on the roof-back near the rear hatch & the airfoil.
I would (hopefully) assume that the more “contemporary” hardware’s a bit more reliable.
I gotta great “deal” on the car, and the Sirius is free (for now) so I can’t complain.
I DO like some of the programming, tho.
“The Vault” is pretty cool, as they play stuff that you NEVER hear (or heard) on the radio.
Last week I heard the ENTIRE “Thick as a Brick” album, Genesis’ “Supper’sReady”, Nektar’s “Remember the Future”, and Zappa’s “DynamoHum” . . .
“ClassicVinyl” is pretty good, tho they tend to focus on a lot of the “usual” ClassicRock faire (but they do diverge from it once-in-a-while). The thing that’s pretty cool about them is that every so often, RIGHT before they play a track, you’ll hear that all-too-familiar sound of a stylus “landing” on a record, with faintly discernible “pops” & “scratches” . . . . “Takes y’Back”.
“CoffeeHouse” plays a lot of good acoustic-versions of tunes (tho sometimes, y’gotta sit though the NoraJones-type stuff, and the TeenAngst-ridden EmoWhining . . .)
“Spectrum” is pretty cool in that they play a lot of the older stuff back-to-back with recently-released contemporary stuff (got turned-on to the SubDudes there, and heard the title track from DavidGilmour’s CD weeks before it was released).
“Margaritaville” is “okay”. It’s not ALL Buffett (but predominantly so), in that they play a lotta Reggae/Calypso, BeachBoys, JohnHiatt, JamesTaylor, and other singer/songwriter stuff (tho they tend to venture WAY too much into Springsteen for my tastes . . .) If you’re into Buffett, it’s cool in that they “simulcast” all of the concerts when he’s on Tour
The Jazz Channels are good (with exception of the ubiquitous “SmoothJazz” drek) as are the Blues ones.
The Classical Channels are pretty good too in their diversity.
As was stated earlier, there IS a lot of Talk-oriented programming, which I’ll “bounce” around (till somebody pisses me off).
The 50’s/60’s/70’s/80’s/HairMetalCrap Channels can pretty much loose their transponders, for all that I care . . . same with the Cuntry & Sports Ones.
When this free subscription runs out (end of Nov.) I’ll consider the feasibility/cost-effectiveness of upgrading the hardware and possibility of changing subscriptions . . .
As MasterWhitehead alluded to earlier . . . I can see the day where they might just end up merging. |
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Location: Germantown, MD | My son James has Sirius and warned me about dropouts when we got XM, but we haven't had enough of them to worry about--maybe one or two every three weeks or so and usually when there's a clear reason--no visibility at all to the south or a very heavy rainstorm. Our XM hardware (Audiovox Xpress FM transducer) is much newer than his Sirius in-dash receiver. He swears that XM has repeaters strategically located to prevent drop-outs, but that sounds like it would be an expensive strategy that would affect subscription rates and probably be touted in advertising.
Short answer: It might be your radio or it might be something else, but it's not you, Cliff. Not this time, anyway.
Peace,
John |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | They do drop out. Some in the same place in the road exerytime, sometimes in bad (cloudy) weather. Annoying, yes but still better than AM or FM. I've found that sirius cuts out more than XFM.
On the talk, it's not the talk channels, it's the idiot DJ on the music channels. I was driving the import today and it was cutting out all the time so I think the car has a problem but the programming is just so limited on Sirius. Anyway, I'll drop that for now.
It is nice to have an alternative to wearing out your own cds for music in the car. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Drops do happen every now and then. I notice it when I get into narrow roads with steep sides and a heavy canopy. I also notice it when at low angles "in the shadow" to overpasses.... after passing it... being well past. Wierd. |
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| I really enjoyed NPR in the jeffmobile - and I would never have found John Kovac or Garrison Keillor's radio show without NPR. Support the good guys. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | (NPR was the only intelligent dialogue he heard the entire week he was here)... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | What number is NPR? |
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Location: NJ | 134 thru 136 |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I do believe XM has earth located repeaters as on my unit when you look at the signal strength for alligning the antenna it references satallite or terrestrial.
XM does have a PR channel, although not NPR it has some good shows and commentary, some I believe from NPR hosts. |
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Location: NJ | It's probably PRI(PubicRadioIntl.) That's 36 on Sirius. |
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Location: NJ | Attention Slipkid! :
I just heard that Channel 10 on Sirius has now be come the "All WHO Channel" . . . |
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OT: Satallite radio
