I need sat radio. I can't take the crap on the airwaves anymore. I'm interested, but I don't know what's the better one.

I'm in it for strictly music, and rock specifically.

Recommendations (on anything, brands, equipment, whatever) are appreciated.

there was alot of discussion on this over at slashdot

http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/....shtml?tid=126

I've had XM for about a month now. I'll never go back to regular radio. Plusses for XM would be lower monthly fee $9.99 vs. $12.99, and better receivers ( I have a roady 2 and am completely satisfied with it not to mention the antenna is small, just slightly larger than a postage stamp. Sirius has HUGE antenna's) I've heard the programming choices on xm and sirius are very comparable although each one has their own gimmick such as Nascar on XM and NFL (I believe) on Sirius. Sound quality on XM is supurb, I would imagine Sirius is about the same.

Sirius

Programming wise, they are both good. But i would go with XM because it has more subscribers (i think 2 million vs 500k). Equiptment wise, i have the Delphi unit and have no complaints with it. I have been using XM in my car for about
1 1/2 years now and will never go back to the regular radio.

i've heard that sirius replayed music more often, not sure if that is still true though.

It also depends what kind of music you are into. I have heard Sirius hip hop stations are better so that would be my choice. You might want to check around into which is the better choice for your type of music.

If you are a sports fan, research them. I think Sirius has the NFL contract, where XM has NBA or MLB or something.

I've had XM almost since day one, and I've been very happy with it. I've listened to Sirius several times, and I find the music on XM to be a little bit deeper, and more to my liking. I also like XM's equipment much better. I run a Roady with a hard-wired FM modulator, and have been pleased with the results.

However, if you live in a place like Seattle or Oregon, I'd suggest Sirius. Their satellites aren't geostationary like XM's are, and you get less dropouts. When I was in Seattle last year, my XM was more or less useless until I came farther south.

In any case, you can go to both XM and Sirius' websites and at least listen to a sample of what they play. Plus, go to an electronics store and look at the equipment. But, I'm sure you'll be happy with either, since they're far superior to anything FM offers.

XM subscriber here. I can't comment on Sirius since I don't have it & have never listened to it but I love my XM. I will also never live without it again. I stopped listening to regular radio (and almost all cds) since I got it. I bought it mainly for the music stations (mainly rock as well) but find myself also listening to the comedy & some of the talk stations as well. There is also a large variety of rock/pop/alternative/heavy metal stations so you won't get bored. I'm not a big sports fan so I have not listened to those.

I believe sirius also lets members have access to all the feeds on their computer, through the internet.. (if you dont want to use a seperate unit)

does XM offer this same service?

I have sirius and love it, but don't really listen to stricktly rock music. They have good stuff from what I have listened to, though. NFL was the kicker for me.

The subscriber base use to be a concern, but now I think both are pretty safe. It is like picking Directv or Dish Network.

Are there any models of either than have the receiver with a built in CD player?

For the car yes, portable there is the portable base for the Delphi unit, and Sirrus may have a similar unit.
For car decks Sony, Pioneer, Alpine are XM. Kenwood, Sanyo, JVC and Clarion are Sirrus and these brands you can find with built in tuners.

Keep in mind you lose the portability factor with the in dash models.

XM is cheaper, has a bigger subscriber base, better variety of channels, and much better playlists (Sirius repeats way too often for my tastes.)

Plus XM has Cinemagic.

Sirius has slightly better sound quality on their music channels. XM has a standard broadcast quality on all channels, meaning that they devote as much bandwidth to their news/talk/sports as they do music. Sirius pumps it up for music and tones it down for other channels.

I've been with XM for two years and will never look back. Unless Sirius offers a free dump truck full of cash with each new subscription. Gotta love a good dump.

You can get a free sirius receiver if you go to the Ozzfest and get your picture taken with a specifc sirius ad from some magazine.

I've only listened to sirius, but i'm quite happy with it. They have a ton of different rock stations, though I usually only listen to Hard Attack (death, thrash, heavy metal, etc...) and Octane (current hard rock).

i've got XM with the Roadie II package and love it.

I've got XM myself and love it. I use it more at work than I do in the car though.
I've also heard people mention that Sirius has some serious repetition of songs on some channels. I've discovered tons of music through XM, specifically the classic alternative channels Fred and Lucy.

i've been with XM for about a year and a half...i love it.. i find myself listening to ch150 alot.. the stand up comedy channel...and opie and anthony start Oct 4.. so i say go w/ XM

Yup, channel 150 is my fav. Its nice to commute with jokes over the radio. Also, XM has local traffic and weather report for most cities.

XM saved my puppy from drowning too.

Best. Station. Ever.

24 hours a day of film scores, how can you beat that?

I've had the skifi boombox for about 8 months now. I love it. Just found out today that XM is carrying all the ACC and Pac-10 college games.....whoo hooo

Go Hoos!!!


XM welcomes College Sports to the XM lineup! Catch the best action, players, coaches and fans that college sports has to offer. XM will deliver college football games and men's and women's college basketball games from the ACC and PAC-10 to XM listeners, fans and alumni across the country later this summer.

The Atlantic Coast Conference
XM will deliver ACC football and men's and women's basketball games to fans and alumni coast to coast. The ACC includes top notch schools like Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, University of Maryland, Miami, University of North Carolina, NC State, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.
PAC-10
XM will also host PAC-10 game coverage for football and men's and women's basketball. The PAC-10 includes USC, Washington State, Oregon, California, Oregon State, Washington, UCLA, Arizona State, Stanford, and Arizona.

Opie and Andy will be a pay premium service like the Playboy channel....boo