# Which Should I Get?



## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Knowing it'll be biased, but since there's no general sat radio forum - I'll ask here:

Which service should I get? XM or Sirius. I do like the programming selection of Sirius a little better (an all-Elvis channel...) but it's $3 more which offsets that. I'm a little worried that Sirius has so many less subscribers, but the local car audio shop says not to worry about that. Reception is the big huge thing to me. I'm in Montana so all reception will be direct from the satellites. The car audio shop says Sirius' low-earth orbit satellites work MUCH better and don't cut out nearly as often. Best Buy in the next city says XM works a little better but there's "practically no difference". Also, the car audio shop (the people I'd have do the install) charge $230 for the Sirius system and $270 for the XM system which makes up for the $3/month difference. What should I get? Thanks


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I don’t have XM in the truck, and reception varies by location, so I can’t comment on that. Going with XM was a no brainier for me, I didn’t research it at all other then knowing Sirius was $3 more. But it’s funny, soon my XM bill will be more then Sirius at $14.97. I’m really happy with XM, but if Sirius has the programming you want and XM doesn’t then Sirius may be better for you. A whole channel dedicated to one artist is a bit overkill, being that it’s Elvis isn’t an issue, even if it was a Metallica 24/7 channel, I’d still be against the idea, but if you like it why not.

I’ve said it before, I’ve done some serious listening to Sirius on Dish over at my uncles house, and I wasn’t impressed with what I heard. For what I like Buzzsaw on 19 was the only channel that held my attention.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

The one problem with Sirius' "Figure 8" orbit is that you can get dropouts while standign still (due to the movement of the satellites). I helped someone install a SIrius unit in his home and we finally found a spot inside the house that worked (he was hoping not to have to put the antenna outside). 20 minutes later, the signal vanished.

But in all honesty, go with what programming you like. When I made my decision, XM was the one for me. Others have different tastes.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

So basically, you guys are saying don't worry about the reception diffence? Just want to make sure I understand that. I think I am going to get Sirius. It'll mainly be used driving in rural areas with lots of trees - no clear view of the southern sky large parts of the way, but Sirius should work most of the time due to the higher look angle.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Okay, I setup an appointment to have a Kenwood KCA-R70FM (and all the other stuff to make it a complete Sirius setup) installed this Saturday. Hoping I'm not wasting my money... I think satellite radio will be worth it though.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Good luck with the install Mark!


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Thanks Steve, I'm hoping all goes well. I'm concerned about the signal quality (dropouts, as long as it's reasonable sound quality is not an issue to me) but I'm hoping it's tolerable (pretty sure it will be or I wouldn't be willing to buy it)


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## bavaria72 (Jun 10, 2004)

Hey MarkA. Now that you have had Sirius for about a month, any buyer's remorse? We are going to give a satellite radio to my son for Christmas and was wondering which one to pick. I would tend to favor Sirius (especially because of Howard in a year) but he has stated several times that he prefers XM (like he would know at 17!). Any thoughts?


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

None, none, absolutely none! It's great. I just wish there was:

Christian children's music (other than the occasional VeggieTales song on KidStuff)
and
Christian country music (Other than those songs in mainstream country)

If your son wants XM and has researched the pros/cons I'd say get XM - it's cheaper for you anyways. But be sure to mention:

XM has worse reception in mountainous rural areas
Sirius is more expensive per month
But Sirius has WSM (home of the Opry!)
And Sirius has a commercial-free children's station
But XM's got smaller equipment (depending on what you're getting your son, possibly irrelevant)
And XM's stationary reception is more consistent - if you get a signal now, it'll still be there in an hour. That's not a guarantee with Sirius.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

My 17-year-old daughter is absolutely *hooked* on XM.. As I recall, she says "Ethel" is her absolute favorite station.

XM has more variety in hardware, including the forthcoming MyFi and it's my personal choice for service but Sirius isn't chopped liver. XM just happens to suit my tastes more.


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## redfishhunter (Aug 5, 2004)

Go with Sirius think ahead...


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## hometheaterman (Dec 2, 2003)

I don't have either but I have been thinking about getting Sirius. I just don't think I can justify the monthly cost. If it was a 1 time cost of $2 or 300 I would jump on it but I can't see paying monthly. I have the Sirius channels with Dish though for the home and love them. That would mean I don't need it at home so I basically would just be paying for it for the car. I just can't see paying that for radio.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

It's the cost of one CD per month. A couple of cups of coffee. One pizza with nothing on it.

Remember - people said that nobody would ever pay for television, either.

I signed up to hear one particular concert that was happening at the XM studios - thought I'd try the service for a while and that was it.

I've been hooked for 2 years now.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

> I just can't see paying that for radio.


When it all comes down to it I pay $27.92/month for satellite radio. Putting things in perspective, I paid $28.99 for satellite TV when I first got Dish Network 6 years ago (AT100). 

XM and Sirius are real close. I've always enjoyed XM, I enjoy the musical selection and DJs and overall atmosphere. I didn't care much for Sirius when I first got it, but after listening to it and getting to know the service, and giving it a decent chance, Sirius started to grow on me. Ethel is one of the channels on XM I listen to too. In my opinion, Sirius' Alt Nation will never compare until they get rid of Madison. I'm all for disc jockeys, these are radio providers not digital jukeboxes, but Madison and a few other DJs I've heard on Sirius are no different then the 'talent' I can hear locally on air. I feel the opposite about Bone Yard vrs. Buzzsaw. Each service has a handful of channels that keep me happy, each service has their positives and negatives. Look at the programming, look at the hardware costs and features and sample each service. Both Sirius and XM can be sampled in retail environments and by subscribing to the 3 day free trial of each services online service.

Currently I'm in a musical paradise in my bedroom, 68 channels from XM, 65 channels from Sirius, 36 channels of Music Choice. That's 169 channels of completely commercial free, uncensored music spanning mainstream and niche genres. The only thing that could make this better for me is DirecTV getting the entire MC line up, and me show how finding the extra cash for DMX. According their website, DMX runs about $21 a month but has a start up cost of $600. Othersie I'd have music from the best four sources around, XM, Sirius, Music Choice, DMX.


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

There used to be DMX over cable for like $10/mo. around here. Now it's part of the digital cable TV service for a much higher cost... but there'd be no $600 startup. Why would you want DMX anyways? It's a bad joke programming wise. Music Choice on DirecTV and especially Sirius is MUCH MUCH better.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

I’d like DMX for even more specialization and variety. I can’t attest to the actual content being that I never heard DMX, but from their website, it looks like they have a few items of interest to me.

While mostly listen to metal and various forms of hard rock I also enjoy listening to some niche things once in while. I may hate rap, but there’s always a place on my playlist for Japanese Rap and other international styles. The Japanese and Irish channels on DMX would interest me. Also some of the dance channels sound interesting. One thing that Sirius did was open my ears to dance and electronica, why I don’t fully understand the dance world, some of the stuff sounds pretty cool. Then there’s a channel like Beach Party. Muzak has a similar channel, but being in mono I didn’t listen too often. Back to the rock scene Reality Bites sounds cool, 24/7 grunge, Hard Rock and Alternative would also be welcome anytime. While I’d get enjoyment out of it, not worth $600 or $21 a month to me. If I could get the hardware for $150 and subscription was more comparable to the SDARS providers, I’d look into it more.

Did your cable system offer the full 100 channel DMX line up or was it the condenced ~60 channels?


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Okay, then DMX has more channels than the pathetic selection the cable company passes on. I don't know what the old standalone DMX was anymore, but the digital cable DMX is about 30 channels...


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Yep, the full DMX suite is 100 channels, cable companies tend to carry an abbrivated line up.

http://www.dmxmusic.com/guide/whatson/index.html


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