16 replies to this topic

[SDS]

any reason to choose one over the the other?

I'm buying a portable unit for my car. Could use a recommendation on that as well.

[Eleven]

Honestly, I think they both suck pretty bad, and aren't they just about the same right now?

I prefer loading up my iPod with podcasts instead.  I really, really don't like Sirius.  Too many commercials for paid radio.  I will say that they have a very nice variety of live action college and pro football in the autumn, but we're running out of autumn.

[Claude_Verret]

The only reason I have satellite radio still is for Howard 100 and Howard 101, so if you are into Stern then I'd say Sirius. Otherwise I don't think it matters really.

[Glass Case Of Emotion]

they are one company now. siriusxm

[Claude_Verret]

 LastPommerFan, on 29 November 2012 - 08:50 PM, said:

they are one company now. siriusxm

Ask Howard about that, or me when I tried to get a second radio discount on my wife's Odyssey XM radio. They aren't the same company when it suits them.

[SDS]

 Eleven, on 29 November 2012 - 08:47 PM, said:

Honestly, I think they both suck pretty bad, and aren't they just about the same right now?

I prefer loading up my iPod with podcasts instead.  I really, really don't like Sirius.  Too many commercials for paid radio.  I will say that they have a very nice variety of live action college and pro football in the autumn, but we're running out of autumn.

I'm in the car 2.5-3 hours every day. You can only listen to so much local radio and quite frankly, loading up my phone with stuff takes work that will never get done. I've tried and it works for the one time I try.

[Eleven]

 SDS, on 29 November 2012 - 09:22 PM, said:

I'm in the car 2.5-3 hours every day. You can only listen to so much local radio and quite frankly, loading up my phone with stuff takes work that will never get done. I've tried and it works for the one time I try.

If you're driving that much, I'm not the one to answer the question properly.  I drive that much maybe once every other month.

[Strow]

There is a Key difference between the two. If you get XM you will not get all the sirius channels. They make you pay for a "best of sirius" package. The same for sirius, you need to pay for a best of XM package. Look over the channel line up and see which best fits you. I haven't gotten a unit for years and when I did get one I wasn't impressed. XM had the best tech back in the day I'm not sure if that is true anymore. If you are just going to use it in the car it really doesn't matter. Getting XM for my car was great when I drove for 3.5 hours a day.

Another way to go is see if you can get the online package and use your smart phone to play the app while your in the car. Haven't used the app yet but that might work and save you money.

[shrader]

I have XM in my car.  I'm actually thinking about canceling it now though.  The station that I wind up getting the most use of of has turned pretty useless right now, their NHL station.  I could probably get most of what I'm looking for music-wise out of my ipod.  It's nice having all of those options, but right now it feels like a luxury I don't particularly need (although I will hold onto it at least until after I drive to and from Buffalo at Christmas time).

Ok, here's what I'm really hoping for.  I cancel, then they turn around and make some ridiculously good offer to stay onboard... Then when that deal runs out, time to cancel again.

[wjag]

I have XM and love it.  I travel quite a bit and its nice to be able to flip between classic rock, classicial music, comedy and news.  It also gives you weather and traffic for DC/Baltimore.  I probably float around between 5-8 channels.  I also like the NHL when I'm driving at night.  Well I used to like the NHL when I'm driving at night..

My only nit is that if you don't have access to the southern sky, it drops out.   If a road is carved closed to a mountain/hill (like a lot of Pennsylvania) there are annoying dropouts...

It is true that they have merged, but I know I don't get all the Sirius stations.   If I was buying today, I would probably just go with Sirius.

Edited by wjag, 30 November 2012 - 08:37 AM.

[MattPie]

 SDS, on 29 November 2012 - 09:22 PM, said:

I'm in the car 2.5-3 hours every day. You can only listen to so much local radio and quite frankly, loading up my phone with stuff takes work that will never get done. I've tried and it works for the one time I try.

If you have a smart phone, have you tried Pandora/Slacker/Spotify to stream music? The only issue there is if you're out in the hinterlands and don't have a data connection it doesn't work.

[Suffer_enuff]

I have Sirius in my truck and XM on my motorcycle (yes, you read that right).  Most of the major stations are the same, but you do have to check the lineups of each to see if there is something on one that you must have.  One note: If you tend to listen to one station a lot (I listen to "Eighties on 8" most often), it seems to me that their playlist is somewhat limited.  By that I mean that if you listen long enough, you will hear songs more than once a day.  Of course, there are many other stations to choose from so you can always switch around.  It is a bonus if you are driving on the interstate between cities, since the stations never fade out and you don't have to touch the dial.

[Hank]

I had XM for a couple years, cancelled it when I deployed, now have Sirius because its what came in the truck. The biggest difference for me is that XM had fox sports radio and sporting news radio, at least they did when I cancelled in JAN 11. Sirius does not carry those two channels. Sports talk is all I listen to so I miss those options.

On a related note, I can download the Czab show and Dan Patrick on the phone, but I can't find JT the Brick anywhere. If anyone out there is a fan of JT and knows where to find his podcast please let me know.

[Taro T]

I've got an older Sirius radio in my car and my wife has an older XM radio in hers.

Hopefully the new ones are more integrated, but I'd have to get 'best of XM' to get the NHL and, unless it changed this fall, she'd need to have 'best of Sirius' to get the NFL games.  I'd suggest you check their website and see what's 'best of' each and choose the one that has more stuff you'd listen to.

The worst part of the merger of the 2 was the punting of XM's 'Special XMas' channel at Christmas time.  It had all the comedy / off-beat Christmas stuff and it isn't carried on either anymore.  Bummer.

[DR HOLLIDAY]

Stern

[SDS]

DR HOLLIDAY, on 14 December 2012 - 06:55 PM, said:

Stern

For me, I couldn't care less...

[Eleven]

SDS, on 14 December 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

For me, I couldn't care less...

For me the absence of Stern > presence of Stern.

And I don't find him offensive.  Just noisy and not very funny.  He's turned into a louder and stupider version of Imus, and without the philanthropy.