Customer Reviews:
 would have been five stars but the remote broke in a day July 14, 2004
24 out of 26 found this review helpful
I have had one of these units for myself and bought one for the girlfriend. These units provide pretty good reception (much better than FM) and are easy to use. My complaints would be that the display can be washed out in the sun light, and that it is a little oddly shaped for the car dash in some cars, and that there is a need for better filtering on the home unit power supply eliminating the chance for buzzing sounds. I purchased this unit for my girlfriend and she loves it and uses it every day with no complaints.Review of both Sirius and XM radio: I have had both of these services. Pluses for Sirius are better sound quality (more sharp clear and "open" music with less clipping distortion throughout the frequency range), and they used to be the only one of the two to offer commercial free music. Negatives for Sirius. The repeats on Sirius are pretty bad at the moment. Not what one expects to hear after paying 12.99/month There is OutQ (look it up on the Sirius website), which is fine, but this agenda bleads into ALL of the other radio stations, so if you are a person of strict faith, you may want to avoid Sirius as the DJs and commedians seem to have an agenda to push, and can offend sensitive listeners. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! I was on hold the first time for 25 minutes waiting just to speak to someone before hanging up, wrote and email being "invited to call customer service to discuss my issues" and waited 45 minutes just to speak to a person the second time. Total process the second call was probably around an hour and ten minutes. Pluses for XM radio:
Great customer service, Used them three times and haven't a complaint. Now with no commercials. Less repeats on the 80s station than the competition, and they have some other fun stations like Sonic Theater where they read books and act out drama. This service is only 9.99 versus 12.99 for Sirius. I beleive XM has more useful equipment. Less offensive and no personal agendas to push. Minuses for XM Radio:
There is some audio clipping making the music sound a little "muddy" and tiny. The highs seem to be clipped. The audiophile will probably prefer Sirius. The talk on XM sounds a little like that computerized kids game of the 80s Simon. Kind of fake and robotish. Conclusion:
You decide, I personally picked XM, then went to Sirius, and now I am back with XM. Listen to them in a store and ask friends about them. Good luck!
 Shoddy installation and can't get rid of the hissing sound!! July 10, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Ok first off, let me say that I LOVE the XM service and stations. I haven't listened to the regular radio since I got it. My problem is with the car installation. I opted for the professional installation via Circuit City. I don't want to give CC a bad name, but my experience was not a good one. First off, it's mounted so poorly that I could literally pull it right off the console ( its installed on my front center console - I have a Toyota Sequoia). I have to be very gentle every time I pull the receiver out and God help me if I bump it - it will come right off. CC told me that's the best they can do for making it sturdy...? XM has GOT to come up with a better way - I paid a lot of money for all the components and to have it done right - I feel like I could have gotten the same results with just the regular plug in vehicle kit!
Ok I could accept that part IF the sound was better. I get a hissing sound and the quality of my XM sound doesn't come close to that of a CD or even my regular radio. I read the review about this, but my FM modulator is made by Delphi so I know it's compatible. I also called Circuit City and they told me there is nothing they can do except to adjust the audio output. Even after playing with this feature I can't get rid of the hissing. Maybe someone out there can help me because I really DO love XM - I just thought that the sound quality was going to be better or at least EQUAL to my stock radio!!
 Do you really need an XM Radio? July 10, 2004
9 out of 15 found this review helpful
The answer is yes, and the reason in two words is Howard Stern.Not that I listen to Howard Stern, but the FCC has made it clear that the free broadcast spectrum is to be filled with nice words. Nor do I object to nice words. I like them. It is just that creativity and spark are going to find other outlets. These outlets will be on subscription radio. In the meantime, what is on XM is sensational. From comedy (even comedy that is not FCC approved) to music channels without any commercial content to America Right and America Left talk radio (Al Franken is here, folks)to sports. This receiver will work in your car, home or at the beach with a boom box. As to XM itself, it is an evolving medium, but the pace of evolution is very rapid. Get on the XM train and enjoy the ride.
This thing rocks! June 23, 2004
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
XM radio is great! I feel like I've been living in the dark ages relying on commercial radio. My 30-45 minute commute had become such a drag with endless channel surfing between NPR (and it's left-leaning politics), talk radio (with its constant commercial breaks), or FM music (same songs played over and over). XM is so refreshing, and the sound quality is excellent. The Delphi receiver is easy to use, and I appreciate it's larger screen vs. the Commander which I almost purchased. Also, I like having the option to hook it up to my home stereo, as I prefer XM's music options over those offered by Comcast digital cable. Installation was a snap, and the cassette adapter works fine. However, for cosmetic reasons I'm going to permanently hook up the receiver using a Blitzsafe adapter. The adapter is pricey ($99), but I have a new Honda Pilot and don't like having a wire hang from the cassette player. I highly recommend the Delphi SkyFi receiver!
Thank you - Thank you June 21, 2004
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I knew that this product delivered radio by a digital broadcast via satellite so I expected noise free sound without fadeouts and I knew they had over 100 channels and that all the music channels are commercial free, but I was somewhat skeptical about the sound quality beyond the noise free advantage and I was also skeptical about the diversity and depth of the music programming. I had been burned out by the monotony and commercial overload on FM. What a pleasant surprise. The music is free of annoying digital artifacts providing sound quality comparable to the CD player on my home stereo - better than the best FM stations. The sound fidelity on the many talk shows is not as good and you can detect some digital compression, but it is not annoying and the sound is better than any AM station and the reception reliability is way beyond AM, especially if you are driving some distance in your car - same station and reception quality all the way across the country. The music programming is top notch. Frankly it exceeded by best expectations. I really hadn't figured you could put together so much great music within a genre on radio, I simply have not heard radio like this before. While they do have stations that play all the hits from various music styles, most go way beyond the hits playing tunes you had forgotten or haven't even heard from some of your favorite artists and you will discover new ones as well. I had become bored with radio, especially music, and I have started my love affair all over again. I still hit the FM button once in while, but only to listen to NPR; for music, news, comedy and sports chatter you can't beat the XM button. One sideffect is that you will probably buy a lot fewer CD's since you can now instantly select interuption free music to fit any mood in seconds.
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