Anybody using Satellite Radio?

That's funny, I'm in the same boat, I don't own a tuner because I personally think the music they play (in my city at least) is generic bubblegum, same ole, same ole, all the time, drowning you with sickening commercials. That "XM"? Satellite music has been advertised on TV through Best Buy and Circuit City, I'm gonna check it out this week end, I'll ask them about system compatability.

I've been using Sirius for about 8 months. I've got it in my car (listen to nothing else), and in late July I got a portable tuner that I can hook up to either my main system or Bose Wave radios in the bedroom and at the office.

While I really enjoy the excellent, commercial-free programming on Sirius, limitations of the medium become apparent when hooked into my main system - - sound is noticably compressed, resulting in less dynamic range. Also, I really have to crank up the volume control on my pre-amp to get a decent sound level.

Given the limitations of the bedroom and office Bose radios - and my car audio system, for the matter - the Sirius tuners sound quite acceptable in those venues. As far as my main system is concerned, however, --- vinyl rules!

Robert

I have had XM radio since the first of the year and love it. About 70 music channels and 30 talk channels. I actually enjoy talk radio more than music, but the music selection on XM is outstanding. You can go to www.xm.com for more info.

I have a friend who is an absolute "radio pig" and he has both services. He thinks the sound quality of XM is better and that they have a more expanded play list on most channels. The Delphi home unit does a good job and sounds good in my big system. It is not up to the quality of the best CD players, but it images pretty well and is a big step above FM. Unfortunately, I don't know of an XM unit that can be plugged in to a dac.

Dish network has a bunch of stations playing no commercials. I've hooked the digital input, you have to have a satellite receiver capable of this, to a DAC and I think it sounds great.

A Good Guys salesperson told me that "the XM Radio antenna must be next to a window so the Delphi Home unit (with docking station) can receive an XM signal". At the Home Entertainment Show in San Francisco, I was told "the antenna could be placed on top of my TV (approx 12 feet away from a window)". Before you purchase, please review the antenna requirements for you to receive the XM signal. This is very important for you to receive the XM signal. I received the answer below from XM Radio (www.xmradio.com):

"In most home applications in the US, the XM radio antenna will require placement in a window with a clear view of the Southern sky. The antenna features a weather-resitant design and can be mounted out doors if that is the only way to obtain a clear Southern exposure. Delphi is releasing a 50' antenna extension with improved design in an effort to mitigate any field issues that may arise from using the now out of stock design. Approximate date of availability is the week of July 14th. And, of course, we apologize for any inconvenience, but felt it important to release the new product without retired inventory remaining in the field. The new design should also address concerns about use in the boom box as well".

I determined that in my house, I could not place the XM Radio Antenna to receive the XM signal and so I decided not to go with XM Radio. I also was unwilling to pay the XM Radio monthly fees. I am lucky to have good quality FM stations that play music with a minimum of commerical interruption. cheers...