I remember reading somewhere that one service is better than the other but can't seem to find it now. Which one would you guys recommend and why? I'm torn between the two and why? Thanks.

 

I dont know about the Cali area, but I would go with XM, it has been around longer and most likely has better service. Its also a little cheaper, if that matters. I personally went with XM , my dad has the XM Weather program for his airplane and they offered it to us for $6/month.

 

I have XM installed at work and I like it, never tried Sirius before but Howard Stern is headed to Sirius I believe next year

 

Yup, Howard Stern is the reason Sirius wins for me. I installed over the weekend, it's a great service, tho I'm sure XM is too if you don't mind the no Howard.

 

I like Sirius' content better than XM's. Stations like the Pulse 9, Beat 66 and Octane 20 fit my music tastes perfectly. I haven't found stations I like nearly as well on XM. I also like the internet streaming that's included with the Sirius subscription, as well as the Lifetime Service choice.

If you're into top 40/adult top 40, XM offers a lot more choices, though.

I don't think either one of them is going anywhere soon.

 

Howard Stern is the reason to choose Sirius......

And well because I have a ton of stock in it

 

I have friends that sell both at a high end local stereo shop and they always push people towards Sirius. They're reasons are that the reception is better, XM cuts out. Some of the people who have gone there and gotten XM have gone back to switch to Sirius. None of the Sirius subscribers have gone back after subscribing.

They have also told me that the programming is better on Sirius on top of the issues with reception.

I also remember talking to my hair stylist in town about SAT radio. I noticed when I was in there that the music must be SAT. They have XM and she had great things to say about them; however, she did mention that on cloudy days the reception cuts out a lot.

There is probably not much difference in programming, though, my friends say Sirius is better, but the reception issue is enough for me to choose Sirius.

 

I'm not sure about XM, but I know that Sirius also uses ground based transmitters in some areas to supplement the satellite signal which might be interrupted in big city's.

 

I have a sirius “home” setup on my desk at work, i work on the ground floor in a very large building with another building only about 40ft from my window. I hang my antenna out the window and even though i have 0 satellite signal coming in, i have a 100% ground base or terrestrial signal. I have never had it cut out on me once. I too think the programming is superior especially for my wide flavor of music mostly hard attack and octane but sometimes find my way over to the beat or pule and the raw dog comedy channel is hysterical. Best of all my receiver was purchased for me by Mr. Howard Stern

edit: also even though XM is cheaper by a few dollars each month you have to pay extra for certain channels

 

I've got a Sirius receiver in my "other" car and I enjoy the NFL broadcast as well as the music. I haven't heard a lot of music on XM, so can't compare. But NFL is only on Sirius so I'm glad that I got it (though I got Sirius before NFL came. ).

Regards

 

What do you mean by 'service'? If it's content, you should check out what type each service offers. As for reception, I believe both are equal. I have only used XM in all my vehicles and quite happy with it. In terms of cost I believe XM has a lower monthly fee.

 

That's true but that's for the "base" package isn't it? I was looking at their website the other day and it'll cost you an extra few bucks to upgrade the service, no?

 

I'm not sure what you mean here. From the xmradio.com site the basic
service plan is $9.99/month with one time activation of $9.99. If you pay
for one or more years there is a discount. Additional radio is $6.99 on family
plan. Of course you need to purchase an XM radio receiver.

Sirius is similar at $12.99/month, $6.99 for 2-4 more radios. They also have a
lifetime for $499.99

So really about the same. Just choose by content that you like.

Boy I should collect a fee from either company for promoting.

Later,
Anthony

 

What I mean is that with XM, the $9.99 price gives you their basic package. It includes whatever number of music, sports (if any), etc.....but in order to get addiotional channels, (I forgot what they were) in addition to whatever you get when you pay $9.99, I believe it'll cost an extra $10. So basically, you're going to pay $19.99/month for ALL of the channels that XM offers versus paying only $12.99/month for Sirius for ALL of their channels. I believe that Sirius only has one package which includes all of the channels. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

There are only 2 channels which are "premium" which you can add, if you like with XM. Sirius has these annoying jingles, and all of the DJs talk into the songs, so they don't shut up before the songs start (or ends for that matter). Just my opinion though
See this for some interesting comparos....
http://www.xmradio.com/learn/programming.jsp