XM actually is a couple of generations ahead of Sirius in terms of receiver development. They're the only ones with portable receivers that can actually be used when not connected to a base.
Not only that, but listening tests conducted by respected audio magazines have determined time and again that the sound quality on XM is simply better. The AAC+ codec used by XM is also the one adopted as the standard for the new terrestrial "HD Radio". Originally HD Radio was to have used the PAC codec used by Sirius, but listening tests showed "sirius" audio quality issues, which disappeared with the switch to AAC+.
I've been an XM subscriber for four years. Earlier in the year I got upset with XM, and briefly subscribed to Sirius. I literally could not tolerate the sound quality. Fortunately I hadn't yet cancelled my XM subscription. "Back to the Shack" with the Sirius gear. (There was a "crackling" distortion during complex musical passages, very similar to what happens when a digital circuit is overloaded. Remember unlike analog, digital has no "headroom"...there is nothing above 0dbfs, or 0vu as expressed on analog gear. Any attempt to go beyond 0 (100 percent modulation) results in distortion...very similar to what I heard on Sirius. Even my wife, decidedly a "non audiophile" asked "what's wrong with that, it sounds bad" when I listened to Sirius. She loves XM, listens to it all the time in our new Chevy Equinox, and it sounds great!)
XM actually is a couple of generations ahead of Sirius in terms of receiver development...
That's good to know ... the Samsung I bought is an XM unit and seems to work pretty well. There were Sirius units available too and I basically chose XM at random.
I am currently an XM Subscriber. One thing to note about XM is lately they have way too many commercials on their channels. I understand a commercial about another of their channels being broadcast, but when they talk about Oreck vacuums among other things for around 15 minutes on the station. It is time to rethink satellite radio. I have had Xm for a long time myself and until recently have been very happy with them. I am not paying $21 a month (2 receivers) to hear commercials. I am actually thinking of going with Sirius. Just wanted to give some info on XM and their new found love of commercials
Thanks guys (and gals). I think I have decided on the Pioneer Inno. It recieved some really good reviews on various sites that I visited and seems to fit what I need, or maybe "want" is the better word. Now I just have to find the right deal. I found some factory refurbished units on Ebay for around $140 which is about half the price or more than buying a brand new one. I have bought other refurbished electronics in the past and haven't had any problems. Anyone have any experience with the Pioneer Inno refurbished unit?
I love Sirius because of the NPR and classical music choices.
Howard is also a plus
My only complaint would be that sometimes the DJs ramble and it doesn't make sense. But other then that I love Sirius! Oh yeah and they need to start talking about stuff that isn't about Sirius Traffic and Weather. It's repetitive!
Edit: In response to Croger's comment Sirius doesn't have commercials on most of their music channels. At completely random intervals I'll hear a 30 second ad for some web service on Sirius hits one sometimes I won't even hear it for a while at all. If you listen to CNN Headline News or FOX Sirius basically replaces all of the TV ads with their own ads. Hey that doesn't bother me the least.
I just found out about a GREAT deal on the Samsung Helix, which is essentially the same radio as the Pioneer Inno, just looks different. Buy.com has it for $119 after a $50 rebate. This is by far the best deal I have seen on these portables.
Paying $1.50 for 8 oz of water makes as much sence as paying somebody to not cook your food. Rrrrrrrrrrrrri_dic_U_loso.... I had to buy my last 2 Tvs so I am okay with that Trade. Although I once worked for FINCO de Mexico whos slogan was Keep TV Free! They had the Rainbow box idea before the Gays!
Loaded With Personalities, Now Satellite Radio May Try a Merger
By ERIC A. TAUB
Last year’s debut of Howard Stern’s radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio put the technology on the map, raising the public’s awareness of satellite radio and helping to boost significantly subscriber totals for Sirius and its larger rival, XM Satellite Radio.
Today, thanks in part to the outsize radio personality, the Stern Effect has increased Sirius’s base to about six million subscribers, up 80 percent from one year ago. XM has increased its numbers by more than 30 percent, ending 2006 with 7.7 to 7.9 million customers.
“There is a tendency to view satellite radio as if the glass is half empty, and that it is a failure or disappointment,” said Craig Moffett, senior cable analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein.
“In fact, nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “Satellite radio is growing faster than any consumer product except for the iPod.”
But Sirius and XM shares have taken a battering on Wall Street, with prices for both off about 50 percent from their year-ago levels. On Friday, Sirius closed at $3.54, while XM ended the year at $14.45.
And now, the industry may be getting ready to try an even more dramatic third act — a possible attempt to merge the two services.
The benefits of a merger have been promoted by the chief executive of Sirius, Mel Karmazin, for a number of months, and Sirius officials continue to say that a merger would be a good thing. XM has not commented on the possibility, and neither company has said whether they have actually discussed the issue.
“When you have two companies in the same industry, we have a similar cost structure. Clearly, a merger makes sense from an investor’s point of view to reduce costs, and to have a better return,” said David Frear, the chief financial officer for Sirius.
Both companies have continued to lose hundreds of millions of dollars because of marketing and other subscriber acquisition expenses. During the year, XM sharply lowered its expectations for 2006 subscriber levels, from January’s predicted end-of-year total of 9 million to a maximum of 7.9 million. (Sirius reduced its subscription projection by about 100,000.)
Nate Davis, XM’s president, said his company believed that the slower-than-expected growth rate was of its own making and not a result of any market indifference. “We did not stimulate the market with new products,” he said.
XM’s most talked-about receivers, the Pioneer Inno and Samsung Helix, were first announced one year ago. Several new receiver models will be introduced later in 2007. In addition, production of some receivers was temporarily halted to stop a condition that was allowing satellite signals to be picked up by neighboring vehicles.
The hiccups typical of fledgling industries appear to be over. Both companies have their programming lineups largely in place and a wide range of receivers available in retail stores.
In addition to Howard Stern, Sirius features personalities like Deepak Chopra, Judith Regan, Richard Simmons and Martha Stewart. Sports programming includes N.B.A., N.F.L., and N.H.L. games; Nascar programming begins this year.
XM has shows with hosts including Bob Dylan, Ellen Degeneres, “Good Morning America” personalities, and Oprah Winfrey. XM broadcasts every Major League Baseball game as well as P.G.A. golf.
Yet the vast majority of programming remains duplicative. Each company offers a wide variety of rock, pop, folk, and other musical genres, as well as the same news channels, which include the BBC, CNN, Fox, and MSNBC. Sirius and XM each claim that their music channels are more compelling than the competition’s, but most casual listeners would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.
“The services mirror each other tremendously,” said Richard Doherty, an analyst with the Envisioneering Group, a research firm. “More people know that one service has Howard Stern than know which one has him.”
Except for a relatively small handful of viewers looking for particular programs, consumers searching for a satellite service in a retail store often make their decision not on the merits of one over the other, but which one is more convenient to buy.
“For the subscriber, it all comes down to which one of the two is closer to the cash register. Customers cannot tell the difference between the two services,” Mr. Moffett said.
Customer choice will play an even smaller role in the coming years as both companies come to rely more on selling satellite radio as a factory-installed option on new cars, and less on receivers sold at retail stores.
Both companies have exclusive agreements with the automobile companies. Customers typically get free service for a number of months, and then must pay $12.95 a month to continue listening.
XM has exclusive arrangements with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Porsche. Sirius has similar alliances with BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Kia and VW-Audi.
Today, about 63 percent of XM’s subscribers are buyers of new cars, and Sirius’s new subscribers are derived equally from new car and after-market sales. As more cars are equipped with satellite radios, the new car market could grow to as high as 70 percent of sales in the next few years, Mr. Moffett said.
“We see greater and greater demand in the car market,” said Mr. Davis of XM. “And we think the used car market will be an opportunity to sell to new subscribers.” Used car subscribers incur no additional hardware costs if the receiver is already in place.
And if the companies were to merge and effectively double their subscriber base, the new company could reduce programming costs through increased negotiating clout, removal of duplicative channels and elimination of redundant employees.
Whether Sirius and XM attempt to merge, a number of variables that will determine the size of the industry’s success remain unknown.
They include the number of new cars that will be equipped with satellite radio receivers; the percentage of new car owners who will subscribe after the free trial period ends; and whether purchasers of used cars equipped with satellite radio will be more or less likely to subscribe than new car owners.
The business may also be vulnerable to subscription overload, Mr. Doherty said, if consumers find that monthly recurring expenses from cellphone bills, cable TV, and other services are too high.
Yet even if that is true, there is little doubt that the concept of satellite radio is no longer alien to consumers. According to Sirius, 83 percent of consumers aged 18 to 55 are now aware of the technology.
Mr. Frear became personally cognizant of that when he tried to rent a car with a Sirius radio recently but found they were all taken.
“Every year, satellite radio just sinks deeper and deeper into the public consciousness,” he said.
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One thing to note about XM is lately they have way too many commercials on their channels.
Just to clarify this, the vast majority of the XM music channels are commercial free. The only channels with regular ads are those with syndicated programming (talk, news channels, especially live stuff where the hosts need a break every now and then.) There are also 5 or 6 music channels run by Clear Channel that have commercials, but XM has basically duplicated these channels in their commercial-free line-up. If all you listen to is music, you'll never need to hear an ad.
I have XM and love it. I have the original Delphi MyXM radio. It is portable and can receive XM when not connected to a home base or car. Reception with the internal antenna is poor. There's an external personal antenna that works pretty good. I bring that with me when I travel and slap it into a rental car. You can also record music when in the base unit. Specs call for 5 hours of recording, but I found it holds almost 8 hours or recorded music. Enough for most of a day in the office. I have an AltecLansing aftermarket until for the office. Sounds really good. The newer Pioneer and Samsung units combine the satellite radio with MP3 capabilities. You could probably find the older portable units on Ebay.
My only complaint about XM service is the lack of NFL. Sirrius got it. But I usually am home to watch the game so that doesn't bother me. If you are that big a Stern fan, then Sirrius wouls be the way to go. If you really don't care about any radio personality then find the radio you like the best.
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