Sirius vs. XM...? what up Gee?

mindscream · 10-20-2004, 01:59 PM

OK,

I was just curious... I obviously haven't done too much research into the comparisons, other than the obvious..XM has/had XMPCR and Sirius doesn't. But...

Which is better? I mean I've seen some of XM in action and was sorta impressed. I would be happy if I could get the cable to be able to control the XM from my PC...

But..

over here with a lot less attention is the Dog Star named competitor... Has anyone actually gotten any real comparisons between XM and Sirius?

Sirius is awfully cheaper, especially if you have the right coupon codes. XM is a lot more popular, but that doesn't make them necessarily better.

I'm not trying to start a flame war, so please don't come with the "XM IS BETTER AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT" kinda statements... I'm hoping y'all can give up some real comparison info, if you have it of course.

Chairboy · 10-20-2004, 02:03 PM

Sirius has more commercial free music, if I recall correctly, but XM has introduced a couple recently. I'm not wild about paying a monthly fee to listen to commercials with my music, so Sirius is the one I'm most likely to get.

Zip-Lock · 10-20-2004, 02:10 PM

XM's music channels are all commerical free.

bpierce815 · 10-20-2004, 02:39 PM

Just looking at the respective websites, Sirius seems to have more music channels than XM. It appears that XM has alot more comedy/talk/news channels.

judoGTI · 10-20-2004, 02:43 PM

Opie and Anthony are on XM, so that alone is worth it. XM rocks, I was surprised at how much I like it, even though I use it pretty much only for O&A

Bangster · 10-20-2004, 03:02 PM

I have the Sirius music on my TV Satellite system (DiSH) and I find that I use the existing music channels more. I think XM seems to have a better offering for the type of music I listen to. I will go with XM once I make the plung.

strohj · 10-20-2004, 03:03 PM

I had sirius before i switched to a carputer.. and I loved it.. their channel lineup is better if you are into music... they also have the NFL and college football...

right now I have XM.. cos its all i can control via my carpc... and so far i cant say anything bad about it.. it really boils down to what you wanna listen to more often... go get a program guide for both... and decide...

Sensor · 10-20-2004, 03:14 PM

I listened to XM in my friend's Accord, then bought a Sirius tuner since they had a good free-hardware-with-contract promotion.

XM seemed to cut out going under overpasses and whatnot more often than Sirius, but that could have been hardware differences. Sirius costs $2 more per month, assuming you pay for a year in advance. Sirius also has a "lifetime" subscription option, but when I read the fine print about a year ago it specifically said that the "lifetime" option did NOT allow you to switch to a new receiver/hardware. In terms of music, I find it doesn't really matter -- for example, XM has like 40's channel, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's; Sirius has 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's+Now.

I'd say go with whatever fits your car nicest (especially if your factory headunit can support one) or whatever costs least. I think the best part about Sirius is that I can listen to it through my broadband connection at home or work, but I'm sure this isn't a plus for everyone; you can listen too for a 3-day trial of Sirius. You don't hear many XM vs Sirius bashers (unlike Star Wars vs StarTrek), so they must both be good, right?

--Ed

jeremyp111 · 10-20-2004, 03:16 PM

I have Sirius in my RX300, in my home and on my boat and XM in my SC400 (carputer) and I think Sirius has a much better channel lineup and they play more of the current popular songs than XM does. I've also noticed that XM does play the same songs over and over and over again. IMO Sirius has better sound quality than XM and better reception. Going down tree covered roads and under bridges and stuff Sirius wont lose signal half as much as XM does. This of course is just based on my observation in my area (New England).

mindscream · 10-20-2004, 04:38 PM

Wow... I really appreciate all the input you guys have given. Very very much what I was looking for.

Its also nice to know we have a mature discussion without everyone going off on the other on which is better <g>

turbocad6 · 10-24-2004, 02:07 AM

there both great & neither is a bad choice, sirus has signed a huge contract with howard stern & he hits the satellite waves in around 15 months with control of three channels. That should sway more than a few toward sirius...myself included...

blazinlow · 10-24-2004, 02:59 AM

I think Howard Stern is going to be the downfall of Sirius, but thats just my opinion. They are pretty much putting their company in his hands. They are risking ALOT signing has-been Stern for the absurd $500 million contract.

XM seems like a better company. Better technology, better hardware. 2.5+ million subscribers vs Sirius's 700,000 subscribers. XM stock trades about $32/share vs $3.80 for Sirius. XM is cheaper per month too!

I have XM, which I got because I heard O&A were coming (which I agree 100% judoGTI, they alone are worth it!!) but I really like the programming, I cant recall hearing commercials on the music station. You do on comedy, that I know, but its only for a minute or so out of say an hour of programming.

XM just signed with Major League Baseball, a $650 million deal. Makes more sense to sign baseball than NFL (Sirius)

Im sure you'd be happy with either one!

biomekanik · 10-24-2004, 04:31 PM

Since XM now offers music via the internet, at an additional cost btw, both companies allow for a free trial period. Opie and Anthony is on XM, but their channel costs $1.99 a month. If you want to listen to it while connected to the computer, but not the internet, XM is currently your only option. I hope that will change in the near future.

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