Satellite Radio Questions - Sirius or XM? / SAT. Radio Ready tuner or Plug & Play tuner?

Question

Looking at getting Satellite radio and was wondering if I should go with Sirius or XM. I already have a Pioneer head unit that is satellite radio ready and was wondering if i should just buy a tuner for it or get one of the plug & play tuners that will allow me to take it in the house and listen to it and not just in the car? My only concern is will the signal / reception be as good with the plug & play tuners as it would be with the Pioneer specific tuner? Tell me all you know on this subject please.

Answer 1

I had both experiences with sirius and xm satellite radio. Both offers the same amount of music channels and without commercial. The only difference is if you like talk radio then Sirius has more channels dedicated to talk radio and celebrities. As for sports channels XM has basketball, while Sirius has more football and NASCAR programming at the moment.

XM still leads as far as better receivers for your car and at home and has more models to choose from then Sirius. At the moment Sirius has the Steletto 100 which is the most portable advance satellite unit currently in the market due to its 2GB of storage programming and Wi-Fi capability.

As far as reception is concern. Both satellite radios vary in signal strength. XM indoor antenna seem better in signal strength and both satellite radios require that the antenna face through a window when indoors otherwise your connection is similiar to a cell phone connection where you will lose the signal and the radio programming is disrupted. The same is true with plug and play tuners since you will need to buy a antenna with your unit.

I have a small receiver for my car when I am on the road going to work and I can transport the receiver into my house and then I can enjoy the music at home as well.

Answer 2

I recently renewed my wifes Sirius for her mini van, she loves it. As far as which is better, that's just a prefference matter. For example, Howard Stern is on Sirius. If your not sure who he is, he's a huge radio talkshow host. But he's not on MX sat. If your a sirious listener, then look for a unit that is versatile enough to go where ever you go. Sirius will allow you to add extra receivers to your service plan for an extra fee per unit. You mentioned that your Pioneer tuner has sat capabilities, some tuners are specific to Sirius or MX.