930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: walkonby on June 25, 2005, 02:59:00 pm
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not sure if this topic's been covered or not, but what is the general consensus? i'm new to sirius, and one of my friends (omg, he has friends?) claims xm destroys. sirius is more expensive, all around, from the equipment to the activation, but i know quite well that sometimes you can never go serious by the price tag. mikey tyson sure is now aware of that hardened truth.
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I dont own either, mostly because I am torn on which to get. I have a few friends with XM, they swear by it and when I ride with them I have no complaints, though none of them have ever had Sirius so they cant do a true comparison. Whenever I am traveling and rent a car from Hertz I get Sirius and enjoy it.
Quality wise I can not tell the difference, Ia m sure some audiophile here will start rattling off technical specs on which is bes but personally I cant hear a difference.
Music selection is a matter of taste but both seemed to hit on what I like, so basically I am torn on which to get. For now I just settle for my MP3 player in the car!
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I have XM and like it. The best thing to do is look at the channel list that each has and see which matches yoru taste better. As far as quality goes they are about equal as far as i can tell.
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rumor has it, there are talks of a merger between the two...i don't know how they would get past being a monopoly...but come 6 months to a year from now, you may not have to worry about any differences between the two...
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I've had sirius for over a year and love it. It's like tivo, you don't realize what you were missing until you have it!!! If you're curious, go to www.sirius.com (http://www.sirius.com) and login in as a guest - it gives you access for 3 days to listen for free. A co-worker has xm and I listened online for a few days and just didn't enjoy it as much, but that's me :)
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the general consensus seems to be, which I totally agree with, that XM is deeper and broader, and Sirius is more repetitive and "hits" oriented, more like FM without the commercials.
XM people will tell you sirius is programmed by junior high girls. Sirius people will tell you XM is too obscure and full of B sides.
As for hardware, XM is waaaay ahead in terms of smaller, more functional, cooler equipment. That much is just not debatable.
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We don't own XM so I can't comment on their programming. I do agree that some of Sirius' programming is a bit repetitive. I really like what's played on Left of Centre but I keep hearing the same songs.
Having said that, here some concrete pluses for Sirius:
1. Sports programming - IF you're a sports fan, I think there's a better selection of live sports feeds.
2. News programming - both XM and Sirius have a decent news selection but I like the fact that Sirius is getting BBC One. An international perspective on news is very welcome, considering the myopic news programming we get from domestic providers.
3. Addition of Canadian streams - in order to get permission to transmit to Canadian markets, Sirius is adding several Canadian streams, such as CBC One (news/current events) and several music streams including CBC Radio Three which is almost as good as KCRW when it comes to being ahead of the curve on new music.
4. Howard Stern - I'm not a fan and won't listen to him but many others will find this a plus.
For me - Sirius is a hands down winner. Having NCAA football, NHL hockey, a wide selection of NPR stations, and now getting BBC One and the Canadian streams is a plus for me.
I think if you look at satellite radio purely from a musical perspective, then XM might fit the bill. But if you're looking for more than just music (or if you're a transplanted Canadian :) ) then I think Sirius is better.
Obviously, it's a matter of taste. Look at the programming guide and make your own decision.
And - FWIW - I agree that we'll see a merger in the next 12-18 mos.
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the cool thing i'm noticing about sirius, is the "special things" they do. foo fighters took over a channel last weekend, while the killers are vjing a channel this weekend. also i'm listening to the jimmy buffet live, sold out show in philly tonight, which i think is pretty cool. and of cource, they have martha stewart, which that woman can always rock my hot lemonade world.
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Originally posted by J'Mal:
the general consensus seems to be, which I totally agree with, that XM is deeper and broader, and Sirius is more repetitive and "hits" oriented, more like FM without the commercials.
XM people will tell you sirius is programmed by junior high girls. Sirius people will tell you XM is too obscure and full of B sides.
As for hardware, XM is waaaay ahead in terms of smaller, more functional, cooler equipment. That much is just not debatable.
>>> Obscure and full of B sides??!!......That's a HUGE plus in my book!.....Who the hell wants to hear the same shit over and over?.....I got plenty of crap D.C. area radio to fill that bill,for free!......
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Jonas...
That's why I think XM is superior.
xcanuck --
1. both services get the BBC world service. sirius has it additionally en espanol.
2. sports -- xm has MLB, sirius has the other leagues. in college, sirius has deals with certain individual schools, xm has PAC-10, ACC, and Big 10 conferences. Both have ESPN Radio which carries alot of major games in everything. XM has Nascar through 2007, then sirius gets it. XM has IRL and PGA.
3. Canadian content -- both services would be required to add 8 channels of 85% "canadian content," including 2 in french and one for canadian artists who have never charted, in order to serve Canada and frankly, neither of them could do it without wrecking their service OR major developments in compression technology, which they're both working on.
But the Canadian market isn't currently worth these crazy restrictions. Neither XM nor sirius can dump 8 of their current channels to be replaced with crap, so they can legally sell to 10% of the market where they have to split the revenue anyway. The grey market is much more profitable. Also from a canadian perspective, the canuck service has to be 9-1 foreign channels, so we're talking about an 80 channel service with 8 government crap stations. who would want that? and sirius can't just rebroadcast CBC anyway -- the CRTC (canadian fcc) said specifically, original programming only, no rebroadcasts on the canadian channels.
4. Merger is impossible for a variety of technical and legal reasons. They use different technologies, and neither the DOJ or FCC would allow a monopoly in satellite radio.
walkonby...
they both do special stuff like that.
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Um...which XM station is "full of B sides".
I listen everyday & can't think of one. Even 43 - XMU - the closest equivalent to college indie radio is a Pitchfork A hitlist.
If teenage girls program Sirius - then teenage mall hangin' skate rat boys control XM. I've used this example before, but I still get irritated nearly daily by a station like #47 ETHEL playing a cool block of tunes: Soundgarden, Afghan Whigs, Catherine Wheel...which naturally lead into Blink 182?!
200 plus stations & you can't segment better than that?!
Plus Sirius has the NFL games if that's important to you. XM has baseball [yawn]
I like XM, but it's still got lots of work. I suspect that Sirius is much the same. I still never leave home without a sleeve full of CDs.
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what grotty said - we've had XM for about 6 months and love it but it could be better
I'd also like more inteligent DJs providing a little context as opposed to feeling that I'm listening to someone elses ipod on shuffle
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i just cancelled my xm radio subscription. i've had it for about 3 1/2 years and i find i just don't listen to it anymore. the 'new' music channel seems to play the same songs i first heard 3 1/2 years ago.
might change to sirius once howard stern is on it...but most likely not. at work i can listen to internet radio stations...in the car i ahve my cds..and i never listen to it at home...so its basically a waste of money imho.
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Sirius has the Underground Garage channell, a huge plus in my book. Handsome Dick Manitoba has a nightly show!
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Ultimately I think all satellite radio is over-rated.
You can get much better via the internet. But of course you can't take the internet in your car...just yet.
The only time I REALLY enjoy satellite radio is on LONG trips when I'm just passively listening. When I'm really craving something specific - I turn things over to my favorite program director: my IPOD & CDs.
Nothing out there can beat that for me.
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Sirius and XM may have BBC World, but only Sirius will be adding BBC Radio1 soon
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Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
Sirius and XM may have BBC World, but only Sirius will be adding BBC Radio1 soon
>>>> Now if only XM would add BBC 6 then I would have a tough choice to make....hhmmm...
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Originally posted by The Artist Formerly Known As grotty:
Ultimately I think all satellite radio is over-rated.
You can get much better via the internet. But of course you can't take the internet in your car...just yet.
yeah, i was wondering about this ... do you guys listen to satellite radio (or any radio, for that matter), when you're not in a car? the only time i ever hear the radio is when i'm in a cab or someone else's car, i couldn't see how it would be good for car-less people
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Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
Sirius and XM may have BBC World, but only Sirius will be adding BBC Radio1 soon
let me know when either get espn 8- the ocho.
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No one's discussed the sound quality of satellite radio, which is wholly disappointing, both for XM and Sirius. By cramming 100+ channels into their limited bandwidth, the Satellite Radio companies have to compress the hell out of all channels. This is fine for talk stations, but the music reproduction is poor - it's akin to a very strong AM radio signal!
What kills me is some people claim satellite radio has CD-quality sound. Sure, it's all-digial, but it's definitely NOT CD-quality. The music stations' bitrates are around 64 kb, which anyone familiar with mp3's knows, this is not even close to CD sound (which is 128 kb and above).
If you have a very basic sound system in your standard car, you'll probably won't notice a difference, since everything will sound muddy. However if you've upgraded your stereo & speakers (or have a nice stock system in your luxury SUV), there's a night-and-day difference. Play a song on XM/Sirius then pop in a CD; the gap is amazing.
That being said, Sirius is the way to go since I've bashed satellite music. It dominates the sports aspect, has all the news/talk you can handle, and is getting Stern in January.
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Hoya---
I usually listen at home.
TEM---
If you think XM sounds like a good AM station there is something very wrong with your setup.
I'm something of an audio geek and have a much better than average system, not world-beating, but a few steps above best buy/circuit city. (musical fidelity A series amp, JBL studio series s38ii's, NAIM audio CD2).
XM does not sound as good as a CD on this system, but it is close enough. It is certainly better than any FM signal. They use a version of AAC+ (the codec favored by apple) and it is most similar to a high bitrate mp3. Sirius went with PAC, enough said. (And if your CDs sound like 128kbps mp3's, there is something wrong with your CD player, too... should be more like 1411kpbs :) )
Ultimately it is about the content, about hearing things you wouldn't hear otherwise, expanding your horizons, and having access to good programming of music in which you're not going to be expert enough to build a good library yourself. It isn't perfect and it is not supposed to replace your ipod or cd collection, it serves a very different purpose.
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should be more like 1411kpbs
Is that a real number, or did you just make that up?
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Originally posted by J'Mal:
Ultimately it is about the content, about hearing things you wouldn't hear otherwise, expanding your horizons, and having access to good programming of music in which you're not going to be expert enough to build a good library yourself. It isn't perfect and it is not supposed to replace your ipod or cd collection, it serves a very different purpose.
ding ding ding! We have a winner.
And for the record, I have XM at home only (not in the car). love it love it love it.
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Originally posted by Urf:
should be more like 1411kpbs
Is that a real number, or did you just make that up? [/b]
get a simple piece of software like musicmatch jukebox. put an audio CD into your CD drive. See what the sampling rate is.
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I'm going with Sirius, and it's all about Howard Stern. I don't listen to sports on the radio, so that does nothing for me, but I'd pay for Sirius just for Stern. So, I'm a bad barometer.
I've heard XM's music programming is better (just what I've heard), and they have a portable player which I would definitely get if Sirius had one. It does seem XM has better (and more) equipment.
I'm also just about to get Tivo, so we'll see what kind of convert I become over both 'new' technologies.
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Originally posted by Bags:
I'm also just about to get Tivo, so we'll see what kind of convert I become over both 'new' technologies.
The first thing you need to do with you Tivo is setup it up to record "Robot Chicken" on Cartoon Network. Seth Green and friends are behind this one and it's freakin' hilarious. Some of the funny stuff on TV at the moment. All done stop animination style with action figures, etc. The "Behind the Music" segment on Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem was priceless...
Plus with Tivo one can easily keep track of those BBC America series which come and go so quickly. We always tape them during the late night repeats and haven't missed an episode of "Jules and Mimi" yet.
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Originally posted by Fine French Chaz:
Sirius has the Underground Garage channell, a huge plus in my book. Handsome Dick Manitoba has a nightly show!
In my opinion, this plus the NFL package makes Sirius the no brainer.
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i'd go with Sirius for Howard Stern mainly. And since my boyfriend works with Nina Blackwood, its a no-brainer for me. Now if Nina can just hook me up with Sirius, it'd work out perfectly! :D
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Unfortunately both services fall down when it comes to good indie programming. XM has XMU, which is basically on autopilot with no personality, and only plays "recent" indie (nothing before 2001, ever); Sirius has Left of Center, which has an incredibly small, repetitive playlist that rarely ever changes. There's no programming on either service that comes close to stations like KEXP, 89.3 the Current, WOXY, KCRW, etc.