Satellite Radio: Reviews

As corporate entities, Sirius and XM satellite radio have merged -- but for now, they still offer mainly separate services. XM satellite radio has the most subscribers (almost nine million), and reviews say XM has a… slight edge over Sirius when it comes to music sound quality and signal reliability. Sports fans will enjoy XM's exclusive play-by-play broadcasts of National Hockey League and Major League Baseball games, as well as a broad slate of college games. It also presents live concerts and original programming.

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While XM has an impressive lineup of sports coverage, Sirius is no slouch in that area, with exclusive satellite broadcasting rights to NFL, NASCAR and English soccer, along with a good selection of college sporting… events. Sirius also has celebrity talk show hosts, including Howard Stern (with two channels) and Martha Stewart. Both Sirius and XM have comparable music stations.

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Although there are less expensive options, this XM plug-and-play radio has been well received by critics and users. Features include a buffer that saves up to one hour of programming, which lets listeners pause and replay… what they have just heard. There's also a full-color, split-screen display that shows what's playing on up to three different channels as well as the current one. The included car kit comes with a cassette-player adapter but other installation options are available. A home kit is also available (*est. $50) for use with compatible receivers.

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The Pioneer inno2BK is one of the few receivers with an integrated antenna. That means you can listen to live XM satellite radio through headphones while you're outdoors (though some say that reception isn't as good as it… should be and that the headphones are uncomfortable). A home kit is included, and a car kit is optional (*est. $60). The inno2BK has 1 GB of internal memory for XM recordings or MP3 files. However, its users would like to see better battery life, more storage space and the ability to rewind and/or pause a live stream.

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The Starmate 4 allows you to pause and rewind live radio, with a 44-minute instant-replay function. It features a five-line LCD widescreen, which users love, in addition to its sleek new slim-line design, which increases… portability. It still has user-friendly features such as 30 channel presets and a 30-song memory for favorite song or artist alerts. The Starmate 4 also has game alerts that notify you when your favorite teams are playing. A car kit is included, but the home kit is optional (*est. $45). Reviews say the Starmate is easy to use, but one consistent complaint is that wireless operation is not very good.

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The Stiletto 2 is small and lightweight, with 2 GB of memory for recorded programs and MP3s, plus a microSD card slot for adding more memory. Its Wi-Fi compatibility lets you stream programming from the Sirius website… when you're indoors. Other features include the ability to record live programming and Sirius Replay (pause, rewind and replay) for up to 60 minutes of live radio, plus Game Alert and Game Zone for sports fans and one-touch recording of up to ten hours of songs. Optional home (*est. $50) and car kits (*est. $50) are available.

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