Sirius Starmate 4

A basic, relatively inexpensive satellite radio receiver for home or car use, the Sirius 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 slim-line design, which increases portability. User-friendly features include 30 channel presets, and 30-song memory for favorite song or artist alerts, and game alerts that notify you when your favorite teams are playing. A car kit is included, but the home kit is not. The one consistent complaint is that wireless operation is not very good. The Sirius Sportster 5 (*est. $150) is worth considering if you have a bigger budget. Improvements include an even nicer display and a slightly longer instant replay feature (60 minutes).

Professional reviewers haven't weighed in on the Sirius Starmate 4, but user reviews at Amazon.com are plentiful. Crutchfield.com has a smaller number of user reviews, but also has a hands-on research page, which provides detailed coverage of the Starmate 4's features. It doesn't, however, indicate that their research team ever used the radio.