A couple things to consider....
Sirius is backed by some really big names in terms of receivers (Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, Clarion, etc.). I've barely heard of the component manufacturers producing products for XM. That's not to take anything away from XM. My point is just that if you're loyal to certain "big name" brands, you're going to have more to choose from with Sirius, especially in the future.
Even aside from the free 3-day trial, you will NOT be able to listen to any of the talk/news shows with Sirius via computer stream. The only talk station you can currently get via online feed is the gay/lesbian station. I am with Sirius, but it's my biggest knock on them. I enjoy getting a free stream on my computer of all their music stations but I would love to get all the news/talk stations as well. I figure, I'm paying for all the fees so why only give me access to half of them on my computer? Big downer for me but I still prefer their services over XM.
Sirius sound/clarity is really good. I will admit though, that some stations can have some static that can be annoying at times. You don't really notice it all when listening to music, but you can hear it when listening to talk radio. As far as losing a signal, the delay is pretty good. I normally don't lose my signal unless I'm stuck in traffic under an overpass and when I pull into my garage.
If you like sports, go with Sirius. They have exclusive rights to the NFL package. You get "NFL Radio" on a daily basis and during the season, Sirius will broadcast EVERY regular season and playoff game. You also get the scores on your display screen. Sirius also is partnered with the NBA, NHL and (I think) MLB. LOT of sports talk radio on Sirius, which personally, I love. Most of the music stations on both XM/Sirius are similar so you can't go wrong with either.
One thing I'm really looking forward to is a new product that's coming out for Sirius. It's a walkman, that will allow you to receive your Sirius feed on. It's only going to be like $99 and the though of having satellite radio on a walkman, is very appealing to me.
XM certainly has the larger subscriber base but it's just a personal preference with who you go with because both services are really good and certainly better than free/local radio. I guess the biggest factors to consider when choosing is if you want more music than talk radio and don't really care about sports, then go with XM. If you really enjoy all forms of talk radio, news stations and sports, then go with Sirius. Sirius does carry a ton of music by the way, so don't think they don't. Personally, I just find myself listening to the talk radio shows more.
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