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Just signed up for Sirius radio..... (Updated)

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BillGates

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2001
7,388
2
81
My friend had it and I was very impressed with the selection/quantity of stations, BUT the audio on some of the songs I knew well sounded mildly "swishy", like a bad mp3 rip. Maybe it was just the few tracks I heard, but after that I didn't want it anymore.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Originally posted by: BillGates
My friend had it and I was very impressed with the selection/quantity of stations, BUT the audio on some of the songs I knew well sounded mildly "swishy", like a bad mp3 rip. Maybe it was just the few tracks I heard, but after that I didn't want it anymore.

Might be something to do with the method they use for bandwidth.... Its variable, so that stations that need extra bandwith get it, and others like talk stations take up very little....
 

McCarthy

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,567
0
76
aphex, with that Kenwood H2A is there any way to topmount the dock? Having it hanging down instead of standing up I mean? Application where I'd want to use this would almost require an overhead/ceiling mount, not seeing how to do it cleanly with that unit though.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Originally posted by: McCarthy
aphex, with that Kenwood H2A is there any way to topmount the dock? Having it hanging down instead of standing up I mean? Application where I'd want to use this would almost require an overhead/ceiling mount, not seeing how to do it cleanly with that unit though.

Only if you want to see the text upsidedown..... :|

With that setup, the dock only fits in rightside up....
 

dmurray14

Golden Member
Feb 21, 2003
1,780
0
0
Yes!

Another sub for Sirius! You WILL enjoy it man, get ready for awesome music w/ no commercials...I have grown to expect no less. Make sure you come visit www.siriusbackstage.com - a lot of good people over there. Also, if you're into Christmas music, make sure to check out stream 100. Enjoy it, know you will

Dan
 

dmurray14

Golden Member
Feb 21, 2003
1,780
0
0
Originally posted by: Astaroth33
My fear would be paying $13/month just for the opportunity to listen to Clear Channel, Inc. all over the country. Oh, wait..

That would be XM, buddy, not Sirius. The world needs less clear channel, not more. XM is related to Clear Channel, Sirius is not.
 

TubStain

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
935
0
0
Good job Aphex.

I've had Sirius for over a month, and know everything about it inside and out. If anyone's got a question, PM me. I've got the Audiovox PNP2. The main benefits are:

1) Compatibility with the boombox coming out this month
2) Alarm and clock and auto power on and off. So you can go to sleep listening to Movin EZ (soft rock) and it will turn off by itself. Auto power on is good for the car, when you turn your ignition, it will power in with you having to do it.
3) Satellite and terrestrial signal strenght meter. You can tell at any moment if you are getting your signal from the satellite or the ground repeaters.
4) 20 song memory. It;s called S-Seek and alerts you when your favorite song is playing on any stream, so that you can listen to it. I've already filled up the 20 slots. You just hit memo when your song is playing and it stores it.
5) Bigger display than the PNP1 or Kenwood, with 4 different fonts
6) Auto dimmer of display.

For those into Trance music, you will love it. ITs got a stream called the Vortex thats got 100% trance nonstop. on the weekends, they have special shows, like Peak Hour with Victor Dinare.

Trust me the $13/month is nothing once you listen to it. They just recently updated codecs and sound quality is top notch. You canalso purchase a lifetime Sub, though I wouldnt at this point, as the hardware will get better and you will want to replace it. The lifetime sub is tied to your hardware.

I've got the home kit and the car kit, it comes with a $50 rebate if you buy both kits and a tuner.

Hope that's been helpful, if you want a comparison on different hardware units, check this out:

Hardware comparison

 

I'd like to try it out, though I won't pay to try it.

My musical tastes are rather specific. I will watch satellite radio as it develops.
 

TubStain

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
935
0
0
Originally posted by: SammySon
I'd like to try it out, though I won't pay to try it.

My musical tastes are rather specific. I will watch satellite radio as it develops.

You can try it out on the sirius website. Just click on listen. It is an actual stream that is playing live, you get to listen for 20 mins free and can keep clicking every 20 mins to continue hearing. Note that the sound quality is NOTHING like the actual unit, but you will get to sample all the music streams.

Due to legal stuff, they cannot stream the news and entertainment streams, which is sad, coz they have some great comedy and BBC radio etc. They can only stream in house production.

That's exactly how I got hooked...when I realized I kept updating the website to listen to another 20 mins, I figured I might as well buy into it.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Originally posted by: TubStain
Good job Aphex.

I've had Sirius for over a month, and know everything about it inside and out. If anyone's got a question, PM me. I've got the Audiovox PNP2. The main benefits are:

1) Compatibility with the boombox coming out this month
2) Alarm and clock and auto power on and off. So you can go to sleep listening to Movin EZ (soft rock) and it will turn off by itself. Auto power on is good for the car, when you turn your ignition, it will power in with you having to do it.
3) Satellite and terrestrial signal strenght meter. You can tell at any moment if you are getting your signal from the satellite or the ground repeaters.
4) 20 song memory. It;s called S-Seek and alerts you when your favorite song is playing on any stream, so that you can listen to it. I've already filled up the 20 slots. You just hit memo when your song is playing and it stores it.
5) Bigger display than the PNP1 or Kenwood, with 4 different fonts
6) Auto dimmer of display.

For those into Trance music, you will love it. ITs got a stream called the Vortex thats got 100% trance nonstop. on the weekends, they have special shows, like Peak Hour with Victor Dinare.

Trust me the $13/month is nothing once you listen to it. They just recently updated codecs and sound quality is top notch. You canalso purchase a lifetime Sub, though I wouldnt at this point, as the hardware will get better and you will want to replace it. The lifetime sub is tied to your hardware.

I've got the home kit and the car kit, it comes with a $50 rebate if you buy both kits and a tuner.

Hope that's been helpful, if you want a comparison on different hardware units, check this out:

Hardware comparison

Actually, the new Kenwood H2A has some more features than listed on that site.... Mainly now has a clock, alarm, snooze, auto power off, and a bunch more... I still like the larger screen of the brix/pnp2, but those werent free :D
 

dawks

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,071
2
81
Just need to wait for their licences to pass in Canada.. work faster CRTC! :)
 

TubStain

Senior member
Apr 19, 2001
935
0
0
Originally posted by: DaZ
Just need to wait for their licences to pass in Canada.. work faster CRTC! :)

yup, should be soon and definitely in 2004.Sirius says the canadian market is more accepting of and more willing to pay for this technology than the U.S.

Surprising.



 

NokiaDude

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2002
3,966
0
0
How good are the 80's and Electronic channels?

EDIT: Clear Channel has turned regualr radio into SH!T!
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Originally posted by: NokiaDude
How good are the 80's and Electronic channels?

both rock.... :)

check the free streams on sirius.com to hear for yourself...
 

McCarthy

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,567
0
76
For those who have tried different units, are any easier to navigate/program than others? Or are they basically all about the same? Dad's not real patient with electronics. The alarm feature would be perfect for him, if it's a pain to set on one model and a breeze on another that'd be a key factor in which to get. Still don't know how I'd mount it for him though.

Unfortunately no Sirius retailers around here so I can't go try a few myself. Looks like the Audiovox SIRPNP2
and the Kenwood Here2Anywhere are the most popular for Sirius, least they're the ones I'm finding for sale most, so I guess my question mostly pertains to those two.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Originally posted by: McCarthy
For those who have tried different units, are any easier to navigate/program than others? Or are they basically all about the same? Dad's not real patient with electronics. The alarm feature would be perfect for him, if it's a pain to set on one model and a breeze on another that'd be a key factor in which to get. Still don't know how I'd mount it for him though.

Unfortunately no Sirius retailers around here so I can't go try a few myself. Looks like the Audiovox SIRPNP2
and the Kenwood Here2Anywhere are the most popular for Sirius, least they're the ones I'm finding for sale most, so I guess my question mostly pertains to those two.

Well its much easier to read the screen on the PNP2, but the size is much larger as well...

You dont have a Circuit City or Best Buy nearby?
 

BillGates

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2001
7,388
2
81
Yay - the friend with Sirius I spoke about earlier just gave me his user/pass for sirius.com so that I can listen to their online streams... I was getting tired of the Shoutcast stations I listen to at work every day, so this is sweet!