XM, Sirius, or HD Radio?

[swbsam]

My car has been in a loot for over a year and I've recently reclaimed him - fixed everything up but now a cd seems to be stuck in the stereo... Time for a new head unit!


I don't need head unit recommendations, but I am thinking of going with either satellite radio or HD radio - any suggestions?

 

[CallMeJoe]

I would wait 'til after the XM-Sirius merger to see what the subscription rates are, and what a combo XM-Sirius receiver costs before buying a satellite receiver. HD you could get now, without the subscription cost; google HD radio and try to find out what HD stations are in your area.

 

[mb]

New post-merger rates have been released and aren't any bit better if you like the "premium" XM channels. $6.99 for any* 50 stations sounds great, but fucking worthless because you can't pick premium stations, and the two (Squizz and XM comedy) I listen to most are considered premium.
It says it's 25 cents for each additional channel, but what they don't tell you is if that means the premium ones are 25 cents or not. If so, I'd pay $7.49 for 52 stations, but otherwise I'll try to get that $77/yr deal for as long as I can.

 

[Deeko]

I've had Sirius for about 5 years now, and I love it.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I've had Sirius for about 5 years now, and I love it.

I've had it for about a year and a half and love it. Howard Stern is awsome!

 

[vi edit]

After having Sirius for 2 years and XM for about 6 months now, I heavily prefer Sirius. I'm a rock/hard rock/alternative music listener and Sirius just had much better stations for that.

Plus I'd rather put up with the Sirius DJ's over the completely retarded channel ID's that XM has (Squizz in particular).

Can't speak for "HD Radio" as I've never heard it, but I think that's it's nothing more than a helpless attempt at cashing in on the "HD" buzzword and offers no signifcant advantage over conventional radio.

 

[TrueBlueLS]

Hmm... do I stick with my XM radio or drop it. Damn... Figures I have it a year and now this crap has to come up.

 

[MyThirdEye]

Sirius > XM

As for HD radio, I cannot tell you.

 

[Pliablemoose]

HD is free, gets my nod...

 

[pulse8]

I've had Sirius for a couple of years now and I love it. I had a receiver in my old car that had HD radio as well and it's nothing more than a digital signal for regular radio. Same crappy stations, same crappy DJs and same crappy commercials just in digital quality.

 

[imported_Lothar]

The one that is free and comes with both NPR and C-Span radio.

 

[adairusmc]

Sirius, for sure. You not only get howard, but also the even better Bubba the Love Sponge!

 

[aphex]

Sirius!!!!

 

[I Saw OJ]

I've had sirius for about 3 years and love it. I had a rental car for about 2 weeks a while back and just about went insane listening to regular radio.

 

[Slick5150]

I just got a new Dodge Avenger with 1 year free Sirius, and I must say I much prefer it to the XM that I used to have. The only thing I'll miss is baseball, though my understanding is the main reason Sirius wanted to buy XM was to get baseball so maybe we'll see that show up on the Sirius lineup before long.

I've also heard HD radio. Its not bad. Definitely a step up from FM, but your channel lineup is limited, and if you're not in a big city then forget it because you're not going to have any HD channels probably.

 

[Foxery]

The music on Sirius is much better than XM... I've tried both, and even though they're supposed to be almost the same, they just aren't!

HD Radio? What kind of lame gimmick is that? Sirius is digital and very high quality, and I can drive coast to coast without ever changing the channel.

 

[Slick5150]

I wouldn't say HD Radio is a gimmick, but it isn't being implemented very well.

It currently cannot compete with what Sirius/XM offer, but its free.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Slick5150
I wouldn't say HD Radio is a gimmick, but it isn't being implemented very well.

It currently cannot compete with what Sirius/XM offer, but its free.

It'll never be able to compete. People aren't concerned about quality. They want better content.

It's the perfect example of polishing a turd.

 

[swbsam]

OK, so I think I'm going the HD tuner route + sirius. If a deck is satellite compatible, how much more gear do i have to buy (other than a tuner and antenna?)