Product Review: XM Radio

Member

Since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I would share my opinions on my XM Radio I got in September. There are really two parts to this review, the Radio and the Service.

The radio I have is the Delphi Skyfi Radio. I chose this unit so that I could use it at home or in the car. The radio is self is a nice product. IT has plenty of presets, comes with a little remote, and is very convenient to use. I believe I have 20 presets available, but tend to just enter the station I am looking for. It also has a memory function that allows me to save the song title and the performer so that I can look it up later if it is something I liked. I have used this feature a lot. To use it in the car I had to buy the Car adapter kit, that uses a cassette tape like device to connect to my stereo system. This adapter kit lists for $70. If you don't want the cassette interface this have a RF modulator that will let you turn your car stereo to a specific radio station. That adapter lists for ~$50. For home they have a few more options. There is a boom box or an adapter. I will probably be buying the boombox as I think I will get more use out of it.

There are a few features about this radio that I don't like. Because it isn't fully integrated into the car stereo system the lighting doesn't change. I never have had trouble reading it at night or in direct sunlight however, on a bright day it can be hard to read, do to glare and/or sunglasses. Another thing that I don't care for is that even though the display seems wide enough it doesn't always display the full performer or song title, I don't know if this is the radio or the service, though and when changing station it takes about 3 seconds to buffer before it starts to play, this isn't really a big deal but I am impatient and like to channel surf. Finally because the radio is being used with an adapter kit, I had a tough time finding a place to mount it on my dashboard. I think these items are pretty minor and I would rate my happiness with the unit at a 4 out of 5 Smilies.

The XM Radio service is available starting at $9.99 a month. There may be a small one time fee as well. There are over 100 stations available and the sound quality is outstanding. For the most part I don't have a problem recieving the signal. when I do it is because my southern exposure is blocked buy a large building and once by a Semi-truck. They have many different categories to choose from: music, latin, comedy talk radio, E! Tv (on radio), Old time radio theather, and etc. There literally is something for everyone. I find that I listen to stuff I would not even have guessed. There is a Broadway station full of show tunes, a movie soundtrack station. One of my favorites is the Planet Pluto Polka party on every Thursday night. I am very pleased with this service. I would rate this 5 out of 5 smilies!

To recap. (Out of 5)
The Skyfi radio: Mr. Green

The Service: Mr. Green

Oompa Loofah

How much is the radio itself?

Is it worth the cost?

Member

Oompa Loofah

Can I ask a hella-stupid question??

Can it be used in an office environment if you don't have a radio system already set up? (I read they sell an adapter for a current home stereo system)

For example, this would be great for my husband since reception is sometimes dicey with regular radio, but he doesn't have a stereo/or stereo equipment to plug it into.

Member

This is the boombox I am thinking of getting for the system.

The only concern I would have with it is how well the signal will penetrate a building, especially if there is a lot of steel.

Product Review: XM Radio

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