XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio - Looknow's Hardware Review
01-06-05, 07:11 AM
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Lexus Test Driver
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XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio - Looknow's Hardware Review
Background:
I originally had the XM SkyFi installed but it wouldn't turn off with the key (according to the dealer who installed it) so they installed the XM Commander and it would. It was configured to use the FM Modulator. Just recently I installed the Sirius Orbiter car kit, and receiver. It also uses the FM Modulator. Both units have options for line outs, but with Lexus, there are no RCA, or mini jack inputs to connect to. I won't really review programming but instead the technical, perfoming aspects of the hardware.
XM Radio:
The XM Radio has a very nice tuner, easy to use dial. Black small case makes it sleek and it blends into the Lexus cockpit nicely. I installed it into a GX470 right near the Cigarette Lighter and suspension comfort settings. An L bracket was inserted between the panels and then bent at a 90 to keep the unit just about an inch off the console.
The radio perfomance was subpar. Even with the audio levels turned up high, music sounded like it had too much reverb, and it took a large turn of the dial to get frequencies to come alive.
I'm located in the New England area (Connecticut) and frequently drive through very wooded areas. Even one of our main highways (RT-15/Merritt Parkway/Hutchinson Parkway(NY)) is very wooded. The radio would cut out very frequently with no signal. So frequently on roads other than I-95, the device would tune only about an estimated 40% of the time. This was very frustrating.
I frequently tuned into local FM radio stations and I noticed that some of them were effected by the XM Commander being on. Stations not close to the 88mhz frequencies. So to listen to my favorite station, I would need to turn the XM Commander off.
In short, I can't help but guess that perhaps if I lived a bit further to the South I would enjoyed much better signal strength. I liked both the SKYFi unit as well as the XM Commander. Both were easy to use and appeared fully functional.
Sirius Radio:
The Sirius Orbiter was installed in the exact same spot as the XM Commander. I connected it to the Cigarette lighter directly below it.
The Orbiter also was easy to use. They had 2 rows of presets making it easier to find the preset you wanted. The Orbiter was much bigger than the XM Commander. So not quite as sleek. But the display was nicer with an orange fonts. You can also change the font type with a list of four to choose from. Sirius also displays the local time from the Satellite which was a nice feature.
The Orbiter performed very well in audio performance. I was surprised it could so well through an FM Modulator. The sound jumped to life and only about a 10% loss was noted when switching from a local FM Station to the Sirius preset FM Station.
Signal Strength through back roads was incredible. I was equally surprised. Through a 20 minute back road drive, the unit only faultered once for less than a second. One thing I noticed about the Orbiter is that it has some sort of memory buffer that it builds up. I first noticed this when disconnecting the antenna and listening to the unit not lose signal for around 4-5 seconds.
Overall:
Technically (before programming), I prefer the Sirius Orbiter to the XM Commander. I nver tried the test of disconnecting the antenna on the XM Commander to see how quickly it would turn off. It is possible it doesn't have a buffer. However the XM Radio went out so frequently, even a 30 second buffer couldn't have helped it through my daily driving routine. The audio quality on the Orbiter also surpassed that of the XM Commander. There was no false reverb on the Sirius radio output. The XM, even with a strong signal, sounded like it was broadcast from a church.
I originally had the XM SkyFi installed but it wouldn't turn off with the key (according to the dealer who installed it) so they installed the XM Commander and it would. It was configured to use the FM Modulator. Just recently I installed the Sirius Orbiter car kit, and receiver. It also uses the FM Modulator. Both units have options for line outs, but with Lexus, there are no RCA, or mini jack inputs to connect to. I won't really review programming but instead the technical, perfoming aspects of the hardware.
XM Radio:
The XM Radio has a very nice tuner, easy to use dial. Black small case makes it sleek and it blends into the Lexus cockpit nicely. I installed it into a GX470 right near the Cigarette Lighter and suspension comfort settings. An L bracket was inserted between the panels and then bent at a 90 to keep the unit just about an inch off the console.
The radio perfomance was subpar. Even with the audio levels turned up high, music sounded like it had too much reverb, and it took a large turn of the dial to get frequencies to come alive.
I'm located in the New England area (Connecticut) and frequently drive through very wooded areas. Even one of our main highways (RT-15/Merritt Parkway/Hutchinson Parkway(NY)) is very wooded. The radio would cut out very frequently with no signal. So frequently on roads other than I-95, the device would tune only about an estimated 40% of the time. This was very frustrating.
I frequently tuned into local FM radio stations and I noticed that some of them were effected by the XM Commander being on. Stations not close to the 88mhz frequencies. So to listen to my favorite station, I would need to turn the XM Commander off.
In short, I can't help but guess that perhaps if I lived a bit further to the South I would enjoyed much better signal strength. I liked both the SKYFi unit as well as the XM Commander. Both were easy to use and appeared fully functional.
Sirius Radio:
The Sirius Orbiter was installed in the exact same spot as the XM Commander. I connected it to the Cigarette lighter directly below it.
The Orbiter also was easy to use. They had 2 rows of presets making it easier to find the preset you wanted. The Orbiter was much bigger than the XM Commander. So not quite as sleek. But the display was nicer with an orange fonts. You can also change the font type with a list of four to choose from. Sirius also displays the local time from the Satellite which was a nice feature.
The Orbiter performed very well in audio performance. I was surprised it could so well through an FM Modulator. The sound jumped to life and only about a 10% loss was noted when switching from a local FM Station to the Sirius preset FM Station.
Signal Strength through back roads was incredible. I was equally surprised. Through a 20 minute back road drive, the unit only faultered once for less than a second. One thing I noticed about the Orbiter is that it has some sort of memory buffer that it builds up. I first noticed this when disconnecting the antenna and listening to the unit not lose signal for around 4-5 seconds.
Overall:
Technically (before programming), I prefer the Sirius Orbiter to the XM Commander. I nver tried the test of disconnecting the antenna on the XM Commander to see how quickly it would turn off. It is possible it doesn't have a buffer. However the XM Radio went out so frequently, even a 30 second buffer couldn't have helped it through my daily driving routine. The audio quality on the Orbiter also surpassed that of the XM Commander. There was no false reverb on the Sirius radio output. The XM, even with a strong signal, sounded like it was broadcast from a church.
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