XM Radio vs Sirius Radio
listen to the same station wherever you go in the country.
So the question on everybody’s mind is “What is the best satellite radio service?” Is it XM radio or Sirius radio? If you look at just subscribers, XM easily wins the battle with over 5 million subscribers compared to Sirius’ 3 million subscribers. However, there are a lot more options to consider when choosing your satellite radio service.
Here are some things to consider when making your decision:
Receivers
XM has the strongest variety of satellite radio receivers with the two best plug-and-play models probably being the Delphi XM SkyFi2 – with a 30 minute recording buffer(cost: about $95) or the Delphi XM Roady XT(cost: about $80.) If you want a portable option, the best one is the Tao XM2go(5 hour recording feature) – it can play broadcasts through headphones or speakers that are included and doesn’t require a docking station(cost: about $150.)
Sirius might not have the range that XM has in the hardware market, but they still have some nice equipment. The two best plug-and-play models for Sirius radio are probably the Sirius Starmate Replay – with a 44 minute recording buffer(cost: about $120) or the Sirius Sportster Replay – designed for NFL fans and it also has a 44 minute buffer(cost: about $95 after rebates.) Sirius doesn’t have a true portable satellite radio device yet but they have the S50 model which will allow you to record 1 GB of satellite radio content while hooked to a docking station so you can play it later as a stand alone device. The Sirius S50 also doubles as an MP3 and WMA file player. (cost: about $330)
Programming
Sirius and XM both have about the same amount of music stations, covering Pop, Rock, Dance, R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, Christian, Jazz/Blues, Classical and Latin. Both services also share news channels such as CNN radio, CNBC radio and Bloomberg radio. The big difference comes down to sports coverage and some guy you might have heard of….Howard Stern. Sirius signed Howard Stern