Anyone use SiriusXM?

[Smellincoffee]

I'm contemplating getting a SiriusXM device, because I live in an area where there's not a lot of musical variety. I don't do a lot of driving, though (my commute is all of 3 miles), so ideally I'd like to be able to move the device freely from my home to the car. The problem is I don't know how SiriusXM's hardware is like. The website sells separate home and vehicle kits, and their customer support line features people reading from scripts and refusing to deviate from them. Do their products come with primitive internal speakers, like a cellphone does? Can they plug in easily to computers, headphones? I've looked at photos, but none of them are detailed enough to give me answers. This is the sort of thing I can't just dive in to, because the devices themselves are $100 or thereabouts, and there are minimum contracts involved. Has anyone bought one of these recently? What kind of ways can you use it?

 

[Metryq]

A local convenience store uses a Sirius "radio" to provide background music. The unit is strapped to a frame near some coolers. It connects to the PA system through a simple stereo mini plug and power jack, just like an iPod. I don't know if there is any sort of antenna connected—I never looked at it that closely. However, even during the worst weather, the music is always clean.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

There is an antenna. Either a small squarish unit or an outside mountable roundish unit for home. Most cars with a Sirius/XM radio have a little blockish shaped thing on the roof.

I had Sirius around 2005-2007 and loved the selection, but their crappy customer service pissed me off so much I dropped it.

I also got it free for a year in my last 2 new Jeeps, but didn't renew when the year was up. I have so many mp3 albums on the unit in my Jeep I didn't use the Sirius much.

Still, I'd recommend it for anyone who's sick of terrestrial radio and doesn't have the capability for hundreds of mp3 albums or who doesn't have a massive CD collection.

 

[urbandefault]

Never used a standalone unit, but our previous new car came with a free year. We enjoyed a lot of the programming, but I already had a lot of it on a separate device. We didn't renew.

Other than more available channels, it's not much different from celestial radio.

I think I'd only do it if there was something SXM had that I couldn't get elsewhere free.

I have a couple of Zunes that can be played through our current car's system, not to mention our two iPhones, an iPad, and an Android tablet. For me, that's plenty of room for customized content.