xm vs sirius please pipe in!

I've had both.  I started out with XM and have only recently moved to Sirius.  I enjoyed XM (favorite stations were Squizz and Boneyard) and since I traveled frequently I listened to it quite often.  Since that time the amount of traveling I do has gone done by quite a bit and I contemplated killing off my satellite radio subscription altogether.  Then Dish Network started offering Sirius stations to their subscribers and I found that I enjoyed quite a few of the stations Sirius offered (to my surprise as I was a dedicated XM fan).  What sold me on Sirius though was the fact that I can listen to their streaming media stations over the web while I'm at work for free as part of my normal monthly subscription.  So even though I don't travel as much, I can still utilize my monthly subscription and maximize my listening.  Keep in mind that the streaming media quality isn't as high as the normal satellite signal quality, but it's good enough for casual listening at work.  True, Sirius' monthly fee is higher than XM's, but three dollars more per month is pretty negligible and Sirius doesn't have "premium" stations that require an extra fee to listen to (so far at least).

For the technical aspects of the systems, I found that both seemed equally good when it came to sound quality and signal reception.  Sirius claims that their signal reception is better since they have three satellites in geosynchronous orbit (as opposed to XM's two satellites in geostationary orbit) but it never seemed to make much of a difference in normal operation.  Both stations offer repeaters in larger cities so you can maintain reception even when your vehicle can't get a good view of the sky (like driving through downtown Chicago).  One aspect of XM that I disliked was the 16-character limitation for song titles/artist names.  If it doesn't fit it gets truncated.

In looking at their hardware it's a toss-up in my book.  It used to be that Sirius seemed to have more "cutting edge" equipment but now they seem to be on equal footing.  Lots of options depending on what you're looking for.  I hear that XM is even coming out with a portable unit that you can carry with you and I haven't heard anything of the sort for Sirius.

In a lot of ways it comes down to programming and your listening habits.  You almost have to listen to both to see what stations play the type of music that helps you get your groove on and go from there.  You also need to decide where and when you listen to the radio the most.  If you'r ein your car most of the time and rarely listen at home, then the extra benefit of a Sirius subscription won't do you much good.

Hope this helps.

I believe it depends on what you choose to listen to. Sirius kicks a$$ if you like national sports, i.e. NFL, NBA ,NHL.  Xm has a dedicated nascar channel. And If you happen to be a "christian rocker" xm has a few stations. sirius has only one.  On another note if you follow the stocks xm,since launching 1st owns the market with close to 3 million listeners,and stock is usually around $25.00  while sirius is bearing down on 600,000, at $2-3.00 a share. But, I own stock in both  however and when sirius reaches 1 million listeners i think their stock is gonna jump cause people will start to believe they'll be a success. i like both for different reasons but sirius' units  aredont compare to xm in size, installation, and most of all appearance.

In the end it's always up to you. ..... just my 2 cent$

FACTION that station kicks major a$$. Sirius-ly   (sorry i had to)