Show off your Sirius installs here

[rao]

Let's see 'em.

I haven't picked out which receiver I am getting, but I am definately getting one of them (Actually several, but just one for the car :) ). I got an internet subscription and I am addicted :eek:

I am installing a Jazzy input and I'd like to have it as much out of sight as possible, but I want to see as many different options as I can before I get started.

[zcarmob]

Well I don't have a pic of mine but I have a Starmate 4 and it is wedged in the cubby hole. If you need to hide it you can remove it very easily.

If you want a different option then the Jazzy one. Then go to this link. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51886

With this way you don't need a silent cd. You trick the radio into call mode. Call mode was suppose to be for onstar that was never put in the cars.

[rao]

That thread looks ineresting but it hasn't been sorted out yet.

[rc0032]

Sirius rocks!

[one69chev]

let me know how you like it, my new hu is compatible and i was debating on if it was worth the money.....

[rao]

I tried the free online trial for Sirius and XM and preferred Sirius by a wide margin.

[one69chev]

i've listened to xm, it seems real commercial happy; they tout commercial free, but then they bombard the listener with their commercials, for programming, etc..

did you find this true?

[heightsgtltd]

I used to say that XM is for rednecks (Sirius programming is much more interesting and cultured), but now Sirius has NASCAR! :lol:


They are both going to merge at some point anyway. It is inevitable.

[heightsgtltd]

this is my install from the July before last.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=231166&postcount=7

[rao]

i've listened to xm, it seems real commercial happy; they tout commercial free, but then they bombard the listener with their commercials, for programming, etc..

did you find this true?


I really couldn't find one channel that I liked so I never got all that far.


The biggest problem for satellite radio is that it is just too hard; it won't really spread until you can just flip on a radio and have it work.

[one69chev]

^^^yea, i'd have to agree; you really gotta want it, and some people do, but it's just never been a high priority for me, but now that i have a compatible player, i was thinking about taking the plunge...

[zmarko]

Sirius rocks!

+1. I love Sirius. I work in radio, and even I never listen to regular FM radio anymore. :lol:



EDIT--Here's my S50 install. Nothing special, and has since been 'cleaned up' a bit. I used to have it in the cupholders in the center console, and it was virtually invisible, but I really missed having use of the cupholders.

[rao]

this is my install from the July before last.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=231166&postcount=7

Thanks for the pic, that is sort of what I want. What I dont know is if the newer receivers that use a "car kit" will be too tall to fit in the cubby. Plus I will need to find another place for my water injection pressure gauge.

[zcarmob]

The starmate 4 with the docking station will fit in the cubby hole nicely. Put the bottom in first and then then top will fit snuggly into the opening. There is about an inch of space on either side. I don't know about the other models.

[sebberry]

Let's see 'em.

I haven't picked out which receiver I am getting, but I am definately getting one of them (Actually several, but just one for the car :) ). I got an internet subscription and I am addicted :eek:

I am installing a Jazzy input and I'd like to have it as much out of sight as possible, but I want to see as many different options as I can before I get started.


Did you search, newb? :lol:


http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=919740&postcount=8

[rao]

:lol:

[MarkWeinhardt]

I had a Sirius ready stereo in my last car (04 mustang cobra), but I did not activate it because I refuse to give my money to anyone who would pay Howard Stern $500 million dollars... how bout giving him 100 million, and giving a $400 incentive to the first million subscribers???

anyway - now I have XM... how does it compare with sirius? xm does not have howard stern, so thumbs up in my book! lol!

[sebberry]

I had a Sirius ready stereo in my last car (04 mustang cobra), but I did not activate it because I refuse to give my money to anyone who would pay Howard Stern $500 million dollars... how bout giving him 100 million, and giving a $400 incentive to the first million subscribers???

anyway - now I have XM... how does it compare with sirius? xm does not have howard stern, so thumbs up in my book! lol!

Interesting way to justify it...

Unfortunately I am in my car for maybe 30 minutes a day so I don't get much of a chance to listen to the sat radio, I do from time to time listen to Howard.


I wish Sirius would expand their selection a bit... I like to listen to electronic/trance in the car and I don't think there is enough variety there with Sirius, too many repeated songs. The 3 day trial you get online just isn't really enough to determine this.

They do have more Canadian content than XM, and while this isn't all that important for me for listening selection, Sirius earns my support for that.

[zmarko]

I refuse to give my money to anyone who would pay Howard Stern $500 million dollars... how bout giving him 100 million, and giving a $400 incentive to the first million subscribers???
Guess you don't watch many movies. :lol:

[thehikingdude]

Anybody have any examples of an install with either the Pioneer Inno or the Samsung Helix? I'm still in a quandry of where to install mine.

I'd go insane if I couldn't listen to XM. IMHO

[Leonardo]

Notice the cubbypod. Also the nice temp :D

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/857000-857999/857031_18_full.jpg

[rao]

That looks great. One thing I don't understand is that the newer models have a dock that looks like it adds some height to them and makes it harder to do an installation like that one.

[Leonardo]

Yes, those are the plug and play models. If you want an install like this, you have to get the Starbase (e-bay had them)

[fweasel]

Notice the cubbypod.

Did Casopolis make that piece for you or did you fab it yourself?

[sebberry]

Notice the cubbypod. Also the nice temp :D

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/857000-857999/857031_18_full.jpg

Hey, we both listen to the same station :D

[Leonardo]

Did Casopolis make that piece for you or did you fab it yourself?

He made it. I belive I was the only one in the GB that ordered the blank one.

[Leonardo]

Hey, we both listen to the same station :D

Yep!
Stern in the AM
Bubba on the drive home
Area 33 rest of the time

:icon_cool

[sebberry]

Yep!
Stern in the AM
Bubba on the drive home
Area 33 rest of the time

:icon_cool

I find that there isn't enough variety on Area 33... I have heard many of the songs they play several times now... and I am only listening to it maybe 30 min a day :(

[edkwon]

has anyone been able to install the OEM Sirius unit in place of the XM unit in the 07 LGT stereos? I want a sirius install that i can controll thru the HU instead of using an external unit.

Ed

[snoman]

It looks like Sirius will be an option on the 2008 Legacy in addition to XM (according to subaru.com)... maybe the tuner will be compatible with 2007 stereos.

[snoman]

i've listened to xm, it seems real commercial happy; they tout commercial free, but then they bombard the listener with their commercials, for programming, etc..

did you find this true?
XM's own music channels are 100% commercial free. Like Sirius, they do play 8 second station IDs after every 7-8 songs. If there is an upcoming special concert or event, you'll hear maybe a 15 second promo once an hour.

Both services need to CUT CHANNELS AND IMPROVE SOUND QUALITY! Satellite radio only sounds marginally better than AM radio, but it would be capable of CD quality sound if they didn't cram 170+ channels onto the satellites.

[fweasel]

Both services need to CUT CHANNELS AND IMPROVE SOUND QUALITY! Satellite radio only sounds marginally better than AM radio, but it would be capable of CD quality sound if they didn't cram 170+ channels onto the satellites.
werd. It will all work out when one of the two companies absorbs the other. Then there will be twice the bandwidth and they may step it up two 4 NASCAR channels and FM radio quality.:icon_bigg

[Need4Speed]

I had a Sirius ready stereo in my last car (04 mustang cobra), but I did not activate it because I refuse to give my money to anyone who would pay Howard Stern $500 million dollars... how bout giving him 100 million, and giving a $400 incentive to the first million subscribers???

anyway - now I have XM... how does it compare with sirius? xm does not have howard stern, so thumbs up in my book! lol!

Agreed

[snoman]

werd. It will all work out when one of the two companies absorbs the other. Then there will be twice the bandwidth and they may step it up two 4 NASCAR channels and FM radio quality.:icon_bigg
That's not going to happen anytime soon... as it is illegal for one company to own both licenses. It would require separate approvals from the FCC, SEC, and DoJ. And then there are the Democrats in Congress who are already scrutinizing the FCC over media ownership and mergers. The NAB would have a big influence against a merger attempt too.

If you are a satrad subscriber, you should pray that they never merge! Competition is a good thing. If they merge, they might as well sell the company to Clear Channel, because programming will be dumbed down to appeal to mainstream, subscription prices will increase, and customer service will become worse than it already is. Just think of the quality of service you get from your cable company, considering the rates you pay!

[fweasel]

That's not going to happen anytime soon... as it is illegal for one company to own both licenses. It would require separate approvals from the FCC, SEC, and DoJ. And then there are the Democrats in Congress who are already scrutinizing the FCC over media ownership and mergers. The NAB would have a big influence against a merger attempt too.

If you are a satrad subscriber, you should pray that they never merge! Competition is a good thing. If they merge, they might as well sell the company to Clear Channel, because programming will be dumbed down to appeal to mainstream, subscription prices will increase, and customer service will become worse than it already is. Just think of the quality of service you get from your cable company, considering the rates you pay!
I don't think it will be a takeover, or even a merger. Both companies cannot remain proffitable at the level of competition they currently exist at. Howard Stern for example. Or Oprah, or baseball.... they are paying outrageous sums of money for these contracts to one up the other brand, but don't have the revenue streams to support it. One of them will fall apart financially before the other and then the garage sale begins.

[Need4Speed]

I don't think it will be a takeover, or even a merger. Both companies cannot remain proffitable at the level of competition they currently exist at. Howard Stern for example. Or Oprah, or baseball.... they are paying outrageous sums of money for these contracts to one up the other brand, but don't have the revenue streams to support it. One of them will fall apart financially before the other and then the garage sale begins.

If I had Sirius stock I would be pissed.

[thehikingdude]

The last thing I want to do is start a flame war, but I just had to add my 2 cents after reading the comments regarding poor quality from XM / Sirius.

I've been a subscriber of XM for just over a year now and for me the quality is exceptional. No comparison to FM or AM for that matter.

I'm no audiophile so I'm sure there are some that will completely disagree with me, but if you run XM through a decent car stereo system with some EQ I would say most folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a CD and XM.

I will say that it sounded like crap with my stock system, but I knew it could do better since it sounded so much better in my prior car with an Alpine HU. However nothing sounded good with the stock system, so I can't blame XM for that.

Just my 2 cents.

[snoman]

I've been a subscriber of XM for just over a year now and for me the quality is exceptional. No comparison to FM or AM for that matter.

I'm no audiophile so I'm sure there are some that will completely disagree with me, but if you run XM through a decent car stereo system with some EQ I would say most folks wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a CD and XM.

You're lucky in that you can't tell the difference between a 32 kbps audio stream and a CD! I would enjoy XM so much more if I didn't notice the scratchy, distorted, overprocessed audio.

In my experience, XM sounds better on very low end sound systems, because it colors the sound and masks the artifacts.

[thehikingdude]

You're lucky in that you can't tell the difference between a 32 kbps audio stream and a CD! I would enjoy XM so much more if I didn't notice the scratchy, distorted, overprocessed audio.

In my experience, XM sounds better on very low end sound systems, because it colors the sound and masks the artifacts.

I never said that I can't tell the difference. Dynamics and image are much greater from a CD anyday.

One thing I learned is that the antenna placement has a lot to do with it as well. And if you are in an area with a terrestrial antenna the quality is better than without. Thankfully I am.

[fweasel]

You're lucky in that you can't tell the difference between a 32 kbps audio stream and a CD! I would enjoy XM so much more if I didn't notice the scratchy, distorted, overprocessed audio.

In my experience, XM sounds better on very low end sound systems, because it colors the sound and masks the artifacts.
Yahtzee! aftermarket systems only enhance satellite radio's deficiencies.
I never said that I can't tell the difference. Dynamics and image are much greater from a CD anyday.

One thing I learned is that the antenna placement has a lot to do with it as well. And if you are in an area with a terrestrial antenna the quality is better than without. Thankfully I am.
I'm pretty sure the bitrate is the same, satellite or terrestrial. Either way, I've been listening to XM in our shop van sicne it was introduced. While I do enjoy the lack of commercials and coast to coast programming, its like listening to medium quality MP-3 CD-R's at best.

[thehikingdude]

Yahtzee! aftermarket systems only enhance satellite radio's deficiencies.

I'm pretty sure the bitrate is the same, satellite or terrestrial. Either way, I've been listening to XM in our shop van sicne it was introduced. While I do enjoy the lack of commercials and coast to coast programming, its like listening to medium quality MP-3 CD-R's at best.

Sorry I'm not explaining myself very well. I didn't say that the bitrate is different. The difference comes into play if you are in an area that gets a poor satellite feed without a terrestrial feed to fill the gap. I'm specifically speaking to the comments of it sounding "scratchy"

As for aftermarket being better or worse I can only speak to my own experience which was amazing for me.

Subaru 07' stock stereo = Sucked

Added RF 3Sixty.2 / Alpine MRV-F345 Amp / (4) Alpine Type-R 6.5" Speakers / Tuned Aux-in EQ on RF for XM = Sounds Great

Your experience may vary.

[snoman]

One thing I learned is that the antenna placement has a lot to do with it as well. And if you are in an area with a terrestrial antenna the quality is better than without. Thankfully I am.
That's all in your head... all a terrestrial repeater does is repeat the same exact signal that it coming off the satellites. You're listening to the same exact stream whether it comes from the satellites, the terrestrial network, or both.

You either get the digital signal, or you don't. The quality of the sound doesn't change as signal strength changes.

[fweasel]

You either get the digital signal, or you don't. The quality of the sound doesn't change as signal strength changes.
Digital threshold FTW:icon_bigg

[snoman]

Anyway, back on topic.... this is my satellite radio installation.

I couldn't stand having a "portable" satellite radio hanging on my dashboard with all the exposed wires. I went with a Pioneer navigation system... it interfaces directly with the XM tuner, and is capable of XM's real-time traffic service.

http://aaron.huba.home.comcast.net/install4.jpg

Painted antenna mounted on roof.

http://aaron.huba.home.comcast.net/on_car.jpg

[Leonardo]

I don't have exposed wires :p

[snoman]

I don't have exposed wires :p
That's a pretty slick installation. Looks good, and it's very stealthy.

How do you run the satrad audio to the OEM stereo? Are you just using an FM modulator?