I had XM Radio for about 3 years. I’ve mentioned it before — see previous entries. My new vehicle comes with their main competitor, Sirius. Although at some point they’ll merge, I thought I’d do a quick comparison.
SPORTS: Sirius beats XM for most people because they have NFL. I prefer the NHL and that’s solely an XM feature. I’ll call this a draw.
NUMBER OF CHANNELS: XM wins. But practically speaking, this too is a draw. Once you’re over 100 stations, does anyone really care? No. XM or Draw.
RECEPTION: XM by a landslide. Rarely did I lose XM reception. On Sirius I lose it all the time when I’m near big buildings, underpasses, overpasses, and randomly for no reason including driving across the causeway to Miami Beach. Point XM.
RADIO FEEL: Sirius wins by a landslide. Listening to Sirius is like listening to the radio. You have a DJ but he/she just says a few sentences here and there to give it that radio feel. It’s not like the radio where they blather. A note about the song, a comment about the inspiration, a few words about what songs are up next. Good stuff. XM doesn’t do that. Point Sirius.
THE NAME: XM is cool. You get what it is instantly. Sirius, not so much. Point XM. But who cares?
THE MUSIC: It’s all about the music. That’s the main reason to buy satellite radio if it’s not for the sports. And XM wins. Handily. I need at least two Sirius stations to cover one XM station. I have to juggle on Sirius to stay happy. XM I could set one station and listen for hours. It might seem neat that Sirius has an All Elvis station, but it really does grow tiresome after a while. XM has the good, the music, and the diversity. XM — slam dunk.
The verdict, XM. I miss it.