XM Radio

[brucelee]

I just installed an Alpine 9820 with a built in XM tuner. Good stuff as the music is commerical free, nicely sectioned by interest and the reception and clarity is top notch.

May not use many CDS in the future as this feature is so functional.

I LOVE not having commercials in my driving space!

[ZeroG]

Originally Posted by brucelee

I just installed an Alpine 9820 with a built in XM tuner. Good stuff as the music is commerical free, nicely sectioned by interest and the reception and clarity is top notch.

May not use many CDS in the future as this feature is so functional.

I LOVE not having commercials in my driving space!

You're so right! I am not going to plug and some one is better then the other. But just thought I would drop in and say Satelite Radio is the future.

-Chad

[GDB]

I don't think recorded music will ever fall out of style, CD's will go the way of the record, and be replaced with something else, but recorded music will always be around IMO.

But yeah, XM is awesome. When I worked at a chevy dealership I had to setup alot of them, I use to always jam out to the 90's station, 80's, and classical.

[gooten1]

I have a pioneer which is "XM Ready", which means that apparently I have to pay more for the XM. How do I go about hooking it up?

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by gooten1

I have a pioneer which is "XM Ready", which means that apparently I have to pay more for the XM. How do I go about hooking it up?

well. even if you had the built-in tuner (like brucelee), you still have to pay extra. satelite radio is like satelite television. you pay for the subscription.

for xm (using pioneer, alpine, sony, delphi, etc), it is $9.99 per month.

for sirius (pronouced "serious"...using panasonic, jvc, audiovox, etc), it's $12.95 per month.

go to xmradio.com and sirius.com for more info. or you can just ask me. like i've said, i've sold and installed these systems for a year professionally.

in your case gooten1, you will need an add-on tuner. for some reason, they moved away from brand-specific tuners starting about a year ago. but if you can find a pioneer GEX-P900XM or a GEX-P910XM (the newer of the two), you'll be most of the way there. when they sold, they went for $150-200 brand new. in addition to that, you'll need an XM antenna. i recommend terk. the most popular is the magnet mounted antennas (for example, XM3 or XMicro). they usually go for around $50.

but this way, you'll get the best sound quality for your satelite radio. however, i haven't heard the alpine with the built in tuner first-hand yet (it's the only model like it so far...isn't it? i know it's the first). so i don't know which sounds better out of those two.

but like i said, if you have any questions about car audio or satelite radio (even for the home or on the go), let me know. i've written even reports on it before.

[e30fiend]

IMO the draw to XM or Sirius is the significantly higher quality of the sound. FM radio sounds like sh!t quite frankly, especially if you upgrade your sound at all. I put a 12" sub in my trunk and infinity reference in the front and FM sounds like the music is coming through a phone.

So yeah, recorded (or digital) music is where it's at. Then again I'm a DJ so I'm all about the highest quality possible.

[gooten1]

Ok, well the Pioneer died today. Took it in to the shop (was still under warranty) and they replaced it with a Sony for free. I assume it's the same deal...get the add-on tuner and antenna then pay the fee?

[brucelee]

To my knowledge the Alpine is the only built in XM tuner available. Yes, the sound quality is so much better than FM, it can't compare.

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by gooten1

Ok, well the Pioneer died today. Took it in to the shop (was still under warranty) and they replaced it with a Sony for free. I assume it's the same deal...get the add-on tuner and antenna then pay the fee?

yes sir. as long as your new sony is xm ready, you're ok.

i looked on crutchfield.com and found this universal xm tuner. that one's $50. and you'll also need the 'sony smart digital adapter' made to connect the tuner directly to your sony. that's $50 as well. but the good news is that the antenna is already included with that tuner. so you'll be all set...after your activation fee and month service charge of course.

also, if you have questions about installing, i could be of service there as well. so feel free to ask.

p.s. the only reason i put crutchfield as reference above is because that is where you buy sony's car audio products online. sony doesn't sell them on their site, but instead has a link to them. in the past, i've sometimes found crutchfield to be ridiculous in price. so shop around and check prices. terk is the manufactuer of the products i've mentioned above. perhaps go there for a little morre info. check it.

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by e30fiend

IMO the draw to XM or Sirius is the significantly higher quality of the sound. FM radio sounds like sh!t quite frankly, especially if you upgrade your sound at all. I put a 12" sub in my trunk and infinity reference in the front and FM sounds like the music is coming through a phone.

So yeah, recorded (or digital) music is where it's at. Then again I'm a DJ so I'm all about the highest quality possible.

infinity's are awesome! their reference series (lowest level they make for those that didn't know) are relatively inexpensive and still sound better than most speakers i've ever heard. if anyone out there is looking for speakers, my personal recommendation is infinity.

[gooten1]

http://www.xmradio.com/xm_direct/aftermarket.jsp

The link to the XM Direct. The tuner that attaches to your aftermarket head unit to play XM.

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by GDB

I don't think recorded music will ever fall out of style, CD's will go the way of the record, and be replaced with something else, but recorded music will always be around IMO.

But yeah, XM is awesome. When I worked at a chevy dealership I had to setup alot of them, I use to always jam out to the 90's station, 80's, and classical.

channels 47 and 48 are all i need. ethel and squizz. alternative rock. good stuff.

even though i do not personally have xm radio. haha.

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by brucelee

To my knowledge the Alpine is the only built in XM tuner available. Yes, the sound quality is so much better than FM, it can't compare.

well yeah. that's a given. haha.

i was just wondering about how much of a difference (if any) is there between the sound quality of yours with the built-in xm tuner and one with the add-on, direct-connect tuner. probably very minimal and unnoticable i'm guessing. but it is a lot more convenient.

[sydeshow]

Originally Posted by gooten1

http://www.xmradio.com/xm_direct/aftermarket.jsp

The link to the XM Direct. The tuner that attaches to your aftermarket head unit to play XM.

yeah. or you can look at the link i put in my post. it goes to terk's site for the same thing. but i personally usually trust the manufactuer's info more.

[miko]

Yeehaa! Got a Sirius satellite system for Christmas. Now, does anyone know how to hook it up to the factory OEM BMW radio? Does the factory radio have Aux inputs on the back? How does it remove from the dash? MY Sirius version is the Audiovox PNP one. Please help the electronically inept :>)

PS.. My car is a '98 active with 10 speaker and rear 6-disk changer