I really want to add satellite radio to my 4Runner, and I'm not sure which I want to go with. My Kenwood head unit is "Sirius Ready" so I would only have to buy a tuner and antenna. If I went with XM, I would have to go the FM modulator route and probably not get near the sound quality out of it as I would the Sirius. However, Sirius is $3.00 more per month and doesn't seem to have as many music channels as XM. I just bought XM for my girlfriend and put it in her Lexus and it is awesome. What are ya'lls experience with the two of them? Thanks. Later.

Matt

 

Do you like listening to Sports? If so, then go Sirius!

Here are a couple of links that I have posted here;
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ghlight=sirius
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ghlight=sirius

XM fan site
Sirius Backstage


I have been 100% satisfied with Sirius, and if your deck is Sirius ready, then all you would need is the antenna and the receiver.


If you wanted to have your unit mobile, then get one of the PnP (plug n play) models. Both Sirius and XM have these.

My vote is for Sirius

 

SLC Punk,
Thanks for the link to the comparasion chart. That's awesome!! I think I'll definitely go with Sirius. I love where you've got your antenna mounted. I think it would be real hard for me to put my antenna on the back because it would probably be covered by my cargo basket and I wouldn't get as good of a signal. One question on your antenna. How did you route your wire into the inside of the vehicle. Pics or a detailed route would be awesome. Thanks man. Later.

Matt

 

i say XM.

I see that you are in BHAM!
I would also like to say GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If your deck is Sirius Ready I'd get that. That's a no brainer to me.

 

JGrimball,
Thanks dude. It was a dream season. I just hope that there are many more to come and since we kept Saban in the BR, I believe there will be. GEAUX TIGERS!!

Matt

 

I work in car audio and sell both systems. Just so you know, right now, if you want Sirius, just buy the $50 Terk antenna and they will give you the $150 Kenwood tuner for free! On the other hand, XM will be changing all of their music stations to commercial free. Which ever one you go with, activate it online, it will save you a few $'s. If you go with a PnP (plug and play) you will probably need to use an FM modulator and will only get the sound quality of good FM reception. If you want the best sound quality, get the dedicated Kenwood tuner for Sirius. If you happen to have aux inputs in the back, you can still use a PnP and get great sound. I hope this helps! Oh yeah, Sirius has a Jam Band channel! :drum:

 

I have had XM in my car for over 2 years now, and i really enjoy it. I think the sound is less "compressed" sounding on XM than sirius. But they are both pretty good. XM is going to have traffic channels now for all over the US as well as all of their channels being commercial free.

 

If you look at your window molding you will notice the outer seal (which has a gap between the seal and body. If you look behind it, you will see where the rubber meets the body. Its a thin flap of rubber, I took a real small screwdriver and small pocket knife and pushed the seal out enough to get the wire below it. Then make sure that the seal doesn't fold. It should fit perfectly under this seal (if you get the TERK antenna).

Probably doesn't make sense, but look at your molding and you will see what I am talking about.

I then ran the wire down the fender, behind the door seal and into the cab.


If you need pics, let me know and I will get some taken.

 

With XM going commerical free, the two companies are really competitive.

It all depends on what stations you want to have.

 

I have to admit, that almost swayed me to Sirius, but my buddy said that the jamband channel sucks unless you love WSP, mule and the like.

I'm not a huge fan of those bands, or sports, or npr, so that swayed me back to XM. If those are your thing, than Sirius is right for you.

With the lineup changes that are going on with XM on Feb 1st, just like SLCPUnk said, the two are going to be damned competitive.

XM outsells Sirius by a huge margin, and a lot of the Sirius argument hinged around being commercial free. Now that XM has thrown that out of the picture, it's gonna be tough for Sirius to compete, and I think that's what XM was banking on.

Still, I think it's like comparing apples to pears. They're pretty damn similar.

The same debate came up with Satellite TV DirecTV vs Dish Network and again, they're pretty damn similar. They each have a few things the other doesn't, so you just have to decide which one best fits your style. In the end, they're both pretty damn cool, and I think I've listened to the actual radio once since getting XM.

I hope they both sell well, so that they can keep each other competitive. XM is very concerned with listner happiness, and I've filled out a few surveys on things I like, don't like, and would like to see.

Also, I've probably bought at least 10-15 cds in two months based upon bands I'd never heard of before and now love thanks to XM, and with over 1000 cds I thought that would be a tough thing to do.

Bill

 

SLCPunk,
Some pics would be great if you get a chance. Particularly, how you've got it run to the inside of the cab. My email is MAverett@bham.rr.com Thanks for your help. Later.

Matt

 

I will get you some pics. My wife has the 4Runner today, so it may be Thurs or Friday before I can email them to you.

 

SLCPunk,
No prob man. Whenever you get a chance. Thanks again. Later.

Matt

 

I have Sirius in my Jeep. It's integrated into the factory radio, so that's why I got it. Otherwise I would have considered XM.

I'm pretty satisfied with Sirius, although it's not perfect. The programming is great and what limited DJing they have is actually quite good. But they change the radio stations around somewhat often. I've had it for just under a year and they've changed the stations around at least three times. It's not a big deal, but one day I'll hop in the car and have to search for the station... a minor inconvenience.

That said, I listen to satellite all the time. We do have one station I really like here, but I travel a lot so it's nice to not have to search for stations, especially in rural areas. I always get bored listening to CDs, even the ones that I make, because of the lack of variety. It comes in clear everywhere... the quality makes radio look like a joke. It's not quite CD, but really close.

I might consider XM in my next car, though, just for something different. I think Sirius has one more satellite than XM.

 

XM has two primary satellites... Rock and Roll.

I know they launched a third satellite at one point because one was going out of service/falling out of it's orbit/or something of the like.

They claim that their satellites are the most powerful commercial satellites ever launched into orbit. I'm not going to take the time to verify that, but it's their claim.

They also then have "terrestial repeaters" in large metropolitan areas to up the coverage.

Living in St. Louis, I can only think of one time when I went across the river into Illinois that I lost signal in an urban area with tall buildings.

I'd assume the Sirius coverage is pretty similarly laid out, but I'm not sure.

Bill

 

Well, it's official. I'm going with Sirius. I ordered the tuner and antenna off Ebay tonight and I got a hell of a deal on the two of them. Probably gonna wait and put it in when I tear the dash apart to install the Speedhut gauges and do the "Blue Dash" light conversion. Thanks for the input.

Matt