A few months ago my husband and I decided to join one of the latest fads in technology and subscribed to satellite radio service. The only two services that I know of in the United States are Sirius and XM. Our service of choice? Sirius. I don’t know why we chose Sirius over XM, but we did, and we are completely happy with the service. If you are considering any enhancements to your car’s stereo system, I highly recommend satellite radio service.
I have done some research and found out that Sirius and XM are about the same when it comes to subscription plans and prices. You can pay monthly or you can get yearly plans. For both, a monthly plan is $12.95 per month. Their one-year plans and two-year plans are identical in price as well, $142.45 and $271.95 respectively. XM also offers three-year, four-year, and five-year plans: $359.64, $479.52, and $599.40 respectively. Sirius does not offer those plans; nevertheless, I think they offer something better. Sirius has a lifetime subscription plan for just $499.99. That’s right! One payment of $499.99 and you can forget about Sirius bills. Both XM and Sirius offer service to additional XM- and Sirius-ready radios for just $6.99 per month per radio; Sirius offers this for up to three additional radios and XM offers it for up to four additional radios. Both services also offer free online listening with your subscription. I like this feature because although I have a computer in my bedroom, I have no stereo. That works out really well for me.
Channels are generally a major factor in deciding which service to get. Just by scanning the channel listings, they look to have about the same number of channels, which is cool. I love the variety in the channels. XM and Sirius offer religious music channels, children’s music, rock, pop, comedy, country, dance, music from certain decades, and Broadway scores. They also offer a wide variety of talk and sports channels. Two of my favorite Sirius channels are Big ’80s (channel 8) and Broadway’s Best (channel 77). You can’t get Broadway classics on your local radio stations, I can tell you that.
I am sure that you are wondering what kind of equipment you need in order to get these satellite radio services. You definitely can not get them on a regular radio. There are plenty of car audio brands which produce XM- and Sirius-ready units. All you have to do once they are installed in your car is call either service company and give them specific information from the unit in order to activate the service. I don’t remember all of the specifics. Sirius and XM sell these units on their websites, but you can also purchase them anywhere you can buy car audio equipment, such as Best Buy and Circuit City. Car audio can get a bit pricey, but keep in mind that you do not have to spend a fortune to get satellite radio service. The receiver that we bought only cost $30. However, instead of the typical CD-quality sound that you are supposed to get, we have regular FM-radio quality. Hey, we only paid $30 — I am satisfied.
Like I said, we have Sirius radio service, but my sister has XM Radio and I like that just as well. Everything depends on what you are looking for in a service. To find out more specifics about channels, equipment, and services provided, please visit Sirius.com and XMradio.com.