OK, about 6 or 7 months ago, after reading about it here on this forum, my wife and I decided to get in to satellite radio. I did a brief audition of both XM and Sirius and chose Sirius for what is mainly (but not entirely) music listening.
Here is what I now believe to be true:
1) Both Sirius and XM are great. I believe most people would greatly benefit from purchasing either and believe the cost to benefit ratio would be low for most people compared to other discretionary purchases.
2) The differences in play lists between the two services are real. XM does play a greater variety of songs with less repeats than Sirius.
3) Some (even those who like variety) will find the variety and lack of repeats on some XM channels to be too great.
4) The variety on Sirius (and XM) channels varies greatly. The best channels provide a great deal of variety, approaching XM levels but with a little more repeating, perhaps the perfect mix. The worst channels approach FM but are still a good deal better in terms of plays and repeats.
5) For Rock, Sirius has a much better selection of channels than XM, including a jam band channel. If you like Rock and don't mind occasionally switching channels this might make up for the less diverse play lists on Sirius.
However, I think there has been enough talk and hyperbole about which service is better for the music listener. So here is what I propose:
:A thread where every HTF member who uses Sat. radio posts listener diary entries of what songs they heard during listening sessions of 1 hour or more.
I think this will be a fun little thread that will give people a good feel for what is being played on both services and how great both services really are. I will post my first diary later today or tomorrow.
Rules:
1) Your listening session must be a minimum of 1 hour
2) You must record and post every song you heard. No skipping the Elton John or Flaming Tomato's rendition of Viva Las Vegas. If your in the car and can't record or remember every song then wait until next time.
3) Changing channels up to 3 times per hour is allowed.
Format for posts:
Service:
Start Time:
Channel:
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Channel:
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
End Time:
Here is what I now believe to be true:
1) Both Sirius and XM are great. I believe most people would greatly benefit from purchasing either and believe the cost to benefit ratio would be low for most people compared to other discretionary purchases.
2) The differences in play lists between the two services are real. XM does play a greater variety of songs with less repeats than Sirius.
3) Some (even those who like variety) will find the variety and lack of repeats on some XM channels to be too great.
4) The variety on Sirius (and XM) channels varies greatly. The best channels provide a great deal of variety, approaching XM levels but with a little more repeating, perhaps the perfect mix. The worst channels approach FM but are still a good deal better in terms of plays and repeats.
5) For Rock, Sirius has a much better selection of channels than XM, including a jam band channel. If you like Rock and don't mind occasionally switching channels this might make up for the less diverse play lists on Sirius.
However, I think there has been enough talk and hyperbole about which service is better for the music listener. So here is what I propose:
:A thread where every HTF member who uses Sat. radio posts listener diary entries of what songs they heard during listening sessions of 1 hour or more.
I think this will be a fun little thread that will give people a good feel for what is being played on both services and how great both services really are. I will post my first diary later today or tomorrow.
Rules:
1) Your listening session must be a minimum of 1 hour
2) You must record and post every song you heard. No skipping the Elton John or Flaming Tomato's rendition of Viva Las Vegas. If your in the car and can't record or remember every song then wait until next time.
3) Changing channels up to 3 times per hour is allowed.
Format for posts:
Service:
Start Time:
Channel:
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Channel:
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
Artist, Song
End Time:
