SiriusXM - worth it?

[gwalchmai]

How many of you use SiriusXM (those BASTARDS!) and think it's worth the price? I just got an offer for 12 months for $73.

I enjoy a couple of their stations, but the vast majority are targeted to an audience other than me. I like Real Jazz, Symphony Hall, The Bridge, and a couple of others, but I'm not sure I listen to enough to justify paying even a discounted rate. Most times I enjoy listening to that four-banger song. 

Having dealt with them previously, I know they'll silently revert to their high list price at the end if I don't cancel by the end of the offer, then I'll have to do the dance with their CS reps to get a deal.

Just curious about whether other users find it worthwhile. Thanks!

[Dric902]

It is 

but they terrible at manipulating. They want an accaount for each car, tablet, when you can het a phone and Bluetooth everywhere 

[VinD]

I checked into it and found for me it was not worth the cost. I just use free Pandora and stream whatever genre I want to Car / Truck audio.

[Historian]

I had it for about six months and then quit.  I wanted a specific radio program.   

Anyway.  It didn't work for me in one way. My drive to work was only 30 minutes.   So by the time i set up the radio, got hooked up, was driving down the road...i was ready to exit the truck (my truck did not come XM ready).   But i often felt disconnected from local radio (talk in some cases).

If you want to run it inside your house i'd recommend getting an antenna (external to the house).

To be fair I am a radio junkie and do not have a television at home.   But i have half a dozen radios and some I've rebuilt from the 1930s and 40s. 

So...in short regular radio works for me.

That being said if you have a nitch you want...this thing could be for you.  For example, if you must have Fox News while you drive for three hours a day.  Ayep, this would be perfect.

In fact.  If i spent more time on the road and the truck came with the product I would likely use it.

I just looked over their channel selection to be fair you could stream most of it.  I can get most of it over the air. 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Historian

[gwalchmai]

30 minutes ago, Historian said:

I had it for about six months and then quit.  I wanted a specific radio program.   

Anyway.  It didn't work for me in one way. My drive to work was only 30 minutes.   So by the time i set up the radio, got hooked up, was driving down the road...i was ready to exit the truck (my truck did not come XM ready).   But i often felt disconnected from local radio (talk in some cases).

If you want to run it inside your house i'd recommend getting an antenna (external to the house).

To be fair I am a radio junkie and do not have a television at home.   But i have half a dozen radios and some I've rebuilt from the 1930s and 40s. 

So...in short regular radio works for me.

That being said if you have a nitch you want...this thing could be for you.  For example, if you must have Fox News while you drive for three hours a day.  Ayep, this would be perfect.

In fact.  If i spent more time on the road and the truck came with the product I would likely use it.

I just looked over their channel selection to be fair you could stream most of it.  I can get most of it over the air. 

 

In my area I get great reception of WSMC FM (classical), which I enjoy. And of course one can bluetooth through the phone, which speaks against sat radio charges. 

I had to stop listening to talk radio and to a large extent NPR. Makes me drive angry...

 

[crockett]

They forgot to send the turn-off signal on my GMC truck after the 6 free months so I had it for years, for free. Every time I checked out a few channels, I was instantly bored. It was very hard to find any music I liked. I always had the idea that they don't pay the royalties for top hits and only play B quality hits they can "purchase" for less.

Dealing with them on my new car was a nightmare. When I canceled they kept bombarding me with mail and even called, ignoring my wish to remove me from all marketing lists. I had to send registered mail to headquarters, threatening them with a lawsuit if they don't stop harassing me.

So yeah, I'm done with ANY subscription based service. No more SiriusXM, no more Amazon Prime, no cable TV, no Netflix, no GM Infotainment, nothing.

I instead bought ATOTO head units for my truck and minivan. They offer a big 10" screen, GSM connection, WiFi, 2 x Bluetooth. I have a massive hard drive connected through USB 3 with about 200 movies and 8 complete TV shows like Magnum PI or Kind of Queens. I can also stream live podcasts, thousands of radio channels, all my music and movies from my NAS server at home, YouTube or any of the other online streaming services.

Since this head unit is Android based, I can install all android apps, games, Waze, Apple / Android car play, police scanner app, google maps, you name it. Heck I can live stream all my security cams from my house or read forums like this. It connects to a rear cam, front cam and dash cam as well. You can integrate your factory steering wheel controls too.

Most of the time I have a TV show running while driving.Much more entertaining than radio.

I rather invest my money in something like this..

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by crockett

[Huaco Kid]

The rental cars often have it for free.  I've listened to Stern.  Twice.

I like the uncensored comedy channel,  but if you listen to it for several hours,  you just heard every routine that they'll play for a year.

It goes unused 99.999% of the time.

[devildog2067]

It came free for a year with the last car I bought, 5 years ago. After a year I let the subscription expire. Never really used it.

I get a letter once a week, without fail, so 200+ letters by now. In that first month after the subscription expired I would get a call maybe once every couple of days. I ignored some, accidentally picked up others. I told one guy to stop calling me and he told me to stop answering the phone, which got my blood pressure up quite a bit.

They’ll never get another dime from me. If ever they have something I want to listen to I’ll steal it.

[Maser]

Pretty funny how people still pay for that type of entertainment that's free.  ?

[Dric902]

The reception in our area sucks

I generally use Spotify, or subscribe to podcasts.

the wife still has some favorite channels, so we keep it

.

[tadbart]

20 minutes ago, devildog2067 said:

 I told one guy to stop calling me and he told me to stop answering the phone, which got my blood pressure up quite a bit.

They’ll never get another dime from me. If ever they have something I want to listen to I’ll steal it.

OK, that's pretty hilarious, since it happened to someone else. But I'd be LIVID if it happened to me.

[LostinTexas]

I have had a trial for XM and what ever the other one is, on a couple of new cars over time. Meh.

They couldn't fathom why I never used it other than the first week or so and decided it wasn't for me, and didn't want to buy a contract. It came down to getting rather ugly with them to leave me alone. They finally did.

[Historian]

1 hour ago, gwalchmai said:

In my area I get great reception of WSMC FM (classical), which I enjoy. And of course one can bluetooth through the phone, which speaks against sat radio charges. 

I had to stop listening to talk radio and to a large extent NPR. Makes me drive angry...

 

Yeah, I listen to a lot of different stations (online) and over the air.   But then again i build my own antennas for SW listening.

NPR is a total mixed bag for me. I hate their news and their slant. Then they do something like Hidden Brain, or a TED talk, or science Fridays.   Yes, i know it's left leaning but Wait Wait Don't Tell me is fantastic.

Paula Poundstone may be the funniest person I've ever heard.

Anyway.  I don't loiter there long.

We do have a wonderful low power classical station that does an excellent job.   On Sundays i true enjoy their programing.

This is a fun site for streaming.  I swear the Scots are trying to speak some form of English.

http://radio.garden/visit/gainesville-fl/h0HKNQAH

Maybe.  I did find a station once that was in Scot's Galic and I'm not sure how the Scots talk to each other after that.

 

[Historian]

33 minutes ago, tadbart said:

OK, that's pretty hilarious, since it happened to someone else. But I'd be LIVID if it happened to me.

That's why if i don't know the number I usually answer to phone  by saying:

"(My County) morgue.  Do you have a pick up or deliver?"

That ends conversations.

Edited February 28, 2021 by Historian

[gwalchmai]

1 hour ago, Maser said:

Pretty funny how people still pay for that type of entertainment that's free.  ?

How is it free, Maser?

[gwalchmai]

1 hour ago, devildog2067 said:

It came free for a year with the last car I bought, 5 years ago. After a year I let the subscription expire. Never really used it.

I get a letter once a week, without fail, so 200+ letters by now. In that first month after the subscription expired I would get a call maybe once every couple of days. I ignored some, accidentally picked up others. I told one guy to stop calling me and he told me to stop answering the phone, which got my blood pressure up quite a bit.

They’ll never get another dime from me. If ever they have something I want to listen to I’ll steal it.

When they call me they get my standard telemarketer script, beginning with "Whatchu wearin'?"

[Historian]

7 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

How is it free, Maser?

Nothing is free.   In the case of radio you are the product.

That's why they have advertisers.   To influence you to spend your money.

[Historian]

Vintage Sparton cathedral radio.  When radio was king.

 

[holyjohnson]

not to me.

i rarely listen to the Radio when i drive to or from work, if i`m road tripping i like to hear local radio.

 

my Wife likes Sirius buy she likes to listen to specific shows.

 

i like to annoy her with 6 hours of the Local AG reports..

[janice6]

I have it but only use it to listen to one station.  No it isn't worth it, but I still keep us my subscrip0tion for that one station.

[janice6]

3 hours ago, holyjohnson said:

not to me.

i rarely listen to the Radio when i drive to or from work, if i`m road tripping i like to hear local radio.

 

my Wife likes Sirius buy she likes to listen to specific shows.

 

i like to annoy her with 6 hours of the Local AG reports..

I use it to listen to music.  I found I am less of a danger to the public if I concentrate on music instead of how to dispose of drivers I don't like.