Tom in RI Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Thinking of possibly getting on this bandwagon. Anybody here have either and can provide feedback? I listen to mostly jazz and blues and would want the flexibility to listen in the car, at home, and in my office (I'm self employed so no one's going to tell me to turn it down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vibes Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Tom, If you haven't already, I recommend going to your local Best Buy and playing with both of them. Most Best Buys have working displays on hand so that you can hear what they sound like. I've done this a few times, and have been very impressed with the sound quality. Several of my colleagues have XM radio and rave about it. The subscription fee is cheaper, but you have commercials, whereas with Sirius you do not. However, since this is new technology, for me I would go with XM, simply because they have far more subscribers than Sirius, and thus their outlook for the future is a bit better than Sirius's. For your car/home/office listening needs, I would recommend this Delphi unit: DELPHI SKYFi XM RADIO I've heard great things about this unit, especially since it's very flexible. It's what I would buy if I was going to get XM radio today. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 I was thinking about this too. I asked the guy how much, but was turned off when everthing needed special $200 adapter kits...one for your car...one for your house. No thanks. Effectively it was about 500 bucks plus a fee every month. Why does every company feel the need to rip the consumer off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 If I had my choice, it would be Sirius. The Jazz is programmed by drummer Kenny Washington and if you check the set lists, he has very good taste. Add to that the fact that it's commercial free and it seems like a no-brainer. Of course, having said this, I have neither myself. I just can't justify paying $12.95 per month for a music box when I have such an extensive CD collection. Later, Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgraham333 Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 (edited) I would caution against making decision based on the commerical-free nature of Sirius. There is still a bit of static financially for both XM and Sirius with Sirius a bit worse off. I guarantee the first place Sirius looks for additional revenue will be commericials. I've looked on the Sirius website but cannot find any promises to remain commerical free. Edited August 4, 2003 by mgraham333 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 15, 2003 Report Share Posted August 15, 2003 If I had my choice, it would be Sirius. The Jazz is programmed by drummer Kenny Washington and if you check the set lists, he has very good taste. Add to that the fact that it's commercial free and it seems like a no-brainer. Of course, having said this, I have neither myself. I just can't justify paying $12.95 per month for a music box when I have such an extensive CD collection. Later, Kevin Well, I got XM Radio as a present from my wife this week. I have to say (and I wouln't say this to her ) that I'm pretty disappointed with the playlist so far on their "real jazz" station. There's little or no cohesiveness to it...one minute Shirley Horn, the next "Ain't in Funky Now" by Grant Green. . Plus, there seems to be a HEAVY reliance on singers and NEW releases (Wynton Marsalis or Eric Reed playing "Englishman in New York" ) I wonder if at this point I could return my XM unit and exchange it for a SIRIUS? I've signed up for XM, but I think it's only a month to month thing (of course I'm probably wrong)...j Anybody have any advice? Maybe the programming will get better, but right now I'm already dipping into my CDs and I've only had the XM for a few hours. I haven't heard any "classic" jazz yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 ...o.k....I've had the weekend to absorb XM jazz programming and...it stinks. It's not any better than the lame programming on the jazz radio channel on my cable t.v.... Lots of marsalis stuff, ellis, branford and wynton. plus lots and lots of stuff from Tom Harrell's "Village Vanguard" CD, Duke Pearson's Prestige stuff and some other oddities. Not heard a classic Blue Note or Verve side yet...wierd. I'm going to return it and get the Sirius....Kenny Washington's programming has GOT to be better than this. XM "Real Jazz" sounds like someone dipped their hand into a pale of jazz cd's, put them in a player and hit "random." ANYBODY got Sirius who can vouch for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 (edited) http://www.siriusradio.com will let you sample their programing for 60 minutes. Give it a try. There is also a brief blurb on their Jazz programming. No mention of Kenny Washington's involvement but who knows? He was there in the beginning. Later, Kevin EDIT: I did find this little blurb on the web site after poking around for a while... looks like channel 60 is the one to listen to July 8, 2002 Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting Kenny Washington, "The Jazz Maniac," drummer extraordinaire, and programmer for channel 60/Pure Jazz, is this year's winner for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting/The Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award, given out on June 19 by the Jazz Journalist Association. Also recognized was Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ira Gitler, jazz music writer and critic whose recollections from more than 50 years in the Jazz world can be also heard on channel 60/Pure Jazz. Edited August 18, 2003 by Kevin Bresnahan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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