Originally posted by saerandy@Feb 16 2004, 05:44 PM
I have Sirius. On an annual contract, it's actually cheaper than XM at around $9.50 per month.
I've listened to both extensively, and they're both good. The sound out of Sirius is slightly better, and XM is said to be at "near CD" quality. I think from a technology perspective, Sirius is better with its three geosynchronous satellites versus XM's 2 geostationary satellites.
If you're looking for music and sports, then there's no comparison - Sirius wins hands down.
Do yourself (and sister) a favor before you finalize your decision. Log on to the Sirius website and they have free streaming for all their music channels. If you are not a subscriber, you can listen for 20 minutes. If you are a subscriber, then you can listen 24/7 for free. But listen to the channels, and listen to what they're playing. XM does not stream.
With a ready head unit, you need an antenna and a box. Sirius was running a kenwood special where you could get the kenwood box for free with the purchase of the antenna.
I used it on the entire trip to ROTB and back - it made the time pass much quicker and if I started to get sleepy on the road, I'd just flip over to the comedy station and roll the windows down and it did a really nice job of keeping me from wanting to doze off. I've been stuck in infinite amounts of traffic, too - it's really nice then so I don't get bored. Overall, it's been awesome! XM is only $9.99/month on the regular month-to-month plans and it gets much cheaper when you buy a year or two or three in advance. 
