I had the unit wired directly into my car's power and speaker systems to avoid temporarily plugging into the aux power supply and the cassette player. It sounded like crap, with a continual hissing noise in the background on all channels. It got even worse as volume was added.

The supposedly professional car audio people who installed it told me there was nothing that could be done, that nothing better could be expected from an add-on unit. They knew of nothing that could be done.

I was ready to have it uninstalled, because it was so bad that I couldn't bear to listen to it. As a last resort, I took it to Circuit City. They said the FM modulator installed by the car stereo people was not really compatible with the Delphi unit. Circuit City installed a Delphi modulator, and now the sound quality is as good or better than the factory XM radio in my other vehicle. It is crystal clear at all volumes; not a hint of static.

Also, this Delphi unit has a lot more features than the factory unit in the other vehicle.

I feel badly about having trashed this unit, when it is the morons who installed it who should be getting the bad review. And believe me, they will be getting a blistering critique in person as soon as I can get up there.

Again, I was wrong, and I apologize.

Shoddy installation and can't get rid of the hissing sound!! (Rating: 3.00)
Review : Ok first off, let me say that I LOVE the XM service and stations. I haven't listened to the regular radio since I got it. My problem is with the car installation. I opted for the professional installation via Circuit City. I don't want to give CC a bad name, but my experience was not a good one. First off, it's mounted so poorly that I could literally pull it right off the console ( its installed on my front center console - I have a Toyota Sequoia). I have to be very gentle every time I pull the receiver out and God help me if I bump it - it will come right off. CC told me that's the best they can do for making it sturdy...? XM has GOT to come up with a better way - I paid a lot of money for all the components and to have it done right - I feel like I could have gotten the same results with just the regular plug in vehicle kit!
Ok I could accept that part IF the sound was better. I get a hissing sound and the quality of my XM sound doesn't come close to that of a CD or even my regular radio. I read the review about this, but my FM modulator is made by Delphi so I know it's compatible. I also called Circuit City and they told me there is nothing they can do except to adjust the audio output. Even after playing with this feature I can't get rid of the hissing. Maybe someone out there can help me because I really DO love XM - I just thought that the sound quality was going to be better or at least EQUAL to my stock radio!!

would have been five stars but the remote broke in a day (Rating: 4.00)
Review : I have had one of these units for myself and bought one for the girlfriend. These units provide pretty good reception (much better than FM) and are easy to use. My complaints would be that the display can be washed out in the sun light, and that it is a little oddly shaped for the car dash in some cars, and that there is a need for better filtering on the home unit power supply eliminating the chance for buzzing sounds. I purchased this unit for my girlfriend and she loves it and uses it every day with no complaints.

Review of both Sirius and XM radio:

I have had both of these services. Pluses for Sirius are better sound quality (more sharp clear and "open" music with less clipping distortion throughout the frequency range), and they used to be the only one of the two to offer commercial free music.

Negatives for Sirius. The repeats on Sirius are pretty bad at the moment. Not what one expects to hear after paying 12.99/month There is OutQ (look it up on the Sirius website), which is fine, but this agenda bleads into ALL of the other radio stations, so if you are a person of strict faith, you may want to avoid Sirius as the DJs and commedians seem to have an agenda to push, and can offend sensitive listeners. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! I was on hold the first time for 25 minutes waiting just to speak to someone before hanging up, wrote and email being "invited to call customer service to discuss my issues" and waited 45 minutes just to speak to a person the second time. Total process the second call was probably around an hour and ten minutes.

Pluses for XM radio:
Great customer service, Used them three times and haven't a complaint. Now with no commercials. Less repeats on the 80s station than the competition, and they have some other fun stations like Sonic Theater where they read books and act out drama. This service is only 9.99 versus 12.99 for Sirius. I beleive XM has more useful equipment. Less offensive and no personal agendas to push.

Minuses for XM Radio:
There is some audio clipping making the music sound a little "muddy" and tiny. The highs seem to be clipped. The audiophile will probably prefer Sirius. The talk on XM sounds a little like that computerized kids game of the 80s Simon. Kind of fake and robotish.

Conclusion:
You decide, I personally picked XM, then went to Sirius, and now I am back with XM. Listen to them in a store and ask friends about them. Good luck!

Great alternative to regular radio! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Regular radio got ya down? Loads of commercials, especially those outrageous car dealers, driving you insane? XM is definitely a cure for this! With 100 channels (69 music, 31 talk), and half of the music channels having under 5 minutes of commercials per hour with the other half being commercial-free, there's always plenty to listen to! Lots of variety - from smooth jazz to world pop music, from classical to heavy metal, XM just about covers the musical map. And with news and talk from leading networks like Fox News, CNN, the BBC, E! Entertainment, and many more, you'll never be out-of-the-loop (unless you can't pull yourself away from the music!)

Do you really need an XM Radio? (Rating: 5.00)
Review : The answer is yes, and the reason in two words is Howard Stern.

Not that I listen to Howard Stern, but the FCC has made it clear that the free broadcast spectrum is to be filled with nice words. Nor do I object to nice words. I like them. It is just that creativity and spark are going to find other outlets. These outlets will be on subscription radio.

In the meantime, what is on XM is sensational. From comedy (even comedy that is not FCC approved) to music channels without any commercial content to America Right and America Left talk radio (Al Franken is here, folks)to sports.

This receiver will work in your car, home or at the beach with a boom box.

As to XM itself, it is an evolving medium, but the pace of evolution is very rapid. Get on the XM train and enjoy the ride.