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I've pretty much decided to get satellite radio installed in my car. I was at Best Buy last night pricing the different options, and I think I am going to get the Kenwood Here2Anywhere portable unit with the docking kit.
I'm trying to weigh that against the option of getting a new in-dash unit (comes with the free tuner). It would make for (a little) less clutter inside the car, but I see the value of being able to take the Here2Anywhere unit inside my apartment and plug it into my home stereo.
In terms of equipment & installation costs, they run about the same.
Just wondering if others out there could talk about their installation experiences at Best Buy. Good? Bad? Ugly?
Just wondering what people out there think. I did a search of previous postings, and people are uniformly positive about having satellite radio; I'm also interested in their experiences with getting satellite radio.
1998 E1 SVT - Toreador Red
Production #4794 of 6535
Build date: 2/25/1998
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Posts: 57
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I don't have satelite radio but I have had 2 cd decks and 4 speakers installed by best buy in the last 4 years and they have always done an excellent job. I hope thats what you were looking for, good luck with your new equipment.
Dark Satin Green 1998.5 Contour SE Sport V6 5-speed
No ABS, No TCS, No fold down rear seat, and the list goes on..
Pioneer DEH-P6400 CD deck
220 Watt Pioneer 3-ways
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 270
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Get XM instead. It is pretty much a consensus that Sirus' sound quality sucks. It sounds very compressed and tinny. I have XM Radio, and on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = FM Radio and 10 = CD, I say it is at least an 8. There was a comparison on TechTV the other day, and they said the same thing. You can get a portable unit for XM too - it is made by Delphi.
Chad Purser
2002 Lexus IS300
5-speed manual
formerly '98 Silver SVT
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Hard-core CEG'er
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I just installed XM in my car.. I am ordering service tomorrow.. the install was a snap. the only thing is.. if you don't have an XM ready unit, you have to buy the unit ($200+) plus the XM reciever for the trunk (150+ pending rebate) and the antenna ($50). If you don't have an XM ready unti already. Then I would get either the delphi, or the sirrus portable. Keep in mind that they are going to absolutely rape you on install. For my XM circuit city wanted 50 bucks.. and it seriously took me and a friend 20 minutes to install it; nice hourly rate they are getting there. They gave me preview channels before I officially order it tomorrow and the first thing I noticed was the clarity. I was very impressed, and I love the fact I can listen to one channel coast-to-coast.
Good luck
Kev
Black 98.5 SVT
"Kellie"
First rule of italian driving: What is behind you, DOESN'T matter
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I just got the 1st gen Sony XM01C car kit for $45 after rebate. It looks very similar to the Kenwood removable unit. The kit included the receiver, mount, antenna, and cassette adapter. But I just use my AUX input on my CD player. It sounds great!
Chad Purser
2002 Lexus IS300
5-speed manual
formerly '98 Silver SVT
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Hard-core CEG'er
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i'm getting sirius. antenna and tuner sitting in my house. kenwood x969 is being shipped. i compared both and sirius has better stations (better genre breakdowns). didnt hear anything about quality though. even if its slightly better than fm, the range of station choices compared to fm makes up for it. for me at least
Hugo AIM:omegazodiac
95 gl & 99 contour svt #1750/2760
my profile pics stuff for sale
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The hippie-wannabe-working my way thru college-excuse the grease in my hair sales doood at Circuit City told me yesterday that both Sirius and XM use almost identical technology..."dude"...and that in some instances...Sirius sounds better...
I'd go for the best deal myself...
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Hard-core CEG'er
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overall, i'd avoid the installers at best buys, circuit cities. i'd do it myself or with friends or take the stuff to a real stereo shop that is reputable. see if u can find people who have had installs done at that particular best buy. it can be hit or miss w/ those big chains.
Hugo AIM:omegazodiac
95 gl & 99 contour svt #1750/2760
my profile pics stuff for sale
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Originally posted by hmouta:
overall, i'd avoid the installers at best buys, circuit cities.
How prescient was this? I had the thing installed on Wednesday evening. The 2 guys at Best Buy (the sales guy and the installation guy) were really helpful, pleasant, and I would generally give them 9 out of 10 for "customer service."
So I got it installed, and the next afternoon activated the service. However, I couldn't get a signal to the in-dash unit from the tuner (which is under the passenger seat). So I troubleshooted with Sirius by phone for about 15 minute, concluded that the problem was probably with the installation, so I shot back over to Best Buy. A different installation guy than the one who had installed it was working; I explained to him the problem.
He comes out, looks underneath the passenger seat, fiddles around, and after about 30 seconds says, "Who installed this?" So I told him, and he said, "Yeah. I'm gonna have to have a talk with him. He apparently forgot to install both a power lead and a ground lead to your tuner. The reason that your in-dash unit can't find the tuner is because the tuner doesn't have any power."
Unfortunately, they couldn't fix it right away. (I don't know why, I was a touch exasperated at this point.) I'm taking it in this afternoon; I told the guy that the real point here is that I am leaving tomorrow a.m. on a cross-country trip, and that the whole point of getting Sirius installed was so I could have it on my cross-country trip. He seemed to grasp the implications of this.
So. Give Best Buy a 1.5 out of 10 for competence on the installation.
1998 E1 SVT - Toreador Red
Production #4794 of 6535
Build date: 2/25/1998
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Veteran CEG\'er
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Originally posted by cpurser:
I just got the 1st gen Sony XM01C car kit for $45 after rebate. It looks very similar to the Kenwood removable unit. The kit included the receiver, mount, antenna, and cassette adapter. But I just use my AUX input on my CD player. It sounds great!
Where did you find this deal? Is there a way to use the RCA jacks on the back of the CD player for XM?
Ken
PackRat is my hero!
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