Delphi And XM Radio, A Match Made In The Heavens
Pros:
Totally portable, realtively inexpensive, easy to use
Cons:
The scrolling feature for Display doesn't show the entire name of the song or artist.
The Bottom Line:
Who needs FM? Who needs TV? XM is the way to go!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought the Delphi SKYFi XM SATTELITE STEREO for my mother with the car unit because she travels so much. She raved about it until I was green with envy. Then she surprised me with the Delphi SKYFi XM SATTELITE STEREO and SKYFi boombox (a separate purchase). It's ALWAYS on when I'm at work. I can't wait to get the car unit as well.
The stereo is compact, easy to use, and works perfectly with the XM Radio system. There are 3 different units the stereo can be plugged into. The boombox which I have (see separate review), the car unit, and a home stero unit. With all three you could start listening to a song or story at work or where ever with the boombox, pop it into the car unit to keep listening during the ride home, then pop it into the home unit and barely miss a thing. Through the tunnels I've been through, while driving in the country, and even in the city I've not lost the signal. My mom has only had her signal flicker some while driving through the hills of West Virginia. We've not had the chance to try the really long/deep tunnels so I can't say what would happen there.
You can search for something to listen to by channel name, what's currently playing, or by channel blocks. Channel blocks are how the radio stations are grouped. Talk, Decades, R&B, Family, etc....
The display screen is an interesting shade of orange and black which is surprisingly easy to see. Their new car only unit apparently has several screen colors you can switch between. If you have vision issues, the display can be changed to larger text and even scrolling text.
The small remote is also easy to use, and the radio can still be used should you lose it.
As for XM Radio itself, it's most definitely worth the $10 a month! To be able to listen to anything without interruption by tunnels or changing cities/states is wonderous. The amount of stations one can listen too is incredible! There are a few I don't listen to and a few I wish they would add to the line up but I wont complain. Also be aware, not all stations are commercial and DJ free but still not the amount you get with regular FM radio.
Things to consider: The Skyfi Stereo DOES NOT play regular radio stations on it's own. Using the boombox unit you will only get XM Stations. In the car or at home, you'll need to turn off the XM radio and listen to your own radio.
The boombox has excellent sound quality on it's own, CD quality in my opinion. In the car or at home, it will be as good as your stereo system's speakers will allow.
My main knock, I'm not sure who's fault it belongs to. The antennae is hampered by thick metal window casing which are all the windows in my apartment. Other than playing it in the living room, I'd have to hang the cord out the window. One day I'm sure they'll get that straight.
