XPress XM Receiver with Car Kit
Price:


Product Feature
- Built-in FM transmitter for easy plug-and-play installation with car stereo
- 5-line LCD for channel, artist, and song information
- Customizable sports and stock tickers
- TuneSelect and artist select features alert users when certain songs/artists are on-air
- Includes remote, antenna, AC/DC power adapters, car docking cradle, and cassette adapter
Product Description
XPress XM Receiver with Car Kit Review
I researched satellite receivers at greath length, as well as Sirius versus XM. At first it was a little confusing, but after several days, things started to make sense and come together. This review is about both the receiver and XM radio.First, my review on the Audiovox Xpress Receiver:
It was kind of funny, but after all my research and concerns about all the different receivers available and making sure we would be getting quality and options we wanted; we just went ahead and bought one out of convenience and price. It was on sale, so we thought we might as well just get a starter unit and could upgrade later ... especially since we really didn't know yet if we would like the service.
As it turned out, we are thoroughly pleased with the Audiovox Xpress. It doesn't have recording ability, but we decided we don't really need that. It may be that we'll wish we had it later, but we are completely satisfied at this point.
At first, we just hooked things up as simply as possible to test the service out. We used the cassette insert to make the speakers work, set the receiver in its holder on the ashtray, plugged the power into the cigarette lighter, placed the antenna loosely on top of the dashboard; and we were all set. Even with that, it worked fabulously. The only problem we had with the antenna sitting inside on the dashboard, was that when we drove in the North direction, it would cut out now and then. When we drove in the South direction, it was perfect all the way. My husband and I were sharing our commute for a month, so we were able to test it together.
Once we decided we liked satellite radio, my husband routed the antenna wire under the carpet and under the floor trim by the door at the edge of the carpet, into the back, out the sliding rear window of his pickup, and placed the magnetized antenna on top just above the sliding window. When the sliding window is closed, the gasket seals around the antenna wire for rain. It is now perfect reception in any direction! We are absolutely thrilled. By the way, we happen to live in a fairly rural area and don't have lots of tall buildings to contend with, but we do have lots and lots of trees.
The receiver works great! It has plenty of pre-sets ... many more than there are channels we regularly listen to. It has a remote control which is very important. When you are driving, it is much easier to hold the remote control in front of you to push the buttons while keeping your eyes on the road ... instead of having to bend over and push buttons on the receiver.
We like it so well, we purchased a home dock kit for the Audiovox Xpress as well. We hooked it up to an old stereo we had that happens to have decent external speakers attached to it. The dock cable is hooked into the back of the stereo, and then we put it on CD mode so we don't have to deal with the FM stations. Works fantastic. We have absolutely no decent radio reception in our area of west Georgia, so we are thrilled to fill the house with great music again. Of course, there are CD's, but we get tired of listening to the same stuff over and over again!
Now for the review on XM Radio:
After much studying of other reviews by people who have or have had both of the satellite radio services, we decided to go with XM. The reason for that is that we are not people who like to hear the same music selections over and over again. The radio stations are very bad for that (at least in our area) ... so bad, you practically know what the next song is going to be. My husband and I like a great variety. If we want to hear certain songs, we can always listen to our CD's.
XM Radio is known for having a much more extensive library than Sirius. People who prefer the mainstream music and like hearing their favorites more often, may be happier with Sirius (according to the reviews). However, if you like variety ... and even hearing some music you haven't heard before, you'll love XM.
XM has something for everyone. My husband and I like the comedy, the 70's music station, Dave Ramsey, Coast to Coast, and occasionally country western or other music stations. It even has Big Band for when we want a little nostalgia listening to our parent's music when they were young. I am pretty much glued to either Channel 78 (Escape) or the 70's. I absolutely adore Escape. It has a huge variety of both older and later songs that are mostly in the instrumental version, and some do have singers. I've heard music I haven't heard in years as well as favorites. It is extremely relaxing and feel-good music. (Don't worry, if you are into modern, more lively and later music; they have that also.)
Here is a bonus that we didn't realize until after we subscribed to XM. When you are a regular subscriber with a subscription for a receiver, you also can listen online on the computer for no extra charge! I listen to XM all day on my computer at work ... it's wonderful. If I start feeling stressed or grumpy at work, I just turn on my Escape. If you are only interested in listening online, you can subscribe to that, only, for $7.99 a month. The internet channel selections aren't nearly as extensive as they are through the radio receiver, so be sure to use their free trial for the Internet before you commit to it. The subscription for the radio receiver is $12.95 a month for one radio. A second receiver is another $6.99. You get so much more for your money by paying $12.95 for the total subscription than just having the online connection for $7.99. Of course, you do have to pay for the receiver with car kit and a home dock station if you want to enjoy it in your car and/or home.
To put it simply, we are both sold on XM. We will never go back to regular radio again! I did make the choice of not getting a second receiver for my car, since I'm really only in it for my commute back and forth to work. I can suffer with regular radio for two hours a day since I can listen all day at work.
We just bought another car kit so my husband can also put the receiver inside his commercial truck he drives all day for his job. Tip: Instead of buying another car kit separately for his work truck, we just bought another Audiovox Xpress identical to our first one. That way, we have everything that the car kit has, but we also have an extra receiver in case something happens to the other one ... all for about the same price as just buying the car kit by itself. We aren't going to activate the receiver ... just storing it for "just in case".
I heard horrible things about XM customer service. I only had dealings with them once. When I activated the radio through their website, I didn't realize I had to have the radio on at the time. I didn't pay attention properly, so the radio didn't work. I had to call them to get them to activate it. I had absolutely no problem. That one time, I did talk with someone I could understand, and that person communicated just fine to me. I followed the instructions and the radio was activated in less than 10 minutes. So, personally, I have no complaints based on my experience.
Well, I hope my reviews were helpful to you. I highly recommend XM and the Audiovox Xpress receiver.
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