CANADIAN SATELLITE RADIO SHOWDOWN: XM OR SIRIUS? Digital Home Canada In June 2005, the CRTC approved two satellite radio services in Canada - Sirius Satellite Canada and XM Radio Canada - and just before Christmas both Canadian services went on air.
Sirius Satellite Canada is a partnership of CBC/Radio-Canada, Standard Radio Inc. and Sirius Satellite from the U.S. which began offering satellite radio service at the beginning of December.
XM Radio Canada is a publicly traded company which is controlled by John I. Bitove in partnership with XM Satellite Radio Holdings that began offering service in late November.
The Digital Home Advisor compared the two services based on five criteria: station selection, reception, sound quality, hardware and pricing.
Station Selection
Sirius offers Canadians a 100 channel line-up including 10 Canadian satellite radio stations (five English and five French) while XM Radio Canada offers 80 satellite radio stations including 8 Canadian satellite radio stations.
Station Selection Winner: Slight edge to Sirius
We’re giving the edge to Sirius simply because it has twenty more stations to listen to including two more Canadian stations. The reality, however, is that most people will never listen to eighty stations let alone one hundred radio stations so this really is a personal decision.
On the music front both services offer lots of commercial free radio stations. For example, Sirius offer a total of 60 stations featuring rock, pop, country, Christian, jazz, hip hop, electronic, dance, R&B, Classical and show tunes.
Both services also add in various news, information and entertainment channels including stations like CNN News and BBC World.
The only major difference we can see is if you are a CBC or Hockey fan. Sirius Canada offers CBC Radio One which is Canada's top-rated radio news and information source and CBC Radio 3 which is dedicated to Canada's indie music and culture scene. For hockey fans, XM Radio offers NHL play-by-play game coverage of more than 40 games per week and 1,000 games per season and XM will become the exclusive satellite radio home of the National Hockey League (NHL) beginning with the 2007/2008 season.
Reception
Despite both services having their signals broadcast from satellites, the location of XM’s two geo-stationary satellites and Sirius’ three geo-synchronous satellites means that the quality of reception you’ll receive will depend on where you are in Canada and whether you are in a car or in your home.
Your results may vary, however, as a general rule of thumb:
These rules of thumb are not absolute. Some people may get superior Sirius reception in their city and some folks in Northern Canada may have no problems with XM Radio. Because our country is so large and conditions vary, the best we can do is give your general advice.
Reception Winner: Slight edge XM Canada
Once again, it’s difficult to pick a winner because it depends on where you are located. We gave XM the edge because more people live in cities than in the far north.
Sound Quality
Perhaps the biggest disappointment from Digital Home readers regarding satellite radio is the quality of sound.
Despite what you may have read or heard, the reality is that neither Sirius nor XM Radio offer CD quality sound. The sound quality is probably better described as near-FM quality for the music channels and AM quality for the news and talk stations.
In an automobile traveling at 65 miles per hour, this probably won’t be an issue for most subscribers however; if you are an audiophile looking for an add-on to your home system then we think you are going to be disappointed with the sound quality.
Sound Quality Winner: XM Radio
Although we don’t believe either service is CD quality, Digital Home and an overwhelming number of its readers concur that XM is a clear winner in terms of overall sound quality.
Hardware
Both companies offer a range of hardware from portables to car stereos to home receivers with pricing beginning at $99 for the Delphi SA1075 RoadyXT (XM Radio) and the Sirius Starmate satellite receiver.
The most important two points to note under hardware is that you cannot use an XM radio to subscribe to Sirius satellite radio or vice versa. In addition, it is possible to buy satellite receivers in the U.S., where the selection is greater and prices cheaper, and activate the receiver in Canada.
Hardware Winner: Tie
We found receivers from both companies to work well and therefore we don’t think that hardware should be a deciding factor when deciding which service to subscriber. Digital Home’s advice is to pick your service first and then choose your receiver.
Pricing
XM Radio Canada is charging Canadians $12.99 a month for its service. In addition, you’ll pay a $19.99 activation fee ($14.99 if done online) plus the cost of a Digital receiver. Additional receivers (up to 3) are an additional $9.99 per month.
Sirius Satellite Canada is charging Canadians $14.99 a month for its service. Sirius is currently waiving any activation fee for new subscribers. Additional receivers (up to 3) are an additional $7.99 per month.
Sirius Satellite Canada also offers long terms such as one month free if you pay for one year in advance.
Taxes are extra on both services.
Pricing Winner: Slight edge to Sirius
If you plan on having only one receiver and your confident you’ll have your service for one year or longer then XM Radio at $12.99 is a slightly less expensive.
If you intend on having more than one receiver then Sirius is a better bargain. With Sirius, additional receivers are $7.99 per month vs. $9.99 per month for XM so Sirius is the same price as XM with 2 receivers (and no activation fee) and cheaper should you have three or four receivers.
If you’re prepared to pay for a year or two in advance then Sirius is definitely the cheaper option.
Conclusion:
Digital Home compared the two satellite radio services based on the five following criteria: station selection, reception, sound quality, hardware and pricing. We found Sirius had a slight edge in station selection and pricing while XM had the edge in urban reception and sound quality. We said hardware was a draw.
The choice then was not clear so here are our recommendations:
Discuss and Learn More
You can compare the two services in our Satellite Radio forum or find out more about each service in the Sirius forum or the XM Radio Forum in the Digital Forums. Membership is free and with over 75 forums and 15,000 members, there is always something new and interesting to discuss. |