Customer Reviews

Audiovox XCS9 XM Satellite Radio Receiver and Docking Station

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent, easy to use and simple to install option for anyone who wants XM in their car or home. Some points to consider:

- Read the directions. The menus are confusing if you don't know where to go, but once you do it's all very straight-forward. 5 minutes with the manual will save you hours of frustration.

- I installed my antenna on the driver's side corner of the dashboard and get a 100% signal. No need to run the wire outside the car and pull a bunch of trim off in order to hide it.

- I don't have a tape deck and didn't want to hard-wire the unit, so I was excited about the built-in FM transmitter. I live in Denver proper and get very good sound quality using the transmitter. This may not be the case for everyone (even I get some interference in some places), but it beats the extra wires of a tape adapter or extra cost of a full-blown installation.

- The buttons are a little small, but easy enough for me to use, and I have some big fingers. The layout of the controls is nice, especially the channel and group up/down buttons. The remote is a plus and not found on some other models. It's a little big for storing in the car but you appreciate it when you're using it (the SkyFi remote, by comparison, is so small as to be uncomfortable).

- The screen is very easy to read, has a pleasing blue color and displays much more info that the Roady or SkyFi units from Delphi. One downside, you don't have the option of other colors.

I have installed and used a SkyFi and a new SkyFi 2 in my fiancee's car and prefer this radio quite a bit compared to hers. At the current price, it's hard to find a better radio. Audiovox has a full range of accessories to go with the receiver as well. Highly recommended.

I awoke early on Black Friday to join the hundreds of others in front of Circuit City to go in a look over the deals of the day. I did not go for this unit, but after looking at it in the store, and seeing that I could get the car kit and receiver for free AR and home kit for only $29.99, I decided to give it a try. I had put off satellite radio listening pleasure long enough.

I took the unit to my brother's house and we decided to install it. Before I did, I went online and had the radio initialized in just a matter of minutes. We went out to the car and looked for a place to install the receiver with the parts included, but found that the rigid form of the mounting plate would not work anywhere on my dash. Every hard surface in my car is curved. The only place we were able to mount it was to the windshield which really wasn't what I wanted, but it works. I would recommend getting one of the optional mounting brackets that has an adjustable neck.

After getting the unit mounted, we looked for a way to run the wires without having to remove any trim (Side rails are air bags). We were able to tuck the wires in between the windshield and trim and get it all down and under the dash without drilling any holes and only having minimal amounts of exposed wire. I also recommend a lighter socket adapter if you need to plug in a cell phone, power inverter, etc. as well as this receiver.

My antenna is mounted to the dash where it meets the windshield and only rarely do I go without a signal. I do recommend mounting it outside, if you can. There are quite a few FM choices in low and high bands, so I searched around until I found one that worked for me and it does just fine.

To utilize the remote in the car and be able to keep up with it at the same time, I have a small piece of sticky back velcro attached to the dash and to the remote. When I go into my office, I can easily remove the remote and put it in my pocket.

Removing the receiver from the cradle can be accomplished with one hand, but it isn't the easiest thing to do, especially if you don't have a thumbnail to help pry it up out of the cradle. It doesn't take much pressure, but it's much easier that way. The cradle has a lock on it, so be sure to unlock the unit first or your thumb will hurt.

Total install time in an 02 VW Jetta Wagon was about 30 minutes.

I got suckered! I had the Delphi Roady2 in which I was perfectly happy with, but on trip to the mall walking by the XM kiosk a salesman talked me into upgrading to the Audiovox XCS9. He claimed it was so much better and that the Roady 2 was being discontinued and the final cost after the rebate would be $18. So I jumped, seemed like a good deal. Out of the box it seemed o.k., but after some use I realized the unit was heavy and the buttons felt fragile. Those few things I could live with. After two days the big problems came. The units FM modulator is horrible. On every station I got so much static. It was not so bad when I listened to music, but I am a talk radio guy and with a 1 hour commute it was just unbearable. Now comes big problem number two, the unit has to warm up to remember your stored stations. I took about five minutes every morning to be able to use my preset buttons. That was the proverbial straw. This bad boy went back to the mall. I went back to Delphi ad got the Skyfi2. Much better! Better looking, better sounding and better functionality. The lesson learned here is the grass is not always greener. Stick will Delphi, you can't go wrong.

The audiovox XC29 XM Satellite Radio delivers great sound! Offers several FM frequencies to choose from so the signal comes in clear, no static. 30 presets lets you choose a station with a single touch. Love the scrolling stock quote feature. FM frequencies could be easier to set esp when traveling - too many menus to scroll through. Wish there were three or so 'presets' to choose from.

Within 2 hours of purchase, I had stock quotes and sports scores streaming across my favorite stations saved in my preset channels.

This has got to be one of the most user friendly units out there. I've seen (and like) the SkyFi2, but this unit is much more intuitive for the user.

I like the one button FM tuner in case you need to switch frequencies near a large city. I use the built in FM modulator and drive the panhandle of Florida on I-10 from Marianna to Jacksonville regularly with excellent reception the entire way.

I placed the antenna on my dashboard and get very good results.

I'd recommend the Audiovox to anyone!

I'm pretty happy with the unit, although I wish it had a little more power; I've got to turn the volume on the receiver up high to hear it. I've considered mounting it on my motorcycle, but I don't know if I'll be able to hear it. I have a car kit and 2 home kits so I can use it both at home and at work, as it's easy to carry. I even bought an extra one that I found for a cheap price, because my first car kit went bad. I didn't want to permanently mount the car kit, so I bought a holder from Arkon that goes into the cigarette lighter and holds up the Audiovox. The buttons do feel a little loose, but it hasn't broken, and I prefer to use the remote control anyway.

XM Audiovox

Switching back to Sirius

So, I've had Sirius for 6 months, then gave XM a try. Well, the verdict is in. XM has superior music, but horrible components and customer service.

First off, they tried to charge me twice for the XM radio. They setup automatic 3 month renewal, so you have to call them to cancel.

The worst part is the receiver. This receiver is horrible. The docking station is so flimsy that it's almost a two hand operation to change the station. You have to wait for a few minutes before all the stations are accessible. The buttons are lousy, and the memory feature does not work. This is just a piece of garbage.

This is really weird, because my initial Sirius receiver was also an Audiovox, and it worked really well compared to this excuse.

What about the music? Well, it's better. The "Hits" stations are repetitive, but that complements the other stations, which play more obscure bands. Rock is much better here. Hip-hop, however is better with Sirius, though both suffer the same problems like too many D.J. mixes (the reason why I have Satellite is to see the song name, seeing "Mix" is the most useless thing ever).

The saving grace is channel 150. The uncensored Comedy station. Though not totally commercial free, it's got to be the best station out there. I would have explored more, but the receiver is so clumsy that I can't do it while driving without risking my life.

All in all, Satellite radio is all right. I've moved more towards CDs now, because I just can't find anything to listen to anymore. I'll probably switch to Sirius soon enough, because I find it slightly better overall.

Pros:
Channel 150 - greatest station ever
Better Rock than Sirius

Cons:
Horrible, Horrible receiver (Sirius was great)
Dangerous just changing stations (Sirius was great)
Terrible customer service
Hip-Hop is worse compared to Sirius

This is not what I expected. Accessoried couldnt be purchased for it like I thought. There is no home docking station for it. But it worked in my friends car. I gave it away.