Customer Reviews

Delphi SA10315-11B1 XpressRC Plug and Play XM Satellite Radio with Color Display

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I own both the XpressR and the XpressRC. If you're like me, you'll be blown away with the color screen. It's absolutely beautiful. Really colorful and a pleasure to look at. However, after you get over how nice the screen is, you'll start looking into how it performs. I like to be able to see what other stations are playing. With the XpressRC you can only see 3 other stations. With the XpressR, you can see five. The only advantage the RC has over the R in this regard is that you can also see what song is playing along with the artist. The R only shows the song or the artist (only this is configurable). A feature found on the RC that is not on the R is the song saver. It allows you to save up to 10 songs in memory for later playback. Also, the RC has a 60 minute recording time and the R only has 30. The RC also only allows 10 presets and the R allows 30. This is a small disappointment as I usually set about 15 presets.

The bottom line is don't let the pretty screen suck you in. If you really want the color screen and the 60 minute playback, then this is the radio for you. If you're a channel surfer like me and like to see what else is playing, the R is for you. The R is also much easier to read as the artist name and song title are small and a little tough to read at times on the RC.

I really wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars because you although you can only see 3 other stations and the text is a bit small, its not a deal-breaker. Its a great reciever and I like it a lot, its just that I like my XpressR just a little bit more.

I don't honestly know how else to say it, outside of a portable unit (I love my Inno) the new XpressRC is the best (((XM))) radio available to date.
The newest additions on top of the Split-Screen display (introduced first with the XpressR) is a 60 minute pause live music instead of 30, a BEAUTIFUL color display that's very easy to read, and a "song saver" feature that will allow you to save 10 tracks to the units on-board memory. Each feature I've found EXTREMELY easy to use and had no problem taking advantage of all it's functions while driving.
The only recommendation I'd make on top of picking up the unit itself would be a professional installation. I'd bought an FM Direct adapter (a very reasonable $30) and was able to install it myself, but I was unhappy with the way it ended up looking. I'd prefer some of the wires were hidden a little better and I didn't know how to install the power splitter that came with it. Usually a lot of Big-Box retailers run a free-installation deal with purchase. considering I ended up buying all the additional parts anyway, in hindsight, I probably would have been better off having someone else set it up for me.

I have had this device for about 3 months, and I have put several hours adjusting, setting, customizing all that I can find on it. I have been more than pleased with what I've noticed.

I'm going to just fire away as I think of it, and if it's a bit of a jumbled mess, I apologize...

First, the display: The screen can be split into two windows or one big window with all the infomation, all in color. The XM icons are in color with each channel having cool backgrounds that are very neat and a great improvement over any other XM receiver. The screen isn't huge, but it's still fairly large relatively speaking. That said, be careful where you mount the display. I have mine near my gear shifter, and it's a little hard to see in split screen mode. If you have space near your dash, you're set.

Secondly, the sound: I was very concerned that this unit would sound sort of average as a plug and play. I have mine using an auxiliary input on my head unit, and I think this is a must. I was debating between using an FM modulator or FM direct connection, and I used an auxiliary adapter (actually purchased from a very popular online A/V company that starts with a "C" and ends in a "D.") for my JVC head unit. I was told the auxiliary adapter would give a more rich sound, and this was correct. I can't see the FM Modulators getting it done. By the way, you have to use either a cassette adapter or a direct connection of some kind because this unit does not wirelessly transmit an FM signal to the head unit on a specific frequency.

Next, the features. The 60-second rewind is a nice feature for obvious reasons. I discovered something else that makes this different than what people think is good about TiVo (the TV counterpart). On a TiVo or any other DVR, you can rewind live TV back an hour or so as long as you stay on one channel. On the XpressRC, you can rewind for an hour but it will rewind for an hour regardless of what channel you were on. So if you jump around on your channels, you will be able to hear several songs back regardless of how many channels you've visited.

Another feature is the TuneSelect feature where you get to save a particular artist or a specific song to your favorites list. If either the artist or the specific song comes on anywhere on XM, you will be alerted with a very unobtrusive tone, and you can hit the XM button to switch to that channel where your artist or song is.

SongSaver allows you to save 10 songs in their entirety and recall them at any time. I racked up my 10 saved songs pretty quickly. GameSelect allows you to input your favorite teams in virtually any college or pro sport, and when those teams are playing, you will again be alerted and you can switch to that channel.

Lastly, the layout of the buttons on the unit. The buttons are a bit small, and it's a little difficult to work with without looking. Be careful, as with any radio, while your automobile is in motion....I know - duh.

Do I recommend this? - an absolute "YES!!!"

I purchased this unit from Amazon in January 2009. I loved the display and the alert features, but then the unit started freezing. None of the buttons would work, not even the power button. To restart it we had to completely unplug it from the power supply & when we did this we lost ALL of our settings - all of our Artist/song alerts, all of our saved songs, all of our favorite channels ... everything. We thought the first time was a fluke, so we gave it another chanced but after the THIRD time it was time to return it. Amazon did a great job of getting a replacement radio to us right away. Everything was perfect for about a month then the SAME EXACT thing happened again - the unit froze, had to unplug it to reboot, lost all settings but this time the color screen also went away and it became a black & white display! We are returning it for a refund. Do we just have bad luck that we got 2 different faulty units or is this a general problem with this unit??

Everything that is great about this device has been said by others already, but the thing that I think is worth adding is that some of the things that are so great -- the ability to save 10 songs to replay as often as you like in a list of favorites, the ability to program it to show only the list of channels you like (hate metal? hate rap? hate country? you don't have to see those when you scroll through the main menu, not just the limited list of 10 favorites) -- are easily lost when the unit decides to reboot and wipe its memory. Those features take time to program, and I've had the very frustrating experience of losing those things twice. I had carefully made a list of my 75 or so favorite stations and programmed the unit, I had saved some great songs that XM had resurrected that I hadn't heard in years, and lost all of these things on two separate occasions within 4 months when, for no apparent reason, the unit chose to reboot and cleared everything in its memory except that the unit had been activated. So, great features, but they take time to program, and that'd be fine if I hadn't lost them. This glitch makes this a 3 star product for me, as I am now reluctant to invest the time to set it up for a third time in order to advantage of the features I paid for. I don't know if there is a better unit on the market because I do love the color screen and the ability to see what's on two other channels while I am listening to another, but losing all saved data is obviously a problem.

This unit is great. The pics of this unit do not show the true clarity of the color screen. It is very bright, sharp and clear. When I use this unit with the home dock I can see the song titles from my bed (average sized room) I can't see the sports and stock ticker of course but hey when I'm at home I can pull up sports scores on tv, lol. The split screen view is also very good. Whenever a song comes on that I don't like or one that I've heard way too many times I can look at the display and see whats playing on other stations. And yes the songs update almost instantly. I am a new xm subscriber and this unit is the reason why. I love the song saver feature. Being able to save 10 songs that I can listen to anytime. Thats great. I wish it had more space but hey this isn't a "portable" unit....in the sense that it doesn't clip to your belt. So I'm very satisfied. Another thing that blew me away was the 60 minute buffer. Thats more than my hd tivo. It only has 30 minutes....but the thing I love most is the fact the buffer only clears when you turn the unit off (you know tivo clears when you change the channel) so if I listen to a great song and realize another fav of mine is playing on another station (using split screen) I can tune to that station.....and replay both songs again if I want to. of course you can pause too. This unit is very easy to use. I had the unit activated and hooked up within 10 minutes. And it only took like 5 minutes to set up my screen preferences and the sports ticker. Now I see people complaining about the fact that the rc only shows 4 channels at a time compared to the r which shows 6 channels. I personally would rather have the 4 channels b/c it shows more info. (song, artist etc.) compared to one line of info on the r. This is a great unit but it isn't perfect. The main thing I hate is the fact that you have to buy a extra accessory in order to use the fm modulator. Of course as we all know thats b/c of the FCC. So if you don't still have a cassette player you will have to spend some extra money to use the unit in your car. Also the songsaver feature is great but you CAN'T select which song to delete. It just deletes the oldest song once you fill all 10 slots. That was probably a music industry rule though. (just guessing) The remote is great if you have the home dock. (i don't use it in the car since the unit is mounted next to me) as it has all of the same buttons as the unit itself. Its also very nice. A glossy black remote. Now since this is a plug and play unit it does not have a battery. It requires external power. No biggie for me. Hopefully they'll release a portable kit for this unit soon (they have one for the original xpress...) Also as far as sound quality goes this unit delivers. It impressed me. Its cd quality sound so if you have a good sound system in your car (or at home) this unit won't disappoint you. Also the variety of stations on xm is astounding. Something for everyone. They even have a micheal jackson station called thriller. Plays alot of songs I haven't heard in awhile plus updated remixes of some of his claasics. Unfortunately that station is temporary and i think it ends at the end of this month. XM actually got me hooked on talk radio. I never listened to talk radio before xm.....but hey its actually good. All in all I love this unit and will be a xm subscriber for awhile. The only reason I gave it four stars is bc you can't select what to delete and b/c of the extra charge for the fm kit (its included in canada) Hope this helps!!

The radio itself is fine, when it works. Delphi's customer support and alleged "warranty" is awful. In less than 2 years I had to return the product THREE times (twice during the first year) for a warranty claim because the unit failed in a variety of ways (no backlight, then it wouldn't power on, etc). Each time they simply sent me a refurbished receiver that would last a few more months and then quit AGAIN. So I called back to make a FOURTH warranty claim in less than two years, and suddenly Delphi has a policy that their warranty only lasts one year from the original date of purchase, and they don't warrant their refurbished receivers in any manner...no 30/60/90 days, nothing. That is infuriating enough, but the last claim I made was a just a few months ago, well outside the one year warranty. Customer support informed me there was "no way" that could have happened. So I asked them to run the radio ID number, and sure enough, yes, they had honored that claim outside of the one year period. However, that was a "special exception". They concluded by informing me that they wouldn't make good on the piece of junk refurb unit they sent me less than 90 days prior.

Fine, Delphi. Sell junk for $125-$150 per unit. Replace your new junk with refurb junk, and then screw the consumer by refusing to make it right. Oh, and while you're at it, keep wondering why your domestic production locations are shutting down and you're out of work.

I'll never buy Delphi again.

Like one reviewer pointed out, don't get sucked in by the pretty display. Well, I got sucked in. I've been using a Roady2 for several years now amd thought that buying newer would be the answer.

With my Roady2, I had a direct connection to my stereo via adaptor to the back of the CD player which sounds a whole lot better than going the radio frequency route or the tape player with wires everywhere method. The Roady2 has the connectors directly on the side of the unit. This made for a clean installation without any wires showing because the wires came out from under my steering wheel and directly to the unit. The RC has connections via an adaptor that attaches to the unit. With the RC, I had to modify the power connector a little bit (wasn't that big of a deal) and I was able to use the existing antenna and existing audio adaptor..thank goodness. With the adaptor thing on the RC, I can't set the unit flush to my front console like I did with the Roady2. Now, I have wires showing and since the unit doesn't sit flush against the console so pushing the main round button is a pain because the unit moves and isn't stable. I will have to modify something to fix this.

Now, the unit is nice, the display is very nice BUT, here is why I give it 2 stars:
1. Again, it's difficult to get a clean install which doesn't make you take your eyes off the road while driving.
2. It only displays 3 stations. Yes, better than the Roady2 (it only shows the channel that you are on) but the screen is big enough to display 5 stations at a time.
3. This is the big one and where I got sucked in. My Roady2 has 30 presets and I used all of them. The RC only has 10. I don't understand why a unit that receives over 200 channels can only accept 10 memory presets. I should of known better. What this means is that I have to continually access the unit to find other channels - again, looking away from the road. This is terrible. I like to listen to a variety of music, news, and sports channels and this doesn't do it for me.

What I like:
1. Save a song and replay whenever you want.
2. Nice display with bright screen and colors.
3. Scanning favorites. This would be very cool if there were 30 presets!

Nuetral:
1. Sound quality is the same.
2. Reception is a little better than my Roady2.
3. Scrolling button is in the front of the unit making it easier to find.

Other than that, it doesn't offer much more than my reliable and simple Roady2.

I wish I could take this back but my wife got it for me as a Christmas present and I have already modified the adaptor a little and soldered in the power plug.

I just can't get over the fact that this thing has only 10 presets. It is my fault for thinking I would love the display over function. I was wrong, otherwise, this unit would get 0 stars.

I received this a few weeks ago and absolutely love it. We have two other xm radios. (we can't get the signal for sirius). I did not professionally install this and have used the connection through the cassette player. I don't know how well it would work with an fm modulator. I get a great signal that never goes out and the sound is wonderful. I love the streaming stock quotes as well as the notification of songs or singers that are playing on other stations.

The 60 minute rewind only works for the channel it was set on. So if you turn on your radio it isn't going to go back past the time it was turned on and it won't rewind other channels. For long trips, this might be a helpful benefit or if you like to rehear a certain song over and over. (which my kids like to do sometimes).

The display is phenominal. And I love to see the singer and song on 3 other chanels other than what I have currently on.

The whole things is easy to set up. It has a remote which is helfpul.

I mount mine on my air conditioner vent as that is the best location in my car. There are more stable ways to connect it. This works for me, especially since I have a remote to use if I want.

I would highly recommend this product!

UPDATE: 6/09 I still love my radio. But the attachment to the vent didn't work for long-and then i lost the piece. I now just have it laying in between my seats. Which isn't a problem for me and I don't see it as a negative. But some would want it professionally mounted. I use the cassette adapter because it provides a better connection than the fm modulator, which may be why I have no problems with sound quality. The only reason i would give this device up is if I bought a new car that had xm in it. Until then, I love this radio.

Tami

The screen is great. Got the Sure Connect at the same time. Hooked it up, found an unused FM station, selected it and wow, great sound is an understatement. Don't have to listen to those silly people talking between songs you can't understand and idiot commercials. XM is the way to go.