Customer Reviews

Sirius Starmate ST2 - Sirius satellite radio tuner

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Had this unit professionally installed and worth the expense because all the wires are not in site including the cigarette lighter adapter.It attaches anywhere on the windshield.Mine is lined up in the center of the console and with little effort can use it manually.It also comes with a remote that you can actually see and use all the buttons with ease.It's very attractive on the dash and the blue screen is bright enough even during daytime.I chose this one over the others because I use it strickly in the car.I must add that some people are experiencing problems with this unit in regards to the constant moving it back and forth from car to home.The connections on the unit are somewhat fragile and could break from wear and tear.However,I'm finding out that all the units have some kind of problem with them.It's relatively new technology.So do some research.I might add that the FM transmitter is outstanding and I've had no problems with static or it cutting out. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this unit and with all the features it offers It's such a pleasure to have along for the ride.

I am VERY satisfied with the Starmate. After many hours of research of Sirius receivers, I chose the Starmate because of it features... and yes, its consistent positive reviews from every online review / forum I hit. (I considered Audiovox PNP3 and XACT as well.)

I bought the home kit also because I rarely drive. ***This review will not cover car install / reception, as I have yet to install it in my vehicle.***

The Starmate takes about 5 minutes to install and if you go on online to subscribe you will be listening in a few minutes. And by "install" I simply mean plugging in the power, plugging it into your stereo and placing the antenna somewhere in the room that manual advises; specific to your region. My antenna sits inside, on my window sill. Crystal clear. (Reception was a concern of mine and it's perfect. It hasn't dropped yet.)

Features I enjoy:

- 30 presets

- Jump button: A stand-alone preset to program a favorite station that you can always "jump" back to.

- Easy Navigation: left, right, up, down scroll and a selection button.... Directory of stations to scroll though too. Simple.

- 44 minutes of replay. I can leave it on and go back to it at my leisure. Note: Replay is not recording. You must have the unit *on* and *tuned into* the channel you intend to replay at the time.

- FM Transmitter: Great option. I brought my old portable radio in the kitchen and tuned in my satellite to an open frequency. Clear and convenient. (Even works on my alarm clock! I can wake up to satellite.)

- Alarm and sleep mode. (Unit can be used as an alarm clock.)


I read only one negative review while researching receivers -- about the blue display being too bright. I can see way it would bother people - it is bright; but you can adjust this slightly in the menu options. This unit isn't in my bedroom so that doesn't bother me. Don't let that stop you though! It's a super, easy-to-use, thing of beauty.

Highly recommended.

There are receivers out there that cost 200-300 dollars that I am sure are much better than the Starmate - but for a receiver in the price range of 99% of the people out there this one is #1. All the problems people have with signal quality is because of a bad install or antenna placement. The problem with audip quality is their choice of FM frequency. The unit is flawless and works great. If you are thinking of buying a receiver in the 100-120 dollar range go for this one. You will not be dissapointed.

Sirius Satellite Radio is the way to go! This is a fantastic receiver as well. I am very impressed with the FM modulator. In my house, the signal reaches every radio in the house (upstairs and downstairs!) Also, I bring it to work and anyone who wants to listen in the office, can just tune into the FM channel I have set. I have not had any trouble with static.
For the reviewer who did have static, the problem is probably interference from the FM channel selected. Just set the receiver to a different FM channel and the problem should be solved.
Overall, the signal reception is great as well. There are actually only two or three places in my house that I can get signal. However, the home antenna cord is long enough to reach just about anywhere I want to place the receiver. I do drop signal for about 20 seconds every once in a while. I've heard that this happens when the satellite is in in motion. In my car, I have been able to get a signal everywhere. Not one drop.

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend Sirius Satellite Radio and this receiver.

The Sirius Starmate Replay has one of the brightest and nicest displays of any satellite radio currently available. The radio is elegant in design and function. An amazing feature-loaded workhorse of a radio that is just the right size: not too tiny, not too big. Easy to install. You just have to spend a few minutes with it to fall in love with both the Starmate and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

Choosing Sirius was a no-brainer for me and after doing a ton of online research, I decided on the Starmate Replay Sirius receiver, both for price-point and features. (It's very similar to the popular Sportster, but about $20 cheaper) I wanted to spend just what I needed to spend knowing that the technology will change quickly over the next 12-24 months and I'll presumably change equipment with the times.

Anyway, the problems I've run into are as follow:
1. Sound quality in the car is questionable. The sound can be very compressed. Many Sirius stations had static especially on the treble end of the spectrum...some channels had a slightly clearer broadcast than others. It got to the point that I actually switched back to terrestrial for clarity's sake...(just for about 3 minutes) I was expecting much more of a consistent quality signal...but found myself settling on quality for content. I tried tweaking the audio volume of both the receiver and my car receiver to clear up background pops/clicks/static. (Try muting your satellite receiver and listening to what kind of background noise is accompanying what you're listening to)

2. If you are unlucky, as I apparently am, in-home quality/reliable reception can be tough to achieve, especially if getting onto your roof is not an option (townhomes/apartments), and/or your home stereo is not in a room in your house that is near a window that faces the correct N-S-E-W direction to achieve a clear signal. The antenna can be very fickle and lead to dropouts.
I brought the receiver to work and no matter where I stood, even outdoors away from the building, I could not receive any usable signal. One of the main reasons I bought Satellite was for use at work, and now that apparently is not an option. So I'm very disappointed.

3. On a positive note, the programming is great and sure to continue to improve (I can only hope that signal reception and broadcast will improve soon as well). What I was able to hear in my car was diverse and enjoyable. The display is nice (not too bright like many complain about...you can adjust the brightness) The remote control is also great.

My final note is, be ready for the possiblity of disappointment...it's not quite what it's cracked up to be at this point. Don't hesitate to be ready to return your receiver/subscription if your living environments aren't suitable for an enjoyable experience with satellite radio yet...even with how bad terrestrial radio can be.

Good: Sirius content, Receiver features
Bad: Sound quality (probably not specific to this unit), Signal reception has too many variables.

I hope this helps.

The Starmate Replay came with everything you need to get started and activated. Activation was a breeze. The radio is very simple to use. I didn't have to read manual to start using it. the display is clear and bright (A little too bright on the default setting). The replay feature is great for replaying a song that just came on, or to repeat the traffic update if you missed it. Remember to get a home kit as well.

No way I can go back to regular radio!

Got my Starmate for Christmas like alot of other folks and installed it myself next day (in the wet & cold) in my Chrysler 300. My car is a company car so I can't make any permanent modifications to it. I stuck the anntenna on the rear of the roof as instructed and was able to run the wire under the weatherstripping over the doors and sneak it in behind the door hinges. Luckily I have an extra power port in the armrest storage and was able to hide that wire behind the plastic shrouds leading up to the dash. The problem though is how to mount the darn thing. The suction cup thingy is useless because the 300's window is so sharply angled and it would either put the unit too far back on the top of the dash or obstruct my vision too much. So I used Velcro to mount it to an area over the glove box but since the dash is curved it's not holding too well. I'm investigating alternatives so if anyone cares to contribute their ideas...

Now, the radio itself is great and I love Sirius' wide selection. I especially like being able to hear NPR whenever I want. Signal acquisition does occur from time to time but for me here in suburban Philly it's not that frequent. The quality of the sound won't please the critical audiophile but it's good enough to be enjoyable, although some of the talk radio sounds like they're in a tin can. The only real complaint I have is that I wish the preset buttons were lit so that you could see at a glance which station you're on. Since I'm far-sighted the zoom display is great but that only tells you which artist/song is playing. The FM transmitter works fine but as you travel around you might need to change the FM frequency you're using, as indicated by the other reviewers. Also it's a pain having to remember to shut off the unit so I'm thinking of hard wiring it to my ignition.

So, if you're a tinkerer diy'er type of person, go for it. Otherwise take it to an installer. At any rate if you love selection and/or you need Howard, go for it.

My younger brother has the Sportster unit. It has a bigger screen and an auto-dim feature for night driving, but he drives an SUV and I have a sport car so this small unit is great.

INSTALLATION: I hooked it up in the center of the dash. They give you plenty of slack with the antenna wire, and what I did was hide it behind the window insulation starting from the passenger side, rear right window, through the trunk, up the window insulation on the outisde rear windsheild and then just snapped the magnet in place. A little tricky, but have patience and you'll get it to look great. Now I just need to hide the AC adapter...


AQUIRING SIGNAL problem: These users may have a bunk antenna or just a bad signal in their area. I'm in the woods in Connecticut here and when I'm on some twisty, tree covered roads I'll get a bit of signal loss - nothing to cry home about though.

AUDIO QUALITY: A previous reviewer made comments that the audio was not that great and that is wasn't in stereo...It sounds great on my system, in stereo, and I just use the FM transmitter. Why wouldn't it be in stereo? It's digital! You have to find a station that has static, try something in the 80's, 87.9, etc.

Overall I'm very pleased with this unit and Sirius. The music is great, especially the Rock, Jazz and Electronic channels, and the Howard Stern channels are great!


If you have the space in your car (truck, suv, minivan) get the Streamer or Sportster.

If you've got a small car, get this unit or maybe even one of the smaller ones if you're really cramped for space. I'm happy with my Starmate!

I've had the original Starmate radio for about 8 months and love the service Sirius provides. I decided to get a second radio because it was getting to be a pain taking the one from the house, to the car, into work, back to the car, etc. I looked into all the radios Sirius offered and the Starmate Replay definitely had the best features (not to mention it looks great too) for the price. Also, the Starmate 1 & 2 use the same connections, so I wouldn't have to worry about which one I took along, it's all good. I thought the original Starmate was great and the Starmate Replay is a huge improvement on that. It's easy to use and sounds perfect whether it's plugged into the stereo at home or through the FM on the car radio. Not a single problem with it. If you're thinking of getting Sirius this is one of the best radios they have. Also, anyone thinking of getting XM instead of Sirius, I've had both and the music programming on Sirius is far superior. XM gets VERY repetitive. The only reason I kept one of my XM radios going is to listen to the baseball games at work. When the baseball season ended, so did my XM subsription.