Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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142 of 147 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product ... don't hesitate if considering getting one !, July 17, 2005
I don't normally submit "product opinions" (I know, shame on me) but this portable XM radio from Pioneer is so good that I felt that I had to. I had been considering getting some kind of a satellite radio for my car for more than 6 months and when I found out that a friend of mine had a Delphi XM unit in his car I knew that the time had come to finally make a move :-)
I was thinking of getting a Delphi MyFi but then discovered that the Pioneer AirWare had recently hit the store shelves. I like the Pioneer brand and also liked the looks (and controls) of the Pioneer unit more than those of the MyFi .. so I picked up an AirWare at the local Circuit City (can get it cheaper elsewhere for sure). I have had it for 3 weeks now and during this time have used it EXTENSIVELY in the car, in my home office and also on business trips. It works great !
I am especially impressed by the effectiveness of the built-in FM transmitter ... I have used a few built-in and external FM transmitters in my time over the past few years but haven't had much luck with them (too much interference from other radio stations). I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) to discover that the AirWare's transmitter is VERY effective ... I have been driving around the Connecticut/ Westchester County/NYC/Long Island region quite a bit since I got it, without having to switch FM frequencies at all !
The features and sound quality of the unit are great. It is very useful that you can record up to 5 hours of audio (via a "scheduled record" function) that you can then listen to offline when the satellite reception is not up to snuff. Another neat feature is that if you hear a song or artist that you like, you can press a button and from then on whenever that same song or artist is playing on any of the 150+ channels the unit beeps and displays a message so that, if you want, you can press the same button and the unit automatically switches to the relevant channel.
The AirWare comes with everything that you neeed to set it up at home or in a car. When using the AirWare in my car I use the "vent mount" to secure it (in its cradle) to an air vent. I have the antenna magnetically-mounted outside on the front part of the car roof. On some of the more tree-lined roads of Connecticut, satellite reception can sometimes be spotty ... you need to have line-of-sight to the XM satellites which are positioned in the southern sky .. but generally reception is very good. All-in-all I am very happy that I got it ... it is a very, very well designed and executed product ... plus the breadth and quality of the XM programming is great.
In summary I can heartily recommend both the Pioneer AirWare and the XM service !
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56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, September 27, 2005
I've purchased many items from Amazon over the past several years and this is the first time I've been motivated to post a review. I guess the main reason is that the quality of this item is more than I expected. For me it's the perfect size and the design is very attractive. It was easy for this 60 year old to learn and it works flawlessly. The FM transmitter sends a perfect signal to a radio 25 feet away in a different room. I can take it and a portable radio anywhere and it works perfect. It comes with all possible home and auto accessories case, belt clip/table stand etc etc. There is nothing more to buy. The remote turned out to be handy since there are so many choices to make on XM.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb blend of technology and engineering, March 24, 2006
I got hooked on XM Satellite Radio via AOL's WinAmp software where several commercial free XM channels are available. Then I signed up for XM's free trial of its online service.
What a marvel. Really well chosen music available 24/7 without commercials or talking (air)heads. (XM also offers sports and news channels, which are of little interest to me.)
(...) It comes with everything you will need. The Airware itself serves as a portable device. A reasonably decent carrying case is provided. Car and home mounts are also included.
The Airware is supposedly capable of transmitting to your FM receiver. I haven't tried it because I prefer cassette adapters. One is included with the kit. So is a cigarette lighter power adapter, an external antenna and a car vent mount. The antenna, power and audio out cables must be connected to the car vent mount before it is installed. The car vent mount installs easily enough, but is a bear to get out. Be very careful when removing it or you may break the mounting brackets. In urban areas, the vent mount may be an invitation to theft, which means quite possibly a broken mounting bracket.
The home mount is a simple cradle and takes only seconds to set up.
The included remote control is very handy and has a pretty decent range.
The unit, taken as a whole, is one heck of a bargain even without the rebate.
I live in a metro area where XM offers terrestrial coverage, so I haven't had to use either the inside or outside external antennas.
The XM service itself is superb. Except for six channels where Clear Channel Communications, an investor, forced them to run commercials, there are nearly 150 more channels that are commercial free. Every taste is accounted for. The programming is outstanding. I've never really noticed what a difference good programming can make because you just don't find really good programming on regular radio stations or in the "elevator" music of stores and offices. The XM programming is clearly done by people who love music for people who love music. It's that good.
There has to be a negative somewhere and there is: XM telephone customer service is awful. Like many others they have outsourced to someplace overseas. They are clearly using a VoIP connection and would be well advised to find a better provider. Their operators are unskilled and although they speak English, it is clearly not their primary language. It took me 45 minutes to accomplish a simple task and most of the time I was asking the representative to speak louder and slower so I could understand what she was saying, Their customer support website is compatible only with Microsoft Internet Explorer, something else that should be corrected.
Overall, the Pioneer Airware is a superlative product and the XM technology is great. Best of all, XM's programming is good almost beyond words.
This is a gadget and a service that is truly a must-have.
Jerry
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