Sirius One SV1 Satellite Radio with Car Kit
By: Sirius Satellite Radio Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 36
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 On: 2008-01-02
Cant beat the price for a complete car installation package along with a decent radio.
 On: 2007-10-10
This is my second unit of this model. The first one lasted over a year. I had no apprehensions about buying this one to replace it. Im a Sirius subscriber for the talk radio programming and this unit delivers suitable sound for that. However, I would never buy this if I inteded on listening to music. If that is your preference, I would recommend a more sophisticated/expensive unit...maybe something hardwired into your vehicle. Bottom line: sufficient for talk radio, bad for music, cant beat the price.
On: 2007-10-03
I was searching for a good price on an antenna for my Sirius car receiver. I was shocked to see I could buy an entire new system through Amazon for less money than the antenna alone from most other vendors. Amazing!
 On: 2007-09-19
I bought a car radio with the aux input recently and I am using it with this unit. It works like a charm. I just switched from xm last week and I feel that the music selection is better on sirius.
 On: 2007-09-10
I have gone through four of these units. Several were defective out of the box. Sirius has the best customer service and replaced defective units without a problem. Buy at your own risk. However, you know it is backed up if there are problems.
On: 2007-07-22
Ive got 2 of these receivers and have learned to like them. They both exhibit the same problems: 1. low RF output - I plugged in an external home-made antenna wire, problem solved. 2. dim, small display - dont have a fix for this one, I just live with it. 3. high temps in the vehicle cause the display to blank out, though the radio still works. You can get this gem for about $20 if you shop around and thats about all its worth. I use it mobile in a company vehicle and its size and portability make it ideal for my purposes.
On: 2007-07-13
I originally had a Sirius Sportster but it broke and the audio wasnt working anymore so i decided to take a chance on the Sirius SV1. It is little and easy to set up, great audio through the FM Transmitter and i love the blue lighting. While it can be hard to see during the day, at night it is amazing. The only thing that i dont like about it is that it doesnt have a sleep timer like my sportster did. I usually like to fall asleep to my sirius but now i cant do that unless i want to leave it on all night and it gets very hot. So that is the only downside of it. Other than that, great product.
 On: 2007-07-07
I have had this unit for over a year. I like the remote control- very easy to use. It was easy to install, and sticks with suction cups to my windshield. I have no problems with the sound. I love Sirius radio- there are so many stations that I enjoy listening to. I have been exposed to so much new music through them.
However, I cannot read the screen in daylight. I can read it fine at night. It was a very inexpensive unit (maybe free?), but absolutely not worth getting! I would gladly pay the $99 for the back-lit unit, just so I can tell what song is playing. It is useless for channel surfing- I just end up punching in the channel numbers for my favorite stations, hoping to land on a good song.
I highly recommend subscribing to Sirius- there is something for everyone.
Do not buy this unit!!
On: 2007-07-06
I have had this unit for over a year. I like the remote control- very easy to use. It was easy to install, and sticks with suction cups to my windshield. I have no problems with the sound. I love Sirius radio- there are so many stations that I enjoy listening to. I have been exposed to so much new music through them.
However, I cannot read the screen in daylight. I can read it fine at night. It was a very inexpensive unit (maybe free?), but absolutely not worth getting! I would gladly pay the $99 for the back-lit unit, just so I can tell what song is playing. It is useless for channel surfing- I just end up punching in the channel numbers for my favorite stations, hoping to land on a good song.
I highly recommend subscribing to Sirius- there is something for everyone.
Do not buy this unit!!
On: 2007-06-26
It was fine for the first year. But once the warranty ended - so did the life of this unit.
Buyer beware.
On: 2007-06-25
Ive been using the SV1 for two weeks now. I setup the unit in the upper left corner of my windshield. The unit is installed in a minivan. Running the antenna wasnt too hard. Setup was easy and Im using the audio output going to a tape adapter.
A few thoughts. If you can use a tape adapter. Tuning to the radio doesnt get the volume one likes when a good song comes on. The decibels are definitely quite less.
The Sirius service setup was easy. Once you tune to 184 and get the channel running on the car you call the 800 number, answer a few questions, and then they download to the unit.
The display brightness/contrast can be adjusted but still can be difficult to see with the sun in your eyes. I have polarized sunglasses so its even more difficult to see. Thats just me though. I flipped the display so the unit is upside down but the display is right side up.
I had a few presets and lost them. Dont know why. My remote didnt work at first but then I replaced the cheap Chinese battery with one made in Japan (Energizer). Remore works fine now.
Program choices are great. I printed a list from the Sirius website so I can refer to it. Theres almost 200 channels!
Sound quality is ok. I have to turn up the treble and bass for the music to sound good. The tape adapter makes a big difference.
Overall, for ~$25 with shipping, this is a good first step.
On: 2007-06-25
It was fine for the first year. But once the warranty ended - so did the life of this unit.
Buyer beware.
On: 2007-05-25
I read all of the reviews that warned me of the Channel 184 and deleted presets problem. It happened to me. I took other reviewers advice and went to Sirius Online. I had it retransmit the signal. It wouldnt do it. I sat in my car with Sirius on the phone and watched the screen as they reset my signal. I turned the unit off and what do ya know... back to 184 and presets are gone. I sent the unit back and got a Starmate 4. Im very happy with the Starmate 4 and Ive always been happy with Sirius programming.
Dont buy this unit. Its a piece of junk.
On: 2007-05-13
THIS IS A GOOD PRODUCT EXCEPT FOR THE BATTERY INSTALL FOR THE REMOTE CONTROL
I HAVE TRIED ALL WAYS AND STILL CAN NOT GET IT TO WORK. DO NOT KNOW IF I JUST CAN NOT GET IT IN OR JUST A PROBLEM. I USED TO SELL ELECTRONICS AND THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOOD AT IT BUT I AM HAVING TO MUCH TROUBLE WITH THIS ONE.
On: 2007-05-02
This unit missed getting 5 stars from me because, as others here have noted, the blue LED display is difficult to see during the daytime, and the audio sounds a bit hollow. Other than that, and especially at Amazons price, the unit is a great bargain for receiving commercial-free satellite radio.
Although the SV1 has a built-in FM transmitter, I decided to purchase the Sirius FM modulator at the same time I purchased the SV1. Ive used stand-alone FM transmitters with other audio devices and have been less than satisfied with result, especially on a long road trip when you frequently have to search for an open frequency. Anyway, the FM modulator eliminates the frustration of having to retune the radio and transmitter frequencies.
The "hollow" audio I mentioned might be due to the FM modulator, but the bottom line is that when listening to Sirius radio mixed in with the usual road noise inside a vehicle, you cant really notice the hollow audio unless the vehicle is stopped or traveling very slowly.
If you do mostly local driving, you probably should see if the SV1s built-in FM transmitter gives you solid audio thru your FM radio before shelling out about 20 bucks for the FM modulator.
I ran into a bit of a hitch when I first tried activating the SV1 and registering with Sirius. I went online intending to sign up for the monthly plan -- $12.95/mo. But, when I got to the pages for payment plan selection, that option wasnt there. I ended up having to call Sirius and talked with a live person to get the SV1 activated and to get on the monthly plan. (She verified the option wasnt showing up online -- it should be fixed by the time this review is posted.)
I wanted the monthly plan intending to pay the fee only during the 3 or 4 months during the year that we take a road trip of any significant length. The Sirius rep informed me it might not work out the way I intended. In case you havent read the fine print, theres a $15 activation fee in addition to whatever payment program you sign up for. In my case, should I cancel after a month or two, then some months later request my unit be turned on again, there "might" be another activation fee imposed. Apparently theres no hard rule on this, so it might be possible to talk ones way out of it.
Id like to add my thanks to "nafta90" for his comment on getting Sirius to send an activation signal. My SV1 was turned off when I was talking with the Sirius rep., so Alexanders suggestion was exactly what I needed later after went to the car and turned on the satellite radio. As I understand it, Sirius does send out an activation signal every few hours to all registered receivers. In case your receiver needs to be activated or reactivated, going online to your account as Alexander explains shrinks what might be a multi-hour wait to just a few minutes.
Finally, just a few sentences about do-it-yourself installation. The enclosed directions are adequate, and if youve messed around a bit with electronics, just doing a basic hookup is relatively easy. If you want to hide most of the wires, you need to be willing to crawl around a bit, lay upside down, and stick you hand into unknown places behind the dashboard.
On: 2007-05-01
This unit missed getting 5 stars from me because, as others here have noted, the blue LED display is difficult to see during the daytime, and the audio sounds a bit hollow. Other than that, and especially at Amazons price, the unit is a great bargain for receiving commercial-free satellite radio.
Although the SV1 has a built-in FM transmitter, I decided to purchase the Sirius FM modulator at the same time I purchased the SV1. Ive used stand-alone FM transmitters with other audio devices and have been less than satisfied with result, especially on a long road trip when you frequently have to search for an open frequency. Anyway, the FM modulator eliminates the frustration of having to retune the radio and transmitter frequencies.
The "hollow" audio I mentioned might be due to the FM modulator, but the bottom line is that when listening to Sirius radio mixed in with the usual road noise inside a vehicle, you cant really notice the hollow audio unless the vehicle is stopped or traveling very slowly.
If you do mostly local driving, you probably should see if the SV1s built-in FM transmitter gives you solid audio thru your FM radio before shelling out about 20 bucks for the FM modulator.
I ran into a bit of a hitch when I first tried activating the SV1 and registering with Sirius. I went online intending to sign up for the monthly plan -- $12.95/mo. But, when I got to the pages for payment plan selection, that option wasnt there. I ended up having to call Sirius and talked with a live person to get the SV1 activated and to get on the monthly plan. (She verified the option wasnt showing up online -- it should be fixed by the time this review is posted.)
I wanted the monthly plan intending to pay the fee only during the 3 or 4 months during the year that we take a road trip of any significant length. The Sirius rep informed me it might not work out the way I intended. In case you havent read the fine print, theres a $15 activation fee in addition to whatever payment program you sign up for. In my case, should I cancel after a month or two, then some months later request my unit be turned on again, there "might" be another activation fee imposed. Apparently theres no hard rule on this, so it might be possible to talk ones way out of it.
Id like to add my thanks to "nafta90" for his comment on getting Sirius to send an activation signal. My SV1 was turned off when I was talking with the Sirius rep., so Alexanders suggestion was exactly what I needed later after went to the car and turned on the satellite radio. As I understand it, Sirius does send out an activation signal every few hours to all registered receivers. In case your receiver needs to be activated or reactivated, going online to your account as Alexander explains shrinks what might be a multi-hour wait to just a few minutes.
Finally, just a few sentences about do-it-yourself installation. The enclosed directions are adequate, and if youve messed around a bit with electronics, just doing a basic hookup is relatively easy. If you want to hide most of the wires, you need to be willing to crawl around a bit, lay upside down, and stick you hand into unknown places behind the dashboard.
On: 2007-04-07
Works great! Price is right! ($20) Once I changed the preset fm station as the default station 88.1 is a local station... it worked like a charm! The remote works great as well.
On: 2007-03-02
PRESETS!!! - Hope that got your attention if your presets dont work and your radio defaults back to 184 every time you turn it on. I took the advice of one of the reviewers, Alexander Adamov. Although my radio was already activated and picked up all channels, it too defaulted to 184 and the presets didnt hold. I went on line to my account as Alexander suggested and reactivated my radio. It was not until a couple of hours later that it began updating. My screen was reading "5%, 10%, etc.", and,by the way, this did not happen during my original activation. After that it has been fine...the radio comes back on to the station I had previously listened to, and the presets work now. Thank you Alexander for your input. Hope this helps with some of you who have been having the same problem. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because, as other reveiwers have mentioned, you cant read the screen when the sun is shining.
On: 2007-02-20
Great little thing - cant really beat the price. Yes, on some of the units the presets are not kept when you turn it off and it reverts back to 184 when you turn it back on. Before going thru with the return & exchange hassle please try this: Unplug and put back all cables going to the unit; go in your account at the Sirius website and in the "Services" section click on your ESN. Once you are in "Service Details" click "Re-Send Activation Signal". Make sure the unit reads "Updating". When it is finished you should be able to keep your presets and the last station before turn off. It really did work for me, hopefully it will for you too :) Good luck!
On: 2007-02-20
Installing took longer than expected.Sound quality very good for price. A larger remote would be nice. No problems with signal. Presets somewhat confusing. All in all satisfied.
On: 2007-02-19
Great little thing - cant really beat the price. Yes, on some of the units the presets are not kept when you turn it off and it reverts back to 184 when you turn it back on. Before going thru with the return & exchange hassle please try this: Unplug and put back all cables going to the unit; go in your account at the Sirius website and in the "Services" section click on your ESN. Once you are in "Service Details" click "Re-Send Activation Signal". Make sure the unit reads "Updating". When it is finished you should be able to keep your presets and the last station before turn off. It really did work for me, hopefully it will for you too :) Good luck!
On: 2007-02-07
I bought this with low expectations. Others had said it was hard to read, and that the FM transmitter was no good. Well, the thing works great and the FM transmitter worked like a charm in my VW, but the screen is REALLY hard to read. Blue is just not a good color to try to see during the day.. At night it is great -- doesnt match the VW blue guages exactly but looks good.
The satellite radio itself and the FM transmitter sounded great. The unit does get a little hot, but I had it in a very enclosed area.
I didnt think Id care than it was a one line display, but it really does hinder you from "channel surfing" -- you have to repeatedly switch between showing CHANNEL NAME, ARTIST, and SONG or you can have it scroll.
Overall, I still like this radio best out of Sirius lineup -- it is small, fits great it my little cubby below the radio, and works well. I just wish it was easier to read during the day. Setting presets for FM, and setting your favorite stations makes it easy to still use it during the day, just realize the limitations!
On: 2006-12-08
First off, this thing is $30 right off the rack. Its not like you buying a Marantz here, so stay real in your expectations. I have it in my car and it works fine. I had many of the same station bleeding problems others have, but they tell you right in the packaging that just using the FM transmitter is the worst way to use it. What I think everyone who has problems with it needs is a part sold through Sirius called an FM Direct adapter. I got one at Circuit City for $20. Since Im not too mechanically inclined, I went ahead and let Circuit City install it, too, for $59. It now works perfectly. They mounted it on the windshield of my car (where you might have a parking sticker)and it has maybe an inch or two of wiring exposed. Im not shilling for Circuit City. Go where you like or do it yourself, but the installers there suggested this simple solution and it now works great. And yeah, okay, I paid for the install so technically it was more than 20 bucks, but you get the idea. Oh, by the way, it can be hard to read on a bright day....Ill agree with that.
On: 2006-10-04
This is my 3rd Sirius radio. I love Sirius radio, I hate the SV1. The FM modulator is weak to worthless. I have to actually hold the unit on my car stereo for it to work, and even then it sounds like a 1950s AM radio. I called Sirius and waited on the phone for over 2 hours to find out the product sucks and theyll send me a new one. The problem? The new one is worthless too. I have searched the internet for info on this unit. There pages and pages of frustrated SV1 owners out there. Just check your favorite search engine. The only solution so far is to take a cell phone handsfree mic and plug it into the FM out slot. Then take the cell phone mic and wrap the cord around the Sirius antenna. This actually works. Unfortunately you now have 3 wires hanging out of your unit and in the middle of your dash/ or front seat etc. Even with this B.S. fix the unit still sounds like a tin can.
Buy the Sirius Playmate it is fantastic. The SV1 is a piece of JUNK!!!!
On: 2006-09-18
Ive had the Sirius One SV1 for almost 3 weeks now and out of nowhere it stopped accepting preset channels and it resets to channel 184 everytime the thing is turned off as well. Just like A. Grants post (a couple down). As a side note...I had to return my starmate replay the day after I got it because it was an extremely weak FM Transmitter. I had this verified by comparing it to the Sirius One and my friend who has had Sirius since it began a couple years ago has ample experience with the fm presets and all. All the reviews are great for the Starmate so I must have gotten a lemon. They really must be mass-producing these things too fast and forgetting about the quality.
On: 2006-09-02
I have had the Sirius One installed in my car for nearly 2 months and I am EXTREMELY happy with it. First of all, it is very simple to install. I didnt even get it professionally installed, I set the FM frequency to a free channel and snaked the antenna under my cars seat and up into the back window. The antenna is magnetic and my car happened to have a metal piece I could attach the antenna to. It hasnt moved and I get PERFECT, consistent reception unless I go under some dense trees. I already knew that I didnt want to have to stick anything to my car or have the antenna outside, so I simply took a chance it would work having the antenna on the INSIDE of the car and it DID, at least for me in my area. I originally thought I would clip the unit to the sun visor, but the wires were hanging out too much so I found a little compartment by my gear shift where I could sit the unit and it has been working GREAT just like that. I highly recommend this radio to other SIRIUS fans who want a simple and inexpensive way to get SIRIUS in your vehicle. It gets high quality reception without the hassle and expense of hard wiring or very detailed installation. JUST HOOK IT UP AND ENJOY! By the way, I read the review below where the customer had problems with pre-sets being deleted when turned off, I have not had this problem and neither has my brother, who has his set up the same as I do.
On: 2006-08-25
Ive been looking at satellite radios for quite some time, debating on which model would suit me best as my first satellite radio receiver. When I saw this model and its price, it got my attention. Compared to other more expensive models, I just couldnt see spending a hundred dollars or so for features I dont really need. I just want sometime to listen to on the road or at home.
Ive had this radio for a couple of days now and Ill have to say that Im quite surprised. The single line display scrolls titles like on Winamp. It can be flipped when mounted on the visor. The antenna is pretty good; I used it both indoors in my upper story apartment and was amazed that I was able to get a signal. In the car, I put the antenna on my dash and it worked well enough on the road. The FM transmitter seemed capable enough to get a strong signal to my FM antenna. In fact, when I turned off the receiver, I noticed that there was a radio station playing on the same frequency. I dont live in a big city with powerful kilowatt FM transmitters, so your mileage may vary (so to speak). If needed, an FM modulator relay could be bought to ensure a strong signal gets to your cars radio. This radio has an audio line out plug, which provides good quality audio. Im having a blast tuning through all the Sirius channels!
Oh, and the interface takes some getting used to. There is a "Menu" key that exists only on the remote (but holding down the Select button on the reciever will achieve the same function). The remote is a decent size (compared to some of the more expensive models). Once you get used to the interface, though, it becomes much easier to get what you want done. I love the blue LED screen, it makes the unit seem more upscale than it is. The unit does get quite warm to the touch, but the visor clip gives about 1/2" separation between the radio and the visor so ventilation shouldnt be a problem if the packaged mounting parts are used.
On: 2006-07-19
I bought 2 of these units 4 months ago and have already had to have both of them replaced. For no apparent reason they will just stop storing any of your presets so everytime you turn it off and back on it will go to channel 184 and you have to reset everything again. I go through this daily. Sirius is good about replacing them, but Im sick of the hassle. Im going to replace the units with the Starmate or Sportster.
by: bobbaluka On: 2006-06-30
Although my AudioVox plug-&-play receiver (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00012T47C) works well with both my boom box (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001DDKQM) and car dock (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C049T), I found it a bit of a pain shuttling it from home to the car and back. Fortunately, I found myself in the market to expand my Sirius subscription beyond my first receiver, and I went on the hunt for something fairly compact and reasonably priced, yet worked well and put out good a signal & sound.
I think I found what I was lookin for--or pretty danged close to it--with the Sirius One car unit. Not only did I get it for a ridiculously low price (not from Amazon... sorry), but the sound quality the FM transmitter puts out is pretty good, as soon as ya find the best FM frequency to set it to. Speakin of which: unlike most of the older Sirius car radio models, the FM transmitter on this unit isnt limited to the lower end of the band (usually 88.3 to 88.9); you can set it to ANY point on the FM dial! In fact, you can store several settings on the receiver, and go from one to the other with a push of the upper right button on top of the unit. You know, just in case youre driving into an area where the set frequency on the receiver unit is encroaching on a local terrestrial station, you can just move it on over to another spot on the band! Just dont forget to change the FM station on your car radio to that same frequency while youre at it...
But while the whole switching-FM-transmitter-frequencies dealie is pretty simple, programming `em into the receiver is a bear-and-a-half. Even with the help of the instruction sheet, it took me over twenty minutes to program four FM frequencies into the danged thing! But now that its all said `n done, I found it more than worth the trouble!
Another weird thing about the units FM transmitter is its signal strength. Apparently its strong enough to be picked up by other nearby vehicles, granted those vehicles have radios set to the same FM station the transmitters set to. While this fact has hit the news wires in recent weeks--featuring people griping about picking up Howard Stern from the car parked next to `em at a stop light whilst theyre trying to listen to the public-affairs and religious stations that usually occupy the lowest end of the FM band, and, uhhhhh, what-have-you and so forth (shout out to Riley Martin!)--it hasnt deterred me from my Sirius listenin enjoyment. If anything, its encouraged me to drive around the places in my little corner of Terra where the local populace tends to listen to the lower-FM-band stations, with my receiver set to one of the Howard Stern stations or the Raw Dog: Comedy Uncensored channel. Why? `Cuz Im a sick, insensitive jerk who likes to mess with people. Hey, ya gotta admit its a helluva lot less annoying than those scumbags who turn their sports cars into bass-rap-thumping rolling boom-boxes, riiiight? (shout out to "Elegant" Elliot Offen!)
Fortunately, setting the presets is a lot easier: just select your station, push and hold down one of the numbered buttons down for a couple seconds, and that button is preset to that station! The units memory bank can hold up to thirty presets (five preset buttons by six bands). Just press the "Band" button on the lower left to go down from one band to the next. BTW I highly recommend you preset all of your fave Sirius stations rather than punch `em in numerically; while the shuttling between bands can be a pain, the button-pushing ballet ya gotta go through to numerically punch in a station is murder!
Of course, you can also use the remote control to click through the stations. Only thing is: why would you make a remote control for a car radio? Dont ya need that clicker hand free to steer or something? And you think those cell phone using drivers are dangerous...
Another thing you can program to a limited degree is the one-line display screen, which can display the channel number, channel name, artist & song title, song title alone, and other combinations on a scroll. I was somewhat concerned about the visibility of the screen, which is composed of blue LEDs; fortunately, I am able to read it through fairly heavy sunlight.
The receivers appearance is a bit off-putting; it sorta resembles a radar detector, which is illegal in most states nowadays. Needless to say, I highly recommend you put this in an inconspicuous spot on your dash. Preferably a spot thats not in direct sunlight; this bad boy puts out enough heat as it is when its on. I also dont recommend you use the suction-cup windshield mount; Ive heard a few stories from Stern show callers about getting ticketed for their receivers obstructing their cars windshields. Im usin the Velcro mounting strips, myself.
The antenna that came with the receiver picks up the satellite signal quite well; the only dead spots reception-wise have been the usual ones (in tunnels, under highway overpasses, and heavy overhead vegetation).
Despite the button-pushing frustrations, the Sirius One car receiver has worked out quite well for me. It doesnt hurt that I live only about three miles from the company that produced the danged thing! So if it dies out on me prior to the expiration of the warrantee, I can just storm the company office & pitch a bitch right there in the front lobby! But Im not gonna do that `cuz I have a lotta respect for the Campbell PD. Theyve got far better things to do than waste time runnin me in for disorderly conduct, ya know?
BTW if youre ever around central Santa Clara County, I recommend you set the receivers FM transmitter freq to 89.1 (especially San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Cupertino, Saratoga and Mountain View). This frequency provides the sharpest, clearest signal of all the unoccupied FM bands in those parts of the county! For Morgan Hill, Palo Alto and most of San Mateo County (Menlo Park all the way up to the southern border of San Fran), youll wanna use 88.5 instead. For an even clearer signal with almost no static or bleed-through, I recommend you get the Sirius FM switching module (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006U64UE), which plugs right into the unit. Of course, youll also need to hook the module directly into the cars AM/FM antenna wire... which can be especially difficult if you dont have easy access to the wire. You might hafta unbolt a dash panel or two to get to where you wanna go. You might also need a regular-to-mini antenna car radio wire adapter set (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009HJ9PG), especially if youre installing it in a Ford from the mid to late `90s.
Have fun...
`Late
On: 2006-05-22
The size and quality of the unit are great, but all connections plug directly into the unit. The Sportster uses the Cradle type mounting system if you want to move it between vehicles, or indoors.
On: 2006-05-14
Never say Never, but I cannot help myself. Ever since I put Sirius 1 into the family car(s), we cannot get enough. Its a rough life when the only complaint is finding too much stuff to listen to at the same time!
We also bought the Starmate HOME KIT and now listen to Sirius poolside in the backyard while enjoying ice cold beer (Yes, the Starmate home kit works with the Sirius One unit). Stern is still as compelling as ever and the music (never ending playlists) is second to none.
Yeah, yeah, Ive read the complaints here about Sirius and simply say - to each his/her own. Sirius has made me a life subscriber and Ill never go back to commercials, assinine chatter, or short play lists again.
On: 2006-05-11
This is a decent unit for listening at home, but it has two major flaws that make it unsuitable for your car:
* The display, set at 100% brightness and contrast from the factory, became completely unreadable in daylight within a couple of months of installation. If you only listen to one channel all the time or if you can train yourself to switch back and forth between your favorite channels without looking before the display fades, then maybe you can tolerate this shortcoming.
* The FM modulator in the SV1 is very weak. I frequently get the joy of listening to whatever other Sirius or XM listeners near me on the road have tuned in, because their units overpower mine. I can park in my garage, but an FM radio 20 feet away (on the other side of a 2x4 wall) cannot pick it up.
I moved this unit inside (unfortunately, there is not a home kit for the SV1 -- I had to buy a universal power supply and make do with the magnetic car antenna) and bought a Starmate for the car.
On: 2006-03-30
This is my second Sirius receiver. It does everything I want EXCEPT that the display is unreadable, no matter where you place it in your car. At night it is fair, but still not clear! Unbeliebable! I am so disgusted I could cancel both my subscriptions if one of them was not a lifetime sub.
On: 2006-03-06
The sirius sv1 unit is a terrific Idea for customers who do not wish to change out their "factory radio" and install expensive new equipment to receive satellite programming. The compact design, versatile mounting options, and attractive price are what drew me to the unit. I was even more enthused with the ease of installation. However, I was disappointed with the sound quality. I live in Chicago, and all of my local stations sound noticeably better than the satellite frequency; the satellite is very comparable to AM sound, with more bass. I also notice intermittent static.
On: 2006-03-05
After using my brand new unit for about 2 hours, the FM modulator stopped working. If I plugged headphones into the unit it was fine, but it would not transmit to a radio. I tried two in-home radios and one car radio and it did not work. I also own the Sirius Starmate and that works great. I ended up returning the unit. I give this product two stars because when it did work it was a great little unit.
On: 2006-03-03
Nice and small (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) and comes with everything you need to install yourself. Sound quality via the FM transmitter is decent, though far from being outstanding. The unit does get quite warm which Ive heard is normal. Reception (in Los Angeles)has been excellent. Price is right as well, a welcome compromise from having to shell out well over a hundred bucks for an in-dash unit. The best part: being able to once again listen to Howard in the morning.
On: 2006-01-23
This receiver delivers the basics of a Sirius unit in a very compact package. If youre getting Sirius just for your car, this might be the unit for you.
Size is the key here. Many so-called "portable" Sirius and XM units are still quite large, and dont fit gracefully into a car. This unit tucks nicely into my ashtray slot, and I dont have to deal with any suction cups, clips, etc. (although those are included with the SV1).
All the basic functions are here, however it typically takes several button pushes to perform a task. Once you get used to the button sequences, the amount of available information on the little 12-character display is impressive. The only negative is that the display can be hard to read in bright daylight, even at the highest brightness settings.
There are 30 station presets, but only 5 preset buttons (you can see these five buttons in the pictures; these are the buttons on the top front of the unit). The presets are A1, A2....F5. To get from A1 to D3, you press "BAND" three times, then preset #3. If you set up your presets correctly, you can have one band for music, one for talk, etc. to minimize the band switching. Presets are important with the SV1, since direct channel access is only available with the included remote. Although it works well, the buttons on the remote are tiny and its nearly impossible to safely use the remote while driving.
I agree with other reviewers concerns about poor sound (less then the touted "CD-Quality"), but this unit sounds the same as my other, more expensive unit. I think the limitation is Sirius excessive compression and not the units themselves.
All in all, a good solid package at a great price.
On: 2006-01-21
I ordered the Sirius One from Amazon after looking at competing (mostly XM satellite service) radios. The Sirius One is a lot more solidly built than the other units I see on sale for $75 or less. It has solid-feeling controls and was easy to set up.
Other reviewers have commented that the sound quality is imperfect (definitely not as good as cd - or even a strong FM signal.) I would agree - my suspicion is that this may be a limitation of the Sirius satellite radio service more than this particular unit. For this reason Ive given 4 stars.
On: 2006-01-21
IN THE CAR: I bought this reciever for its cheap price and simple design that goes well with the interior of my Volkswagen. I have it stuck to my windshield with the snazzy suction-cup mount that the unit clicks onto, but you can stash it anywhere. Im listening through the FM transmitter, and it sounds like AM radio, but with more bass. The line out audio connection gives slightly better sound, but still not quite FM quality, let alone CD quality. You can also do a direct hookup with FM modulation, which may be more convenient than the line out (with some loss of sound quality) if your head units audio inputs are used up.
I love the simple controls and beefy design, which make it much better than the cheapo Xact Visor, if youre thinking about that one. The SV1 is about the size of a radar detector, and has a good little remote that works well when aimed at the reciever. The display, which scrolls channel/artist/song info, is readable under most lighting conditions and the brightness/contrast are adjustable. Hold down the DISP button, and the readout will flip so you can mount the unit upside down! It also stores 30 channel presets and five FM transmission presets. Youll need to use the remote to punch in numbers for direct channel selection (100 for Howard, 53 for SoulTown).
AT HOME: If you want to use it at home, just get the Starmate or Sportster Home Kit. The antenna, power supply, & RCA audio cable in these kits will work with the SV1. I bought the Sportster kit and just tossed the dock. It came with a little pigtail FM antenna that plugs into the FM out jack to boost the signal from the SV1 so that you can use any FM radio to listen to SIRIUS all over the house. Or hook it up directly to the home stereo and crank up the AM quality sound!
I really wish the sound was better. The clarity is not what I had expected. Im not sure if the more expensive recievers offer better sound quality. If so, Id shuck out for one as long as its made like the SV1.
However, Im going to cancel my Sirius subscription if they dont add Howard Stern to the web streams so I can listen at work. HOWARD STERN RULES YOU IDIOTS!
On: 2006-01-10
A friend of mine gave me an Amazon Gift Certificate for Christmas and I used it to buy this little Sirius radio. Though other radios have more bells and whistles I am very happy with this one.
First of all, price-wise it cannot be beat. It includes everything you need to use it in your car (mounting bracket, power cable that plugs into the car lighter, antenna, remote control). At this time there doesnt seem to be a home kit for it. That was not a deal breaker for me since I was planning to really only listen to it in the car anyway. Plus, when you joing Sirius you can listen to all the music channels online.
Though this is a simple unit, it does include some nice features. There are presets that work great. You can set the display to show the channel you are on or have it scroll to tell you the artist and title of the song that is playing.
It has a built-in transmitter that transmits over the cars FM radio on an unused channel. This has worked great for me and I think the sound is very good. I did need to change the FM channel it was transmitting to (easy to change and you can have up to five presets for this as well) once or twice but once I found a truly open station it was crystal clear. It should be noted that I live in LA which is a very crowded radio market. Still I was able to find a clear FM slot to tune the Sirius radios transmitter to. If you are not in a major market that should not be a problem at all, and really wasnt that big of a deal for me here in LA.
I think it is a sharp little unit and very solid. I am happy with it and if you are looking for a nice, low price unit this is a great choice. I am also very happy with the Sirius service. The music channels are great and I enjoy the sports and talk radio.
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