We are big XM fans. We have a Delphi XM Skyfi (now a Skyfi2) with a stereo cradle, boombox, and car kit (for our sedan). We want to put XM into our S2000, but all the add-on units are too bulky and would look ugly in the S2k's interior IMO. Enter XM-ready stereos. But wait, there's one with a BUILT IN XM tuner (Alpine 9820XM). Saves the expense and hassle of adding a separate tuner for the stereo. I would have been sold on this already except for one thing.

My friend has Sirius in his car, through a Sirius-ready Clarion deck. He hates having the display on the stereo (too small when you want to change channels and/or view the artist). Does anyone on this board have XM or Sirius-ready radios in their car, and how do you like it? Also, do you have anything to compare it to (switching from a SkyFi, Roady, or similar)?

 

The main difference in the alpine unit is it has the built in tuner...just add the antenna and go. There are other units available for direct connect sat. radio without the expense of the alpine unit.

You can get most Sony/Pioneer/Panasonic units that are xm ready and just get the universal tuner box and adapter box...with the panasonic its only the tuner box and a small cable. Any of those will give you a direct connection...ten times better then the wireless or wired fm transmitters.

Alpine xm ready units (all the ones that are just xm ready, not the one you mentioned with the built in tuner) can be hooked to xm or sirius. Alpine has a sirius adapter that works with their xm ready units so you can have both or one or the other.

So...you can spend alot for the alpine or get one of the sony/pioneer/panasonic units andget the tuner box and adapter box and possibly come out cheaper with the same results.

The adapter/tuner boxes are made by Terk...one of the largest manaufacturers of sat. radio equipment...good stuff.

 

I realize I was a bit long winded but I already knew all that. What I was asking for is personal experience with these units, i.e., does the small display bother you.

 

9820x won't play mp3s, is that an issue for you?

 

I am installing the 9851 + all XM components next month. I have heard that the 9820X is one of their base models with the built in tuner. I would rather get a higher up unit, for around the same price, and the add the tuner and converter. A bit more $, but supposedly better sound.

 

i don't stare at my stereo screen while i am driving so it's a moot point -

my 9835 has about six different ways to display the text some are small, some are big but when i look @ the head unit i can tell the name of the song and the artist

 

I noticed that, and no, I don't care about playing mp3s.

However, I just noticed something... I remember when "4v preout" was all the rage, and realized the 9820xm only has 2v preouts. Even some of Alpine's better models ($400+) have 1.5v or 2v preouts. What gives? Would this make the system sound worse than it would having 4v preouts? If it makes a difference, I plan to install a very moderate system in the car... components (undecided brand) up front and a 10" sub in trunk, probably with a 4 channel amp with rear channels bridged for the sub.

 

from our resident expert Macgyver

1) The higher the pre-out voltage, the better off you are (assuming your amplifier can handle the voltage levels). Look at it this way, would you rather travel down a gravel road on a tricycle or a huge 4-wheeler? The 4-wheeler is going to give a smoother ride because its shocks/suspension offers more room to move compared to the size of the rocks on the road. This is the same with pre-outs...you want as much voltage as possible (the shocks) when you compare it to the size of the noise on the line (the rocks). Once you hit the amplifier, we're talking 10's of volts, so a few millivolts of noise on the line won't make much difference (kind of like riding in BigFoot ). It has no effect on the amplifier's efficiency other than to say the amplifier is now amplifying more of the true signal instead of a higher level of noise versus signal.

 

i also don't think the 9820 has a separate sub-out rca.

it only has 4 rcas out whereas some of the better stand alone head units have 5

also the 9820 does not have time correction

I think you'd do better to find a 9831 and add x/m box via the ia net cable

 

Will,

I know of what you speak. I am using the OEM XM tuner box with the OEM headunit..... it is only a one line display, and you need to hit a button to see artist, song, channel name, etc. There is also a "more" button to see more than the first 10 characters. And there's no sports ticker or stock ticker. And you can forget using the tune wheel to see what's on five different channels at once.

The Alpines are all similarly limited. I think the super duper top of the line alpine gives a two line display, but the others are all certainly one line displays, and none of them appear to give the info extras.

Do I miss the bigger display and the info extras? Yeah.

Is it worth it to have a nice clean integrated look in the car, considering how small the S2K interior is?

Yeah, but it's a close call. If Alpine were to make a reasonable radio with a 2 or more line display and info extras, I'd jump on it.