Customer Reviews
1st-Gen SkiFi owners, prepare to trade
So, I had to install an external FM Modulator on my SkiFi-1, because my Mercedes-Benz doesnt allow easy hardwiring of the SkiFi-1 unit. MB basically doesnt like you messing with their German Engineering.
Tired of crappy (and expensive!) external FM Modulators, I went ahead and upgraded to the SkiFi2. Worth EVERY PENNY. Frankly, the top of the line Radio Shack Monster Cable FM Modulator is around $50 bucks, and I picked up this SkiFi2 used on Amazon for less than that.
The FM Modulator is almost silent as far as in-line interference, and the sound is practically crystal clear (at least good enough to be heard well over the big, fat performance tires). That alone makes it a good buy in my mind.
Plus, the programming options on the SkiFi2 (extra station presets, 30 minute record options) are gravy.
I went ahead and kept my SkiFi-1 for use at home, in the Delphi Boombox, but for persons in need of a mobile XM radio solution, Delphi SkiFi2 is money.
Beware of home boombox radio with this receiver
The satellite radio works great in my car. So I wanted one for my house. I bought the Delphi Boombox and this receiver. What a mistake. Yesterday's business section of NY Times had a whole article about how hard it is to get a good signal in your home using the antenna that comes with the boombox. Bottom line the technology is just not ready for the home market because you need an outside antenna.
I set up the antenna all over the house, spent time on the phone with the XM technical folks who said it might be a bad antenna. The problem is the antenna comes with the boombox. The boombox worked but I don't know whether the antenna was bad or this receiver was bad.
Beware, this reciever is sold NOT by Amazon but by NYC Electronics. I have never dealt with such an incompetent company in my life. When you contact them they tell you that they assume you are intelligent and have read the NYC Electronics Return Policy like a lawyer. (Read it just for fun -- to return it you have to return it in the brown box it was delivered in. Then, if you think it is bad, but it works it their shop (!) you pay 20% (How are we supposed to know if it actually worked it their shop -- doesn't matter).
So I have a Delphi Boombox that works but maybe the antenna is bad, and a receiver which I can't tell is bad and am paying XM radio for a new activation and a monthly fee, and nothing works and no one wants to take responsibility.
And yet there are nothing but 5 star reviews of this product (It almost makes you think that some of these "reviews" are promotions written by Delphi...oh by the way forget about Delphi because you are buying it from NYC Electronics and I think Delphi is going bankrupt. Forget about technical support.
The NY Times article let out the big secret that you do not get in any of these reviews "the antenna technology is "questionable" in houses. The article goes on to say the companies all "know" about this and will be coming out with fixes in the next 6 to 12 months. But, you can't get this info by reading any of these reviews.
The good news is that I had no problem returning the boombox to Amazon. I did complain to them about NYC Electronics but have never heard back from them. Try googling NYC Electronics...I could not find one single name associated with the company to complain to.
In the future I will "always" search out the one star reviews for the "true" info on these new technology items.
I have subsequently found out some of this bad news by googling this device, and found some other folks as mad as I am at thinking I was buying a sure thing.
A worthy upgrade from the SkyFi1
I've subscribed to XM for the past 18 months and have been pretty much pleased with the service. The only downside with the service and its playlist of 2 million songs, is that there aren't 2 million good songs out there, so there's a lot of junk amidst the good stuff. Think of the LP collection you had as a kid ... most albums had only two or three really stand-out songs. Well, on XM you'll hear the other 10 to 12 songs as well, for better or worse.
Amazon recently offered the SKYFi2 for free after rebate, so I decided to upgrade to the new receiver (although I did end up having to buy a new vehicle kit, as recommended).
The upgrade is worth it. The sound quality is superior, the reception is superior, and the screen is much easier to read, particularly during the day.
My only disappointment is the 30-minute rewind / pause feature, and it's probably more a misunderstanding on my part than a fault with the equipment. It only records the channel you've actually been listening to, so if you are channel surfing and come across a song you like, you can't rewind to the beginning of that song. I guess it's a useful feature if you were listening to a song you like and, say, a cell phone call interrupted you.
Other than that, the SkyFi2 and XM radio are a breathe of fresh air for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road. Goodbye, Clear Channel, and your 16 minutes of commercials per hour!
