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Teriffic unit!
Pros
Thin size, easy installation, great sound, doesn't get too hot. Great FM sound and range.
Cons
Not compatible with many other Roady accessories. Needed ground loop adaptor in my car.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Small, yet powerful unit. Easy installation and great sound.
The Roady XT is Delphi's latest incarnation of the popular Roady series. Basically, this is a "Plug and Play" unit, which means it can be used in mutliple locations, provided the locations have a docking station.
Purchasing Rationale:
My purchase of the Delphi Roady XT was a bit of a lark. I previously had two Sirius receivers; a dedicated Kenwood unit for my car stereo, and a plug-and-play unit for home.
Sirius' programming had been disappointing me as of late, and through a content provider that now has an exclusive partnership with XM, I was given the opportunity to purchase a Roady XT at a significantly discounted price.
What's in the box:
The Roady XT comes with a 12V power adaptor, cassette adaptor, XM antenna, adhesive mount, vent mount, and docking cradle in the package. A home docking station (which I purchased) is also available and includes an AC Adaptor, remote control, home dock, and home antenna. The Roady XT also includes a frequency-agile FM modulator for cars without an auxiliary input or cassette deck.
Installation:
I already had a compatible mount in my vehicle, so I did not use the adhesive mount or vent mount. It should be noted that the adhesive mount does not rotate to a full 90 degrees, so a roughly parallel mounting in relation to the mounting surface is required.
My aftermarket stereo already had an auxiliary input, so I did not need the cassette adaptor. I mounted the antenna on my trunk, routed the cable to the front of the vehicle, connected the power and line-out connectors, and I was ready to go. Installation in total took less than 30 minutes, most of which was spent routing the antenna cable through various mouldings for a clean install. One note is that it may be advised to activate the unit either in the vehicle outside or in the home with a good signal, as most garages would block the XM signal.
First Impressions:
Initially, I was very disappointed by the line-out sound of the Roady XT. It had a very loud hiss and a whine that increased in pitch frequency as my engine speed increased. Having faced a similar issue in another vehicle with portable accessories, I went through my ever-present "Bin of stuff I don't need now but don't want to throw out" and found a Ground Loop Isolator / Noise filter that I had purchased many years ago from Radio Shack. A quick hook up between the unit and my auxiliary input completely eliminated the extra hiss and ignition noise.
I noticed while trying to troubleshoot the ignition noise in my vehicle that the FM Modulator worked excellent in the Roady XT. It allows one to broadcast the XM signal over FM stereo. The quality of the FM modulation in my car was excellent. A nice feature of the Roady XT is that it allows one to select the frequency of the FM modulator from ANY of the available FM frequencies, making it easy to tailor for road trips. While I don't need the FM modulator functionality in my car, it is incredibly useful at home, allowing me to broadcast the XM signal to radios throughout my house. The FM Modulator is automatically activated whenever there is noting plugged into the line out jack on the dock.
The display of the unit is selectable in multiple colors, but the buttons of the unit do not change color and are fixed in a white color. It would have been nice to see both the display and buttons switch. The display was very readable in bright light and easy to read in the dark. The backlight time is selectable through the setup menu as is the contrast and color. There are five different display options, all of which are useful, including channel/artist, channel/song, artist/song, artist/stocks, and artist/info extras.
Programming the unit was straightforward. There are three banks of 10 presets, for a total of 30. In addition, stock tickers, favorite songs, and different "info extras" such as MLB and NFL scores can also be set. The favorite song feature is nice. One can set this to look for a specific song or artist. When any XM channel is playing the song or artist, the unit will beep and show the song and channel information on the display. A quick hit of the select button will change the channel.
There are also a variety of other setup options, including a very handy antenna aiming function and auto-off/sleep timer. In the vehicle, this is moderately useful, but at home it's a must have.
Unlike my Kenwood units, the Roady XT remains relatively cool. The unit does get warm to the touch, but not nearly as hoot as my "cook eggs on the top of the unit" Kenwood did.
I also purchased the home kit for the unit, which included a remote control, AC adaptor, antenna, and dock. My only comment on the home kit was that unlike my Sirius receiver, I experience no dropouts in signal at home, and also unlike Sirius, I don't need my antenna outside. I get a full four satellite strength bars with the antenna in a south facing window.
One downside of the Roady XT is that many of the Roady/Roady2 accessories may not work for the unit, as the XT has a propietary docking connector. I hope that Delphi will make a portable cradle for the Roady XT like they did for the Roady2.
Summary:
Overall, I've been extremely satisfied with the Roady XT. It has excellent sound and features for a plug-and-play unit. Steep discounts are available, making this a relatively low cost way to get into XM satellite radio. Anyone could easily install this into his or her vehicle.
Purchasing Rationale:
My purchase of the Delphi Roady XT was a bit of a lark. I previously had two Sirius receivers; a dedicated Kenwood unit for my car stereo, and a plug-and-play unit for home.
Sirius' programming had been disappointing me as of late, and through a content provider that now has an exclusive partnership with XM, I was given the opportunity to purchase a Roady XT at a significantly discounted price.
What's in the box:
The Roady XT comes with a 12V power adaptor, cassette adaptor, XM antenna, adhesive mount, vent mount, and docking cradle in the package. A home docking station (which I purchased) is also available and includes an AC Adaptor, remote control, home dock, and home antenna. The Roady XT also includes a frequency-agile FM modulator for cars without an auxiliary input or cassette deck.
Installation:
I already had a compatible mount in my vehicle, so I did not use the adhesive mount or vent mount. It should be noted that the adhesive mount does not rotate to a full 90 degrees, so a roughly parallel mounting in relation to the mounting surface is required.
My aftermarket stereo already had an auxiliary input, so I did not need the cassette adaptor. I mounted the antenna on my trunk, routed the cable to the front of the vehicle, connected the power and line-out connectors, and I was ready to go. Installation in total took less than 30 minutes, most of which was spent routing the antenna cable through various mouldings for a clean install. One note is that it may be advised to activate the unit either in the vehicle outside or in the home with a good signal, as most garages would block the XM signal.
First Impressions:
Initially, I was very disappointed by the line-out sound of the Roady XT. It had a very loud hiss and a whine that increased in pitch frequency as my engine speed increased. Having faced a similar issue in another vehicle with portable accessories, I went through my ever-present "Bin of stuff I don't need now but don't want to throw out" and found a Ground Loop Isolator / Noise filter that I had purchased many years ago from Radio Shack. A quick hook up between the unit and my auxiliary input completely eliminated the extra hiss and ignition noise.
I noticed while trying to troubleshoot the ignition noise in my vehicle that the FM Modulator worked excellent in the Roady XT. It allows one to broadcast the XM signal over FM stereo. The quality of the FM modulation in my car was excellent. A nice feature of the Roady XT is that it allows one to select the frequency of the FM modulator from ANY of the available FM frequencies, making it easy to tailor for road trips. While I don't need the FM modulator functionality in my car, it is incredibly useful at home, allowing me to broadcast the XM signal to radios throughout my house. The FM Modulator is automatically activated whenever there is noting plugged into the line out jack on the dock.
The display of the unit is selectable in multiple colors, but the buttons of the unit do not change color and are fixed in a white color. It would have been nice to see both the display and buttons switch. The display was very readable in bright light and easy to read in the dark. The backlight time is selectable through the setup menu as is the contrast and color. There are five different display options, all of which are useful, including channel/artist, channel/song, artist/song, artist/stocks, and artist/info extras.
Programming the unit was straightforward. There are three banks of 10 presets, for a total of 30. In addition, stock tickers, favorite songs, and different "info extras" such as MLB and NFL scores can also be set. The favorite song feature is nice. One can set this to look for a specific song or artist. When any XM channel is playing the song or artist, the unit will beep and show the song and channel information on the display. A quick hit of the select button will change the channel.
There are also a variety of other setup options, including a very handy antenna aiming function and auto-off/sleep timer. In the vehicle, this is moderately useful, but at home it's a must have.
Unlike my Kenwood units, the Roady XT remains relatively cool. The unit does get warm to the touch, but not nearly as hoot as my "cook eggs on the top of the unit" Kenwood did.
I also purchased the home kit for the unit, which included a remote control, AC adaptor, antenna, and dock. My only comment on the home kit was that unlike my Sirius receiver, I experience no dropouts in signal at home, and also unlike Sirius, I don't need my antenna outside. I get a full four satellite strength bars with the antenna in a south facing window.
One downside of the Roady XT is that many of the Roady/Roady2 accessories may not work for the unit, as the XT has a propietary docking connector. I hope that Delphi will make a portable cradle for the Roady XT like they did for the Roady2.
Summary:
Overall, I've been extremely satisfied with the Roady XT. It has excellent sound and features for a plug-and-play unit. Steep discounts are available, making this a relatively low cost way to get into XM satellite radio. Anyone could easily install this into his or her vehicle.
