Delphi SKYFi3 XM Radio Receiver with Car Kit
- Usage: Car
- Design: Compact
- FM Transmitter: Included
- Service: XM
- Compatible Brand: Delphi
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Good bye FM. Hello XM!
Pros
Versatility(Home,Car,Portable), Overall Quality, Unit size, reception.
Cons
Limited display, Amber illumination
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
After looking at other receivers I had decided on the SKYFi due to its quality and versatility. They just seem like they have the market cornered with this product.
WOW WOW WOW! I have had this for about a month now and have yet to unplug myself from it.
I commute aprox. 2hrs to NYC everyday and rely on my radio to get my mind off the road. Of late though I have been noticing 10-15 min commercial breaks thus forcing me to do the channel surfing thing only to tune to the next commercial break. Also, since I cover a lot of ground I loose stations during my whole trip. In search of a better solution I discovered satellite radio.
I had looked at both XM and and Sirrus. Both were pretty well matched in the channel department. However, XM was $10/mo as opposed to $13/mo for Sirrus. I also liked the equipment that was available for XM radio much better. Please note that XM and Sirrus are only satellite providers, and do not make the equipment to receive the signal. Delphi makes the equipment to receive the signal from XM.
Since I was totally blown away with the versatility of the Delphi SKYFi, I went ahead and purchased the SKYFi receiver, 4 home docking stations, the car kit, and an FM modulator. Yea, XM impressed me that damn much. If you have an XM ready head unit for your car then go for the corresponding XM receiver. Its a much nicer install than the clunky car kit for the SKYFi. Good luck finding a surface to mount it to.
THE UNIT:
The receiver measures aprox. 3"h x 4.5"w x 1.25"d. It weighs a little less than 7oz. The finish is a bright silver with positive click backlit buttons. You can scan through categories and using the scroll wheel you can choose a station within a particular category. You can preset up to 20 station or directly tune to a station using the number keys. The display is somewhat primitive for todays standards, only giving you a few lines of text and limited song and artist titles. This could be improved upon. Everything about the look and feel of this receiver has a nice quality about it.
It comes with a little remote as well. Its not one of those crapy credit card type remotes either. Its a full featured remote with a nice quality feel about it as well.
The clarity of the signal was equal to that of the other units I had tested. For those of you not familiar with satellite radio, I will say this. The sound quality is not as good as a CD. To the best of my knowledge, the digital signal is altered by way of compression. The receiver acts as a processor and converts the digital signal into sound. Although the sound quality is not as good as a CD its still 100 times better than static and commercials.
AT HOME:
You will need to position the antenna in the direction of the satellites. Here in the northeast it's southwest. If your hooking the unit up to your home system as I did at every available stereo, you might need to find a way to run the antenna to an outdoor location to face it in the proper direction. Once its in and you getting a signal, let'r rip. XM is great for parties or your own personal enjoyment.
IN THE CAR:
The SKYFi ran flawlessly in my vehicle. The only time I lost the signal is when I go through an underwater tunnel. Like I said before, if you have an XM ready head unit, just get the XM receiver part of it. Or if you are going to replace your head unit soon, get one that is XM ready. The install is much cleaner looking. Everything is behind the dash. Also, having to take the receiver out of the car every night is a hassle.
CONCLUSION:
This is truly the best thing since the FM broadcast. I have a hard time paying for radio but when you listen to it as much as I do, it's well worth it. The price looks like its fixed at $130 where ever you go. If you purchase it by a certain time you receive a $30 rebate. I got mine at Circuit City. I like to think XM it as NO BULLS**T radio and SKYFi makes it that much better.
I commute aprox. 2hrs to NYC everyday and rely on my radio to get my mind off the road. Of late though I have been noticing 10-15 min commercial breaks thus forcing me to do the channel surfing thing only to tune to the next commercial break. Also, since I cover a lot of ground I loose stations during my whole trip. In search of a better solution I discovered satellite radio.
I had looked at both XM and and Sirrus. Both were pretty well matched in the channel department. However, XM was $10/mo as opposed to $13/mo for Sirrus. I also liked the equipment that was available for XM radio much better. Please note that XM and Sirrus are only satellite providers, and do not make the equipment to receive the signal. Delphi makes the equipment to receive the signal from XM.
Since I was totally blown away with the versatility of the Delphi SKYFi, I went ahead and purchased the SKYFi receiver, 4 home docking stations, the car kit, and an FM modulator. Yea, XM impressed me that damn much. If you have an XM ready head unit for your car then go for the corresponding XM receiver. Its a much nicer install than the clunky car kit for the SKYFi. Good luck finding a surface to mount it to.
THE UNIT:
The receiver measures aprox. 3"h x 4.5"w x 1.25"d. It weighs a little less than 7oz. The finish is a bright silver with positive click backlit buttons. You can scan through categories and using the scroll wheel you can choose a station within a particular category. You can preset up to 20 station or directly tune to a station using the number keys. The display is somewhat primitive for todays standards, only giving you a few lines of text and limited song and artist titles. This could be improved upon. Everything about the look and feel of this receiver has a nice quality about it.
It comes with a little remote as well. Its not one of those crapy credit card type remotes either. Its a full featured remote with a nice quality feel about it as well.
The clarity of the signal was equal to that of the other units I had tested. For those of you not familiar with satellite radio, I will say this. The sound quality is not as good as a CD. To the best of my knowledge, the digital signal is altered by way of compression. The receiver acts as a processor and converts the digital signal into sound. Although the sound quality is not as good as a CD its still 100 times better than static and commercials.
AT HOME:
You will need to position the antenna in the direction of the satellites. Here in the northeast it's southwest. If your hooking the unit up to your home system as I did at every available stereo, you might need to find a way to run the antenna to an outdoor location to face it in the proper direction. Once its in and you getting a signal, let'r rip. XM is great for parties or your own personal enjoyment.
IN THE CAR:
The SKYFi ran flawlessly in my vehicle. The only time I lost the signal is when I go through an underwater tunnel. Like I said before, if you have an XM ready head unit, just get the XM receiver part of it. Or if you are going to replace your head unit soon, get one that is XM ready. The install is much cleaner looking. Everything is behind the dash. Also, having to take the receiver out of the car every night is a hassle.
CONCLUSION:
This is truly the best thing since the FM broadcast. I have a hard time paying for radio but when you listen to it as much as I do, it's well worth it. The price looks like its fixed at $130 where ever you go. If you purchase it by a certain time you receive a $30 rebate. I got mine at Circuit City. I like to think XM it as NO BULLS**T radio and SKYFi makes it that much better.
