Entered CNET Catalog: 01/15/2009
SKU: 893153002188
Manufacturer: Grace Digital Inc.
Manufacturer description
With Grace Wireless Internet Radio you can listen to over 15,000+ radio stations, 20,000+ on-demand radio programs, and over 35,000 podcasts from around the world.User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 1 user reviews
Don't buy to listen to Sirius
Pros: Acceptable sound, internet radio stations work, price
Cons: Buggy and unreliable with Sirius
Review: Caveat: I purchased this (and a GDI-IR1000 before) primarily to listen to a handful of Sirius talk channels without turning on a stereo system. DirecTV provides all the XM music channels, and I have a minimum of use for the 15,000 internet stations the Grace radio successfully receives. I ultimately purchased a Logitech Squeezebox Boom, which works perfectly with Sirius with better sound, albeit at a higher price.
I've tried two Grace internet radios, and both have the same problem... Sirius really doesn't work (after weeks of interactions with Grace support).
The problem appears to be that the Sirius stream doesn't come directly from Sirius (as the Stiletto and PC streams do), but from a third party named Reciva.
The problems? When you turn on the radio already set to a Sirius channel, more often than not it reports "Unable to connect", although pressing a preset button for the same Sirius channel immediately connects.
And then, after it connects, it frequently stops with "Stream ended", although, again pressing the preset button immediately connects and plays.
Grace claimed this was a unique problem, and wanted me to try another radio, and I did, with exactly the same results (this time directly connected via Ethernet, instead of WiFi). But the Grace and Reciva websites now have multiple reports of the "Stream ended" problem.
Grace support, while professional and responsive, seems unable to resolve Reciva/Grace issues.
If Grace can work out the problems with Reciva/Sirius behind the scenes, or with a radio firmware update, this will be a good product. Until then, if you're planning to buy this to receive Sirius (which requires paying Sirius for 'CD quality' streaming), think again.
One other comment on this model... the IR remote isn't very effective... it must be used from directly in front of the unit, and at close range.
I've tried two Grace internet radios, and both have the same problem... Sirius really doesn't work (after weeks of interactions with Grace support).
The problem appears to be that the Sirius stream doesn't come directly from Sirius (as the Stiletto and PC streams do), but from a third party named Reciva.
The problems? When you turn on the radio already set to a Sirius channel, more often than not it reports "Unable to connect", although pressing a preset button for the same Sirius channel immediately connects.
And then, after it connects, it frequently stops with "Stream ended", although, again pressing the preset button immediately connects and plays.
Grace claimed this was a unique problem, and wanted me to try another radio, and I did, with exactly the same results (this time directly connected via Ethernet, instead of WiFi). But the Grace and Reciva websites now have multiple reports of the "Stream ended" problem.
Grace support, while professional and responsive, seems unable to resolve Reciva/Grace issues.
If Grace can work out the problems with Reciva/Sirius behind the scenes, or with a radio firmware update, this will be a good product. Until then, if you're planning to buy this to receive Sirius (which requires paying Sirius for 'CD quality' streaming), think again.
One other comment on this model... the IR remote isn't very effective... it must be used from directly in front of the unit, and at close range.
