The XM Xpress has a decent array of features and certainly enough to satisfy newbies. For those who don't have a cassette player in their cars, the unit offers a built-in FM modulator for transmitting content to an open frequency. (For more information on this feature, see our Tips & Tricks.) You can also set as many as 30 presets, or you can manually enter station numbers with the keypad for quick retrieval. If you hear a song you like, a quick press of the memory button saves it to the unit (up to 20 selections). I particularly like the Channel Skip/Add function, which lets you select which stations will be listed during scrolling--I take out all the ones I never like. Finally, you can set the XM Xpress to display various up-to-the-minute info, such as stock prices and sports scores.
When put to the test, the XM Xpress performed quite well in the reception area but not so hot in the audio quality area. The unit kept an admirably strong signal throughout most of San Francisco, and the only place I experienced a full dropout was in garages. Audio quality through the cassette adapter was just passable. Bass response was lacking and music didn't sound totally clear in most cases. I'd compare it to FM radio, if not slightly worse: listenable, but not impressive. The FM transmission worked pretty well in the city, at least as good as that of the Maximo SAN-360.
Sure, it's not the most advanced unit on the market, and it certainly doesn't offer stellar audio quality, but the XM Xpress has a couple things going for it: a cheap price and a simple design. So if you're thinking about XM Satellite Radio but don't want to commit to a long-term solution, this device fits the bill.
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