Coast-to-coast radio
So the hardware is less than ideal, but how about the stations? In our testing, we found the content to be mostly excellent. The 100 stations are grouped into 15 categories, including Country, Rock, Urban, Jazz & Blues, Latin, News, and Comedy. Each category houses several stations--for example, the Classical category has stations for traditional classical, eclectic classical, opera, or classical pops. We found that the music stations offer good variety, but the talk channels are more repetitive since XM currently carries only a handful of them. Worried about what your kids are listening to? Parents will be happy to note that they have the option of calling XM and blocking access to the 6 stations that allow adult content.
Wait--subscription fees and ads?
XM boasts that 36 of its stations are entirely commercial-free, including half of the music stations. Also, its commercial breaks are shorter than those on terrestrial radio. However, since subscribers already have to pay $10 per month for the stations (after plunking down a substantial amount for the hardware), we think that it's unreasonable to foist any advertisements at all onto them. In addition, in order to use the DRN-XM01C in your house, you need to ante up another $150 for the home add-on pack, which consists of a cradle stand, a remote, an antenna, an AC adapter, and an audio cable.
This whole package costs $450 ($300 for the unit and $150 for the home kit), plus $10 per month for service. Therefore, it's hard to wholeheartedly recommend the DRN-XM01C, even though it has appealing aspects, such as clear sound and good programming. As it stands, this product is strictly for music fans with a lot of disposable income and a healthy dose of curiosity. Everyone else should probably wait for next year's combo units, which will offer both XM and soon-to-be competitor Sirius Satellite Radio. Or, you can simply continue to fulfill your need for musical variety with Internet radio.
