Hands On Reveiw Of Sirius XM’s Edge – Satellite Radio 2.0’s Debut Product
It has been quite some time since we have had our hands on a new retail satellite radio. Sirius XM had not developed anything new and exciting in almost two years, and it was beginning to look like 2011 would be another ho-hum year on the news front of compelling new hardware. We recently got a hands on look at Sirius XM’s new Edge radio thanks to one of our site sponsors, TSS-Radio.
Sirius XM’s Edge gives consumers a brand new look with the many of the capabilities that were once reserved for more expensive units. With the Edge Sirius XM has delivered a highly capable radio at a price point consumers can handle with relative ease. It is a great solution for most any user that is seeking a newer radio, cleaner look, or more capability. In this simple yet capable radio Sirius XM has hit a virtual home run.
The Edge is a great combination of form and function. The user is not overwhelmed with buttons and control interfaces. Instead we see simple 0-9 inputs, play, pause, rewind buttons, a function knob, and category shifters. The user interface is intuitive and figuring out how to navigate Sirius XM’s 150 channels is something even a five year old could do. Simply stated, it is a joy to be able to see an easy to use radio that still carries a range of capabilities. The Edge is worth a consideration because of all that is being offered on top of the new channels.
Features Include:
- Enjoy SiriusXM’s Xtra channels – a number of additional comedy and music channels as well as SiriusXM Latino, a set of dedicated Latin music, sports and talk channels.
- Pause, rewind and replay up to 30 minutes of live satellite radio.
- View artist name, song title, and channel information on the large color graphic display.
- Listen at home, at the office, outdoors or in multiple vehicles with optional accessory kits – all with just one subscription.
- Hear SiriusXM through your existing vehicle radio with easy, do-it-yourself installation.
- Browse other channels while listening to the current one.
- Store up to 10 of your favorite channels for one-touch access.
- Lock and unlock channels with mature content using easy-to-use parental control.
- Optimize PowerConnect™ performance with easy FM tuning.
- One-Touch Jump™ to traffic and weather for the city of your choice, or back to your previous channel.
- Includes PowerConnect™ Vehicle Kit.
- Works on the XM network.
The presentation of this product, like most other Sirius XM products, was well thought out. The radio, cables, antenna, and instruction manual are all well displayed inside a compact box that allows the consumer to see each component and understand what each item does. Self installation should be a breeze for almost any consumer, with the most difficult aspect being the antenna placement and getting the antenna wire to the receiver. The included car dock has all of the necessary inputs located in such a way as to allow for a clean looking installation even by the most technically challenged people.
The high points of this radio include the added channels, the big color screen, the easy to navigate menus, and PowerConnect, a feature that allows the Edge to be used with several Sirius XM accessories including home kits and speaker boxes. The Sirius XM Edge is a great solution that makes an upgrade from your older radio worth while. With the price point of just over $100 after rebate, it is a no brainer for almost anyone who simply wants a fresher and cleaner look in their dashboard.
I have been a huge satellite radio fan for years, and despite that fact I have never carried a factory installed subscription longer than the promotional period. I have simply preferred the added capabilities offered by the retail radios. For the last three years I have enjoyed the XM SkyDock used in conjunction with my iPod or iPhone. Using the Edge over the past week has almost made me consider switching away from the SkyDock. Yes, the Edge is THAT GOOD! I will actually miss this demo unit when I send it back to TSS-Radio.
The beauty of the Sirius XM Edge is that it can be as simple as you want it to be right out of the box, yet can be customized to meet deeper needs if desired. Brightness level, audio level, and features such as favorite channels are great add-ons that many consumers want. With the Edge, you can literally plug it in and go, as the factory settings are already great for the average user.
TSS-Radio has the Edge and all Sirius XM accessories in stock , and even offers a few things those big box stores can not match. For example, TSS gives the consumer the choice of a vehicle kit or home kit, making the flexibility even greater. With free shipping, TSS-Radio has all of your satellite radio needs covered.
I Give Edge a Thumbs up!
So there’s nothing about this receiver that puts it above a sportster 5? Except getting a few extra channels. I can pause up to an hour and a half now, 30 mins is a serious downgrade. I hope you don’t need these new radios to use the other sirius 2.0 functions.
The sportster 5 is one of my favorite radios. I think you are mistaken on what you can pause and record though. Sportster 5 allows an hour, not an hour and a half. Here are some things to consider:
1. Sirius Radio’s are being phased out. Thus as current legacy radios die off, there will not be any more. The company is moving to the XM platform moving foraward.
2. If you are a subscriber that gets the premier package (formerly best of), you get a better deal on the XM platform because of Major League Baseball. XM Premier already has MLB and gives you access to NFL. Sirius Premier already has NFL, but no acess to baseball.
3. The added channels. Over 20 more channels with others likely to come.
4. Smaller dock for cleaner look.
Do the new units have a remote? I can’t find anywhere stating they do. That would be a shame. I use my remote constantly with my Stiletto. I have it mounted on my dash, at the same level as the speedometer. I can scan channels without ever have to reach and look for a knob.
Also, I see no mention of song or band tagging that will alert you when one of your tagged songs are playing somewhere on Sirius. Once alerted you could hit a button and go directly to that channel. Has that feature disappeared? It is not on my Stilletto but was on my first unit 7 years ago. That was the best feature that added to Sirius’s uniqueness. That is sorely missed feature. Has it returned? If not, do you have any idea why not?
Are they ever going to update the portables again? Whenever I ask Customer Service they direct me to the Stilleto series even though they only offer refurbs and I already own a Stilleto 2.
I agree the unit is sleek and colorful and the 1st to be part of the 2.0 technology- but it get’s a thumbs down vs. existing units like the Starmate 5 have these features and Edge does not
memo
pause and replay only 30min ( my starmate 5 is 44 min)
Song seek to save 30 songs
Time based features: clock, set alarm, program alert, auto shutdown, sleep mode
It’s only for the XM network- where is the Sirius version?
I hope the Lynx will have these features or similar
I think the recording length of the sporster 5 is based on how much you have stored in the memory (songs / artists). I have 1 song in there now. And I can reocord music channels / howard stern for 1 hour 26 mins. The talk channels which are lower quality I can get almost 2 hours recorded before it starts playing. The sports ticker is also a HUGE plus on the sporster 5. I hope that feature never goes away. I get everything going to the XM side it makes sense. But I just hope they don’t make the customers pay a lot more for sirius deciding to use one companies satellites and not the other (best of) $$$$).
Does this radio support subscriptions for both Xm and Sirius accounts? Or is this a XM only radio?
Xm platform
they dont want to turn on new radios with lifetime subs only $75 i revenue ,ok i said it.and im a lifer and stilletto and skydock
Does this unit have a feature where you can save song information and get a notification on screen when the particular song airs again each time? That was a tremendous feature, and I would like to see it return.
Anyone?
WAIT – so if you’re a lifetime subscriber on sirius you can’t pay the 75 dollar fee for a newer SIRIUSxm radio transfer ?
Yeah, what’s up with that?
The edge radio is pictured with full color background but SiriusXM will only broadcast the background to you in light blue and black. Really poor advertizing practice. The channel number is in color on most channels. So the only thing this is good for above the others is the extra channels.
I have an edge, good radio for the most part but as a truck driver I’ve found that it fits too loose to the base. Was ok at first, but now it loose connection to the base and says there is a problem with the antenna. Have uses two different antennas and that’s not the problem. If I push the radio back on to base it works again,until the next bump. called XM, they won’t help. Not very satisfied. Also tech was rude.