SIRIUS Stiletto SL100 Portable Satellite Radio Receiver
by Sirius Satellite Radio
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List Price: Our Price: $189.99 You Save: $210.00 (53%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SIRIUS Stiletto SL100 Portable Satellite Radio Receiver
Customer Review: Love the Stiletto! Sirius & XM Merger?
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had my Sirius Stiletto since November 2006, and I love it! Had a problem with the extended battery suddenly dying, but I called the Sirius Warranty Center and they swapped out an entire new replacement unit quickly to me. I am very happy with the Stiletto. Four stars only because of the unusable antenna headphones, no Macintosh compatibility for the Yahoo Music Service/MP3 transfer, and the fact that you can't use the remote control directly with the unit (has to be plugged into the home or car kit). Sirius is now offering a FREE car kit with purchase (too late for me, though!).
I am using this in the Princeton NJ area, my live satellite signal using the home kit and window antenna is mostly two bars, but my house is directly next to a tall forest of trees--I may have to install an outdoor antenna for maximum signal. If I place only the Stiletto unit in my window it gets a usable signal just using its internal antenna pointed outwards! The Stiletto easily connects to my Apple home Wifi Airport Express, so I can listen to Sirius Internet at home as well! Just walking around outdoors, if you are near a repeater you will get a great live signal even with no antenna. Otherwise, the headphone antenna is adequate but as everyone else has said, very weird looking and painful to wear.
At work I am using a home kit and window antenna, and the live Sirius signal is at full strength since I work near a terrestrial ground repeater, so I can record hours and hours of whatever I want daily for later listening in the "Replays" mode (Replays are saved as each individual channel you listened to previously, so it's easy to select what you want later--also, the channels automatically append new recorded material as you start and stop recording daily). This is what I use in my car so I don't even need to hook up the Stiletto car kit. If I do want live Sirius Satellite mobile reception, the car kit gets excellent strong signals everywhere. I like the fact that I can operate the Stiletto in my car or at home with the remote control also!
At home I can wirelessly control the docked Stiletto via remote extender from anywhere in the house, broadcasting the Stiletto to a Sennheiser wireless transmitter and listening to the output on wireless speakers or wireless Sennheiser headphones anywhere as well, even outdoors! Or I can hook an audio output cable directly to a home stereo. Sweet!
The sleek interface is impressive. Sirius smoothly sends firmware and program channel upgrades automatically to the unit (even over Wifi!). Also useful are the weekly emails that Sirius sends me for Music and Sports events/program updates which are great for keeping on top of all the programming choices!
SIRIUS AND XM MERGER? Now that Sirius and XM have announced a tentative merger (barring FCC interference, since there is a Federal law stating that Satellite providers cannot purchase each other), it will be interesting to see how their separate programming is merged as well. In an ideal world, I would want to combine all of Sirius' existing programming with just a couple of XM's unique programs like Bob Dylan's show...that would be awesome...hope they don't screw up the programming!
Customer Review: Cool Radio; Disappointment as a Portable
Summary: 2 Stars
I have been a satellite radio customer for four years. I started with XM and moved to Sirius about a year ago (no, Howard Stern had nothing to do with my move). I mention this so that you will understand that I am familiar with satellite radio and its occasional downsides.
There is no doubt that the Stiletto is a really cool satellite receiver. Its interface, while not as intuitive as the iPod, is about as close as you can get. Some serious (pun intended) thought went into the hardware and software design on this unit and the graphics are top-notch.
Using the Stiletto in a car or home (with the home or car kits) is a dream. The sound is great and it works just like a satellite radio should.
It also works well over an 802.11b WiFi network, even connecting to a WEP-protected wireless router. On the downside, Sirius really should have included 802.11g so that the Stiletto doesn't bring down the speed of the rest of the network (in case you don't know, if you have a 802.11g network and put a 802.11b device onto it, everything else on the network slows down to 802.11b speeds). Some people have complained that you have to spend more ($1.99 per month) for higher quality internet audio. What bothered me the most is the fact that only some of the channels are available via internet radio.
Where the Stiletto really falls flat on its face is as a portable radio. I'm a cyclist and so I purchased it to use on my daily training rides. I took it yesterday on a short 25-mile ride and was extremely disappointed with its performance. I was able to receive a consistent signal for about 1/4 of the ride, a choppy signal for about 1/4 of the ride, and no signal for 1/2 the ride. I live in the Los Angeles area where there should be plenty of terrestrial repeaters and I was riding in areas where there were no buildings or where the majority of the buildings were single-story homes. Curiously, I had the best reception on some tree-lined streets, but I suspect that's just because I was closer to the repeaters.
Of course, for the best portable reception Sirius will tell you to use the included antenna headphones. Who are they kidding? Not only do these things
look like something from a bad sci-fi movie, they are also the least comfortable headphones I have ever tried. No wait, let me rephrase that . . . these things must have been designed by Torquemada as some sort of torture device. They will make your head and ears hurt after about 5 seconds.
Oh, and by the way, Sirius must not think that Mac users would want this radio since it only comes with Windows software. Duh!
Bottom line: While I really like the design, features, software and graphics of the Stiletto, I will be heading back to Best Buy to return it and the car kit. Since I can't really use it as a portable radio, I might as well spend WAY less on a StarMate 4. If, however, you don't care about consistent portable reception, you want the best satellite receiver I've seen, AND you want to spend 3-4 times more for it than other devices that can capably be used in your home or car, then this might just be the radio for you.
Customer Review: The Stiletto SL100 is great, Sirius has some issues
Summary: 5 Stars
I installed the Stiletto in my car using the Vehicle Kit, which included an antenna. With the vehicle kit I haven't experienced any of the reception problems that some people described. I did try using the antenna in the headphones and only got one bar of signal strength. This really isn't an issue for me as I plan to use it in the car and on the boat.
Right now I have the antenna up on the dash board as it's been too cold to fish the wiring for a roof installation. The directions say this is a no-no and will reduce signal strength, but so far I've had no problems and a strong signal.
If you're using it in a car you really want the vehicle kit for the antenna and the 30 presets on the cradle. When mounted in the cradle the SL100 is charged while you're driving and powers on and off with the car.
I'm connecting using an accessory port and not the FM antenna splitter so I can't say how well the FM input works. The kit also includes a remote control which isn't mentioned on the Sirius or Amazon web site for some reason.
If a song comes on that you like just hit the "heart" button and that song will be saved to memory! You can fast forward and rewind through songs that you've already listened to and set the SL100 to record at a certain time and station. You can also hook it to your PC and download music as you would with any MP3 player. It's like having a TIVO for satelite radio.
We have XM in one of our cars and the programming on Siruis channels is better in my opinion. I'm installing another car kit on the boat to use the player in both places.
The problem comes when you activate the unit and you have to actually talk to someone at Sirius. It took four tries to finally get a call center in the U.S. and someone who spoke English well enough to have a conversation. Both Sirius and XM are pushing "lifetime" subscription plans, which really only cover the lifetime of the receiver, and both will significantly discount the cost of the service once you get transferred to "customer retention".
But the process was FAR more painful with Sirius than with XM. Sirius customer service is just AWFUL, but once you're up and running you'll love Sirius and the Stiletto 100.
Update After a Year
I still enjoy my Stiletto and am still not happy with Sirius customer service. I had some problems with the unit that turned out to be a loose power connection and their support was worthless. Also the software that ships with the Stiletto sucks. I had been told by support that you could upload recordings to your PC. You can't. Sirius also promotes access to programming via the Web when you subscribe. They don't tell you it's only through their interface (not Media Player) and that you'll be prompted every hour "Are you there". It gets old after a while - to the point where you just want to listen to something else.
I paid around $160 for my Stiletto, and I came to Amazon today to order a second unit to keep on my boat. I WOULD NOT pay the $328 they're asking now. I'll burn all my CD's to a cheap MP3 player instead.
Customer Review: I Love my Stiletto!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by saying: I don't work for Howard Stern, Sirius, or XM Radio. OK, now that that's out of the way, on to my little review of this wonderful "little" device...
I've had 4 Sirius devices, all of which have served me very well over my last couple of years with Sirius, even the one-star-rated Xact model that everyone else seems to hate but me. After my Visor started to give me some headache (after 1 year plus of spot-on functioning) I figured it was time to move up to the next level with my listening and get a Stiletto.
This is not an ipod, nor is it an ipod killer, but for what it does, it seems to do very well. It's bigger than an ipod, and heavier, but that's to be expected being a portable satellite receiver, and not a pure mp3 player. Unlike the Samsung Nexus (XM) which can't receive live satellite without the aid of a passport (and a docking station of some form) this can receive the live Sirius feed through its internal antenna or the rigid headphones.
Initially, I hooked this device up with a Soloist universal dock, and was almost immediately rewarded with full, rich sound that is pretty good for the soloist, but that's for another review.
I then set up the wireless to connect to my network, and, after a little jiggling about with the password, connected with no issue.
The only cons that I can see with this are the lack of home/vehicle kits, but they are widely available and, with some looking, at a good price. Although I have read many reviews slamming the rigid headset, I wore it for a few minutes to do some testing and found that it seems to be OK, especially considering there is a frickin satellite antenna is built into it. I couldn't see myself using this for a 10 mile bike ride, but it's sufficient for walking/riding around when you want the extra power for reception.
The boot up time for this is pretty long, but it's a fair trade off for what you're getting.
It's not as small as an ipod or similar device, but it feels substantial in your hand, with good quality buttons that you can tell you've pressed.
I haven't recorded any content yet, so I can't speak for the recording functions, but in general, this is the best Sirius radio to have if you're on the move, out walking or riding a bike.
Presets are very easy to set, and you can set them up while connected to wireless, as well as listening on Live Sirius. I would recommend you get a vehicle kit, as they have put some preset buttons on the dock, along with a jump button to get you to traffic/weather in your local market (if available).
I have yet to find a major flaw with this item, and will update the review if I do, but for now, I wholeheartedly recommend that you get this device.
Please, other reviewing brothers/sisters, if you also are struck with the urge to write a review, please keep it limited to the product, not your reception.
Customer Review: Nearly worthless
Summary: 2 Stars
Where to start.
When the unit sounds okay.
I have never, and I mean not even that Emerson VCR I purchased ten years ago, purchased a worse paperweight than this. This unit, and I have tried several, rarely works for any extended period of time. The channel navigation is terrible, so use the remote you say-well that is often unresponsive. Often times you just give up and continue to listen to what you were listening to when you decided you need to turn the channel. The boot up, and yes that's right there seems to be a minute and a half turn on time when trying to use this thing in it's portable state is really frustrating. If you are thinking of doing any real activity, such as running, you have to go outside, then attach the painful earphones, turn it on (otherwise it hangs up attempting to look for a signal), and wait nearly two minutes for the thing to become responsive. Most people don't want to walk around for two minutes before they can select a channel when they are getting ready for a run. You will need to buy a signal amplifier for your house as Sirius radios are notorious for not receiving a good signal indoors. The unit heats up to a state that it is unresponsive-I just had to remove the unit from the Speaker unit that Sirius sells for this unit only and place it in the fridge so that I could change the cannel (no kidding). It gets so hot that it can't do anything. I know this because in the summer when I come out from work the unit, which has not been on, is so overheated from the heat in the car that I would have to remove the unit from its truck sized car dock and place it in front of the air conditioner vent for an extended period of time, remove the battery, and place it back on the dock for it to work. I have only subjected myself to this atrocity of electronics because I sunk five hundred into the unit, the executive speaker, and the car kit that I can't just smash it (which I seriously considered a half hour ago). The car kit also makes the unit disgustingly tall. It makes it very difficult to find a location in a vehicle for it not to interfere with anything else. I no longer use it in my car because of this and have gone with a smaller radio. The sirius service is good, although I prefer XM. I am only using sirius for the NFL, and I will shut it off again once the season is done. As I said, the service (channel line up) is good enough-you really can't go wrong with XM or Sirius. I guess it is more of a preference thing. Either Opie and Anthony and Major League Baseball with XM or Howard Stern and the NFL with Sirius are the real deal breakers. Anyways, if you see this unit, or any variations of it, back away slowly and find the nearest Sportster 4, or if you are looking for a very reliable and far superior portable unit seek out the XM Inno. Everything about the XM Inno is done perfectly.
This unit is right were it belongs-a company with a Dog for a mascot.