JVC KT-SR2000 Plug 'n' Play Sirius Satellite Radio Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Just installed in car
Review: Chose Sirius for content reasons, after shopping extensively for Sirius PNP receivers, chose the JVC unit for the following reasons:

-- small size "PDA style" -- can fit in your pocket
-- super bright/readable screen -- crisp 'red LED' on black background
-- wanted a second generation receiver from mfr who had first gen experience (JVC 2000 supersedes 1000)
-- reputation for very good antenna
-- rumor that soon-to-be release boombox will be superb

I was not disappointed. Installed in car with antenna on dash and experienced very few drop outs despite less than optimal antenna location. Did notice a bit of hiss with the integral FM modulator, so opted for direct connection to my "MP3" Aux input on the car stereo... beautiful sound with the direct connection. Screen indeed readable in bright sunlight. Channel/category switch on the unit a bit clunky (though buttons on remote are fine = "real buttons")... other than this I'm highly satisfied. The 18 presets on the unit more than enough for me and suction cup dash/window mount that comes with the car kit seems bulletproof and very tight (especially vs. double-stick tape approach with other units). Nice thing about the PDA form factor when used in the car is that it's easy to slip in your pocket if leaving the car in a theft-prone area. Unit runs warm but nowhere near as hot as I thought it might given other online comments.

Sirius programming seems a bit more oriented to older demographic vs. XM. I liked (1) extensive news including PBS/BBC/PRI/World, (2) reggae/tropical/vacation channels, (3) tighter music genres in general (vs. more thematic on XM)... and in 2006 am looking forward to Howard Stern's move from FM to Sirius. Only programming on XM not on Sirius that I miss is MSNBC. Also note that Sirius traffic/weather is slightly less convenient since they put two cities on each channel, cycling coverage through each.

Looking forward to getting the boombox for the JVC KT-SR2000 soon... this appears to be simple, clean aesthetically (would look ok at home) and has a bass-boost capability... a/c adapter and antenna with 20' cord included.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent performance
Review: I bought the JVC KT-SR2000 with the home connection kit (KS-K6013) and the Terk Sirius Outdoor antenna, as a Christmas present for the "house". The delivery was on time as promised and the installation was a breeze. The only problem encountered was freeing the receiver from it's titanium strength plastic packaging.

The receiver is used primarily as an alternative to CDs, and is connected directly to a Sony receiver. Eventually, I'll get some car connection kits for our cars. We are located in the foothills of Southern California and as such have poor FM reception. The audio quality of Sirius via the JVC SR2000 is obviously better than our non existent FX reception...and on the average "almost" CD quality.

With the indoor/outdoor antenna provided with the home connection kit mounted on the top of our our entertainment center, the reception varied from full bars to none. We do not a convenient location to place the antenna at a North/East facing window. So, I had already planned to install the Terk outdoor antenna and with that we always get maximum reception even during the recent heavy monsoon like Southern California rains.

I can not compare Sirius to XM. I chose Sirius over XM for a few of the extra programs Sirius offers (you can listen for 3 days free online as www.siriusradio.com) We are quite pleased with the programming, minimal DJ jabber, and lack of official commercials. Yes, they do some self promotion; but, it is very minimal...and even let us know that they had a "Sounds of the Season Channel" that we were not previously aware of. We listen primarily to classic rock and some jazz, and are pleased with the variety and breadth of the programming.

If you want excellent quality music, in a compact format, I highly recommend the JVC-SR2000 with the home connection kit (KS-K6013) and the Terk Sirius outdoor antenna.

Rating:
Summary: Portable and affordable
Review: I was originally leery of this model because some reviewers mentioned that the sound quality from the FM modulator isn't great, and reception from the FM modulator to car radio is spotty. At worst, audio quality of some of the talk/news stations is a bit on the tinny side; sounds like AM radio. This does not bother me but your, mileage may vary. The car mounting cradle has an audio output jack, so you can plug in headphones, or you can plug the output directly into your car sound system (if your car system has audio input capability). I found that moving the radio so it's in line with my FM antenna relieves most static problems encountered with the FM modulator. Short of buying an indash, hard-wired unit, I don't think you can get much better.

Another thing I like about this unit is the small size. Most of the units I looked at were rather large and would either not fit on my dash or would take up too much space. I have a leather interior so I didn't want anything that required screws or bolts going into the dash board. The car kit for this unit uses a suction cup that attaches to the windshield. I haven't even bothered with the car mount. I just set the radio in the drink holder between the front seats. I use the remote control so I don't need to have the display of the unit sitting right in front of me.

Programming is excellent. A wide variety of stations for all levels of interest.

My only complaint is my experience with customer service. I sent an Email with a few questions about my service and promptly received an auto-reply telling me I'd have a response from customer service within 24 hours. 2 says later, still no response so I called the customer service number provided on the Sirius web site. I was on hold for more than 20 minutes. Not to happy about that.

All in all this is a good unit and Sirius offers a great bang for your bucks.

Rating:
Summary: The FM Modulator is bad
Review: I was told at the store this product has an excellent fm modulator. Very wrong. This was the reason i bought it and am very disappointed. Do not buy unless you have a direct hook up.

Rating:
Summary: FM transmitter is weak at best!!!
Review: I'll make it short and to the point. Everything is great with the exception of the built in FM modulator. Signal strength from modulator to FM radio is weak at best.

If you live in or around a major city with college radio etc. taking up most of the lower end of the FM band, don't expect fine audio. My unit is overpowered by local stations even though it's only 4 feet from my antenna.

When other stations are not cutting in, there is a constant noticable hiss at all times. JVC support told me to purchase a hard wired FM transmitter. My advise to them was to make it work or don't sell it.

My review was only to allert others of this flaw.

I am also an XM subscriber and do not have this issue with my Roady unit.