Gizmodo
Yep, folks. That is right. I have been talking up the Sirius Stiletto for months now and I am unfortunate to report that this device is not what it was cracked up to be. It is considerably less. The Stiletto is Sirius' answer to true, portable satellite radio. XM has had a similar device for the better part of this year, and I expected the extra time Sirius put into the Stiletto to pay off, but it didn't. There is some good, like the included extended battery and ability to save songs, but then again, there is a lot of bad.
Jump to find out why I—the biggest satellite radio fanboy in the world—was disappointed with the Sirius Stiletto.
Inside the Box
It was like Christmas day opening up the box to the Stiletto. I had been excited for this device over the past few months and the time was finally here. The box came loaded up with the usual packet of software/booklets, antenna headphones, earbuds, USB cable, two batteries, charger and the Stiletto unit.
After doing my best Wolverine impression with the batteries, I popped on the extended battery and began going to town.
Design
This is where the Stiletto takes its first negative hit. The dictionary defines a stiletto as a small danger with a slender, tapering blade. The Stiletto is less of a slender blade and more of a bulky brick.
Holding the Stiletto is like holding a small brick. It isn't very comfortable, it is just awkward to hold, and even more awkward when placed in the pocket for transportation (because it didn't include a belt clip).
The main controls were surprisingly pleasing. It has a rubber, circular wheel that was very easy to spin around, and pushing on each direction on the wheel acts as a button (think iPod). Around the wheel there are four corner buttons: back, home, options and display. The four buttons on the wheel are for pausing, rewinding, fast forwarding and recording.
The power button/hold switch and volume controls on the side aren't as pleasing. It seems like Sirius put too much effort into making those buttons look slim and sleek, rather than functional. It is a pain in the ass to turn the device on with the tiny switch and the volume controls are too small to begin with.
Reception
This is where the Stiletto takes a major hit. My first problem was trying to activate the device. To do so you need clear satellite reception and apparently standing out on the patio wasn't enough because of obstructions in the sky. I had to go outside into my parking lot with the antenna headphones to get clear enough of a signal to activate the Stiletto. Forget trying to use the Stiletto with satellite reception inside, unless you have the optional home kits that run upwards of $70.
For the review purpose, without having to take the pictures outside, I had to place the unit up against my patio door with the antenna headphones to get a single bar of reception, which cut in and out half the time.
So the Stiletto's satellite reception sucks indoors, that is where Wi-Fi comes in, right? Yes, somewhat. After painstakingly setting up my Wi-Fi network with the Stiletto, it was able to receive "Internet Radio," which is limited to the music channels and a couple talk channels, including Howard. It is limited to 802.11b Wi-Fi, so speed is a bit of an issue.
Listening
There are three options for listening to Sirius Satellite music: through satellite, Internet or recorded/saved music.
Listening to satellite radio through the Stiletto requires a couple things. First you have to be outdoors with a pretty clear shot at the sky. Feel like running in a forest? Nope. You also pretty much have to be wearing the antenna headphones. These ungodly ugly headphones wrap over the head and jam into your ears in a very uncomfortable fashion. See the picture above to get an idea what these headphones are like. You can listen to satellite radio from the Stiletto in the car, but that requires the optional $70 car kit. Also, listening to satellite radio eats the batteries (two hours with the slim battery, four with the extended).
Internet radio is the second listening option. First off, you have to be in a Wi-Fi network with good reception and access. The Stiletto will detect all of the networks in range and will allow you to connect and even enter the encryption codes. The sound quality for the Internet radio is absolutely horrible. It is maybe 32 kbps streams (which is probably a small step better than AM). Sirius does allow you to get high quality internet streams ... for an additional $3 per month. Lame.
Listening to downloaded music or recorded streams is the third option. While listening to the Stiletto in satellite mode, you can push the down button on the wheel and it will automatically record the song you are on. It is called the Stiletto 100 because it is capable of recording up to 100 hours, which is actually a measly 2GB flash drive. There is also the option to connect the Stiletto to your PC and put your own downloaded music onto the Stiletto.
I took this with me over the span of a day to test it out. I listened to it at home through the Internet radio, then listened directly to satellite on a walk to class, then listened in class through Internet radio again, then took it in the car listening to recorded music (I don't have the car kit and the weak antenna headphones didn't receive enough signal) and ended at home with Internet radio again. Overall, it was a pain in the ass to swap around between the different modes throughout the day. I would have much rather had my iPod that played the same no matter where I was.
Interface
The interface was pretty solid. It was extremely easy to navigate and operate. It also looks pretty on the 2-inch color screen. It can get a little laggy at times, but that is common with a lot of portable media player interfaces.
It also has a stock and sports ticker, which was definitely nice.
Conclusion
The bottom line: the Sirius Stiletto is an overpriced device that doesn't live up to the hype. Trying to listen to the device became more of a pain in the ass than the $350 price tag is worth. Add in the fact that it is not aesthetically pleasing and requires two $70 accessories to make this already overpriced device a little more functional, the Stiletto is definitely placed into the "overpriced p.o.s." category.
Comments
Wow what a bummer.
I was hoping to replace one of my Starmate Replay radios with one too. :(
Thanks Travis. I am a huge fan of Sirius and was planning on getting one of these for the holidays. I didn't mind the review of the actual product, but the headphones and reception problems are going to be the killer. I will not put up with poor quality of either. This will not be a purchase for me.
Bah. You have bummed me out bro.
well cnet liked it, and they are usaully very critical, read their review.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sirius_Stiletto_100/4505-6490_7-32...
I'm curious what location you live in? I have the Stiletto 100 and can unfortunately, concur with the poor reception (in PA)....you ask, what's that matter?...it's satellite!...Well in New Jersey (Northern), I picked up a signal MUCH more readily. It would be a lot more bearable to pay $350 if you live in Jersey (I suspect land-based signal repeaters are the benefit there), then in Southeastern PA where they apparently haven't installed those things yet....
I am hard-pressed to pick up a signal in most places in Southeastern PA even with a cloudless sky and an orbit decaying satellite cutting into the atmosphere simultaneously....
That's pretty sad. I was planning on honking on one of these for the holidays too.
Sorry Sirius, but why can't you do good things?
I just read the Cnet review and everything they say in their 'the bad' section was just 'the good' section except saying none of those things work well. Weird that Cnet would rate it excellent even though even they say it sucks.
Well Sirius sucks anyway.
I mean the Inno isn't much better overall for reception, but it gives you a home kit!
I have had the Stiletto for about 3 weeks. Yesterday I listened to the news while on a flight from Florida to Washington DC. I agree that the headphones are incomfortable but I use regular headphone and the internal antenna most of the time and get signal. Depend on where you live, I guess.
The thing I like the most is the automatic back recording of most listened to channels, I always have cool music and fresh stuff to listen to, not just the same old stuff in an IPOD. My home and car kits just shipped from Crutchfield, I have a feeling the limitations will go away then. Expensive but worth it. Hell, if people were actually paying for the songs on their IPOD, more would recognize the incredible satellite radio value - with Sirius being head and shoulders above XM in programming. Great site Gizmodo - keep up the good work.
802.11b will not hamper your download speed since your internet connection is far slower.
I listen to the sirius internet feed at work all the time - I can't say it's perfect but I can say it's never concerned me with its quality apart from _very_ moderate occasional garbles (and maybe two temporary drops) in a couple months of use.
The signal is the signal -- I believe you that it's not all that consistent. It's interesting that the headphones act as antenna -- does it have any other options? I do have an Xact car and home kit and if the antennas I have would fit it would be very handy. I also would like to know what city you're in -- some don't have terrestrial rebroadcast, and others are so crowded with tall buildings that reception is an issue.
I get great reception in MA. don't go buy just one persons review if you are interested in this. I even got service today without the antenna while walking outside (no repeater coverage either). Check out http://www.siriusbackstage.com they have a forum that has people arguing both sides.
I've had mine for a week or so and cant get enough of it.
Also, note that it's the same shape as the state of Utah, which brings it's rep down even more.
I have a stilleto and I'm in buffalo, NY right now. I don't get any reception on the second floor of my hotel, but the reception at the office is great. One good thing about it, is you can have the headphone antenna, and a seperate set of headphones. I lay the antenna around my neck while having a comfortable pair of headphones on my ears. The interface is pretty cool, also, one time I didn't get any reception at work but noticed that there was over 8 hours of radio saved on my device unbeknownst to me, so I listened to that, which came in handy. Haven't had the chance to use the wifi yet though, and I just bought a car kit, but don't know how it works. The car kit says I should get a free fm tuner, but best buy didn't have any in stock. Is there any other way I can use the car kit?
I think the problem you are having with Sirius not working too well indoors has to do with their technology. Sirius has orbital satellites, while XM has geostationary ones. What this means is that if you can pick up a signal indoors with XM, it will for the most part be stable if you're not moving around. This will NOT be the case with Sirius. I found this out the hard way when I bought a home receiver and pulled my hair our for 2 days trying to figure out why the signal strength would go from full then drop out completely. Since the satellites are constantly in motion, any high terrain, or buildings that are between you and the horizon will block the signal as the satellites get further away from you and drop into the horizon. This wouldn't be a problem if there were enough satellites blanketing the sky, but it's obviously not the case. That's why you'll notice that the Sirius portable receivers have Wifi and hard disk recorders to make up for the deficiencies in reception. That's also why you see a lot more XM portable devices on the market, while the Sirius ones are scarce since I think that customer reactions to a satellite receiver only product would be negative because of the reception problems. Unfortunately, if you want a portable sat receiver right now, XM is the only way to go which is unfortunate because I like Sirius' programming better.
My wife want Sirius radio because the NY MET Opera will be on it exclusively.
Any suggestions on what device to purchase for her? The boom box? A stereo adapter? A car tuner? Being able to listen inside is the most important. Do we need an outdoor antenna?
We live in SW Denver.
Thanks much
Mark H
I have the stiletto and I am in Seattle. I get pretty good reception when the antenna is using the terrestiral reception. I use regular ipod headphones rather than those horrible antenna headphones. I tend to have trouble with the scroll wheel. It seems to stop responding at various times. I wonder if that would be under warranty.
I've had previous generation XM portable units for a few years now, and have NEVER had a problem with it. I'm surprised that with all the extra time they had, Sirius couldn't get it to work perfectly. Maybe it's because they needed an extra $500 Million in R&D money, but were fresh out.
I honestly can't say that I'm surprised at the outcome of this review. I worked for Circuit City when XM's god-awful xm2go portable unit came out, and I felt so bad selling them to people. It was super easy commission because everybody wanted one, but they had horrid reception when walking around with them outside, and I knew that Sirius' offering would be the same. I just don't think that satellite radio is built for the kind of portable use that walkmans of years past are.
Let's see....
Over 4 Million users added since the little Howard Stern 'diss' was mentioned in this thread (the 500 million comment).
OK...12.99/month x 12 months x 4 million users = $623,520,000.00 That's a positive cash flow in my book... And the number of subscribers as ole' Howard entered the fray, will be about 6.5 million at years end (projected), so that's even more cashola......
I don't think that's the problem. I mean, it's signal from a tin-can in space being beemed down to a peanut-sized antenna in your none-to-steady hand... I think there would be some reception issues there... Sirius just needs to start putting those rebroadcast towers on roof-tops (like the cell-phone companies have been doing for years) and the reception should get marketedly better.... I'd like to see someone take a Motorola RAZR back to 1992 and see what kind of reception they got...."Can you hear me now?"
Uh, yeah it was cool to get one of the Stiletto's OVER a month ago... and still be waiting on the car kit.
I love my stiletto. Compared to an IPOD it is large. However compared to an IPOD it is Superman. Live music, not what you have to buy or steal.....news, sports, traffic, talk..all on the fly. Record it, etc. I like mine despite bulky hp antenna. Car kit and home kit arriving soon, we'll see how much better the experience gets. Sirius content is the key to what makes Stiletto the category winner in my biased opinion
Dude, where do you live, Siberia? I get excellent reception on my Stiletto indoors! Yes, I am within the repeaters, but even when outside of the repeaters, (my parent's home), if I walk near a window, I get sat. reception. I've never had to stand outside and hold the headphones in the air.
Bottom line, reception isn't perfect, I guess, but if you live within range of a repeater, I think you will be pleased with the reception.
Your brick comment is silly, I agree its a little oddly shaped, but its small, and light. I know you are a "fanboy" but maybe you were just expecting a bit too much? For the price, the Stiletto is a great deal. I set mine to record Howard Stern from 6-7 before I get up. I then go outside for a run and listen to the first recorded hour (no dropouts!). If I get tired of that, I simply put on live reception and listen to the news, radio- whatever.
This thing even records your favorite stations for you, so if you are outside of reception, you have hours of Classic Rewind, Big 80's, etc. And I have accumulated a rather large library of recorded songs on my Stiletto as well.
Bottom line- this radio does everything your other radios (which cost $160) does, but also has portability (we can disagree on how good it is at that), records content, allows you to put your own MP3's on it, and will even turn itself on, record, and turn itself off. A great deal in my book.
I agree with this review almost word for word. I've had the Stiletto for a month now and NEVER use the antenna headphones... they will give you an earache/headache within 30 seconds.
That said, once I received my car kits (for 2 cars), it changed my disappointment. Fanboy's review does not include either the home kit or the car kit and that's where this device shines.
Now, it kinda sucks that you have to spend $500 for this plus $21 a month (internet and regular satellite package) but to me it's worth it. I had no desire to turn my Audi and Honda into Sirius capable cars by installing expensive conversion kits and then paying for monthly subs for both cars and my home.
that is a bummer...
Sirius, how could you let us down?
Actually, XM has had portable satellite radios for a while now. They had the bricklike Roady 2 Portable Audio System, then the improved MyFi and friends, and now the Nexus. Heck, they also had a docking XM radio recorder like Sirius' early offerings.
I'm surprised about the reception though - I would've thought the Sirius repeaters would be everywhere. Then again, reception varies by time of day too since the SIrius satellites aren't geostationary like XM.
Though, I think you were hard on the Internet Radio - 802.11b is plenty fast for streaming radio (5Mbps practical vs. 128kbps). Though, Sirius' 32kbps streams by default does suck. XM's "high quality" stream is 64kbps WMA, but I'm surprised at the extra cost for 128kbps...
(Yeah, I have XM. Sorry, Sirius, but you just don't have Cinemagic.). I love my Inno, and with the repeaters in town, I don't need antenna headphones (except for a small blackout area) when I use it on the commuter train. Outside I can get fairly solid satellite on the built-in antenna as well, surprisingly. But yeah, you will want antenna headphones.
So the plus for Sirius is extra battery and antenna headphones included by default...
Hey "notafanofgizmodo...butpostingmessagesontheboardnonetheless"....
You noted that the author may have be living in Siberia, but you never mentioned where you live? I have a feeling it's a place like New York...where every square inch is covered with enough bandwidth to make you crap blood for a year.
I'm just jealous you live in an area that is covered so well. Unfortunately, mine isn't. And honestly, why the hell else would you buy the this thing if it wasn't for picking up Sirius satellite radio? Everything else you mention can be obtained by cheaper-priced highly portable mp3 units (maybe with the exception of the Wi-Fi). So if you dropped the $350 or more on this thing, and then ended up not being able to receive a sat. signal, it would be a big disappointment. Nevermind the recording deal...you could get that the Sirius S50!
To Pharmboy-
I live in Louisville, Kentucky.
I disagreed with the review, which made me not a fan of gizmodo. I felt the need to post, because my experience with the Stiletto has been completely different.
To Keerock-
Why does it cost $21 a month for your Stiletto? There is no additional charge for internet radio unless you want to upgrade to CD quality, and that, for a current subscriber, is only $1.99 more a month. $12.99 + $1.99 - $21? Huh? I don't think you ever actually have worn the thing, since you don't even have the pricing right...
notafanofgizmodo,
Just called Sirius and I have been being hosed. They have been charging me for 2 devices with premium internet and I only have the stiletto and regular internet.
Thank you for pointing that out, but as to your flame, I do in fact have it and have had the Stiletto since the first week in October so I have had plenty of time to use it...
By the way, if anyone with less attitude is reading this, Sirius was very cool about crediting me and kicked in a bit more for good measure.
I am using this with my 802.11g router. The sound quality is awesome. My wi-fi cloud gives me coverage if I'm outside gardening and for early morning walks, I really don't mind the Headphone things. I haven't had any reception issues. I give the product 9 out of 10. It could be a tad thinner/smaller.
Sad to read this review, but I've not soured on the Stiletto yet. Just waiting for a local store to receive their stock so I can try it out and take advantage of the 15 day return policy if it doesn't meet my needs. But I would need the car kit, since it would be replacing my current receiver. My fiance just got a 2007 Ford Escape and it's Sirius ready, so she won't be needing my current receiver.
As for the expanded SIR service for only $1.99, I may go with this option. That sounds like it would be worth it.
I live in Chicago and get great reception while I ride the bus to work and sitting at my desk. The stilleto is great. I wish the battery power was better but overall I'm very happy. I have never used the wifi feature since I get signal pretty much anywhere but everything else is great. Much better than my S50.
Hi and thanks for all that info... since I wanted to purchase this as a gift for my husband... ok bottom line which one should I get??? HELP!! need it by the 10th of Dec. thanks for your help!!
purpleice17@gmail.com
The 100 totally sucks. I cannot say how disappointed I am in it. Absolutely horrible with or without the homekit. I was foolish enough to waste $70 on it.
I was given a Stiletto 100 for my birthday from my wife back in Oct 06. After having to return the first two back because the 1st the batteries wouldn't charge or the 2nd the wheel didn't work correctly for the most part I was happy with it, except of course those awful headphones. Today will listening to them coming to work it completely died on me. At first I thought the battery needed charging so when I arrived to work I tired to charge it but nothing so then I tired my spare battery but still it doesn't come on. Good thing I got the extended warranty!!!!!!!!!
I got the Stiletto 100 for xmas and I am impressed to say the least. Now being the frugal shopper I am I scoured the internet for the best deal and found it at http://www.dogstarradios.com I got the stilleto 100, a car kit and a home kit for less then what Sirius was selling just the Radio for and there was a $70 rebate as well. I Have travelled frome washington DC to Brooklyn New York and other then having to change frequency to accomdate radio station interference as I travelled it was great. As for the Pennsylvania people I got excellent reception while in Philadelphia. I highly recommend the Stilletto and at Dogstar how can you go wrong with all the extras you get.
I have been waiting to get one of these for a while. My wife got it for my birthday, I love the thing. Granted it is a satellite reciever so use common sense on reception problems. I think the sound is great, have not have any problems connecting, initial registration was done on a foggy night and it was quick and painless. I can use it inside with the antenna headphones without any problem, but the home kit gives more features. The internet setup was quick and simple to setup a wifi connection, even secured.
I don't see what all the whining is about but I have no complaints.
I got one of these things free from Sirius after my S50 crashed due to the 'mandatory update' that was required. I am very dissatisfied with it. The portability on the Stiletto is non-existent, because my signal cuts in and out constantly. I agree that the antenna headphones are horrendous, however they are the only thing that allow even a slight amount of live portable content. I keep them plugged in while connecting into the aux input on my boombox in my back yard, and get decent reception for about 10 minutes, then it begins cutting in and out every 10 seconds. Not to mention that you can't plug the power cord in while the headphones are connected. After going through both of the included batteries, I get maybe 4 hours of inconsistent live content. I do have a car kit and it works beautifully inside the car, however again, even the dock for the car kit is bulky and looks like it came from the 80s. My S50 was easy to carry, recorded plenty of content, and was nicely designed. The opposite holds true of the Stiletto. The Stiletto really only does what the S50 was capable of, but at the added cost of extra weight and bulkiness. I wish the S50 was still on the market. I think others who have 'upgraded' from the S50 will share my disappointment. Glad I didn't pay a dime for it.
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