NEW YORK
— Sirius XM is preparing to launch its lowest-
priced satellite-radio tuner at $59.99 and the first dualnetwork
docking-speaker system capable of docking
with XM and Sirius Dock and Play tuners.
Previous speaker docks were designed to work
only with XM tuners or only with Sirius tuners but not
with both types of tuners.
The tabletop docking speaker system is the $129
Sirius XM Sound Dock, an AC/DC model that comes
with dual antenna to pick up XM and Sirius satellite
signals. It also features a single multi-pin connector
that mates with all XM and Sirius Dock and Player
tuners offered in the past three years. It also mates
with the wearable XMP3 player with XM tuner, wired
headphones and recording capability.
The $129 speaker system will replace current
XM-only and Sirius-only docking speaker
systems. Shipment is sometime later this
year. A more precise ship date was unavailable
at press time.
The dock operates on eight C batteries.
A recess in back lets users carry it
from place to place. Other features include aux input and
headphone output.
Compared with its predecessors, the dock boosts audio
performance while occupying a lot less space, said aftermarket
product marketing VP Sean Gibbons. The system,
he claimed, compares favorably in sound quality with iPoddocking
speaker systems at two to three times the price.
For the car, Sirius XM plans October availability of the
$59.99 transportable XM Snap, which consists of an XM
tuner/controller mounted to a flexible stalk that
plugs into a car’s power port or cigarette lighter
for power. The device uses the company’s PowerConnect
technology to convert satellite-radio
programming into FM radio signals, which are injected
into the car’s behind-the-dash power wires
through the car’s power port. The FM-modulated
signal can be picked up by the car’s existing FM
tuner if tuned to an unused FM station.
The Snap can be moved from car to car, but
unlike Dock and Play transportable tuners, the
tuner cannot be removed for use in a home docking
cradle for playback through a connected
home stereo system.
Snap was designed to simplify installation
by eliminating the need to
install a dashboard mounting kit for
a Dock and Play tuner, the company
said. To complete the installation,
consumers need only run a thin wire
from the Snap to a magnet-mount antenna on the vehicle’s
roof. Snap also reduces dashboard clutter by eliminating the
mounting kit and the need for a dangling power cord.
Snap was also designed to be simple to use, the company
said. The device features five presets buttons, seek button,
LCD screen and controls to select stations by genre.
