SIRIUS Stiletto 2 Portable Satellite Radio with MP3 Player

As the subject states, I really wanted this to work.For those who read through my review, I want to make it clear that I am a Sirius fan. I've had a Sirius satellite radio in my car for two years now and I cannot imagine driving around without it.Last year I accepted a new job that puts me on the train every day instead of in the car for my morning commute. I've missed my satellite radio since then so for the last few months, I've had my eye on the Stiletto. I decided to wait for the Stiletto 2, and I finally took the plunge over the weekend.Out of the box, the radio looks very attractive and fits perfectly in my hand. The large display is colorful, bright, and easy to read and navigate. The controls are very easy to operate. Overall, a very intuitive design.The radio is feature packed. You can import your own music into the device via included software. In my opinion, there is plenty of space for stored content out of the box (about 100 hours worth) and I think that will acommodate most people. For those of us with large music and audio book libraries, the added micro-SD card slot is a nice touch. Another feature was wireless connectivity. Some claimed they had problems with frequent disconnects. I didn't have this problem.Activation was pretty simple, however I couldn't grab a signal indoors, I needed to stand outside on the front porch to complete the activation and the initial download of the channels. I was hoping this wasn't going to be a typical problem, as I even had the antenna headset plugged in. By the way, I've heard rumblings about the Altec Lansing headphones being uncomfortable and I would have to agree. I think Sirius could have made a better choice in headphones, since they seem to be a requirement for this device to get any kind of a signal.Now, on to reception. Let me make it perfectly clear that I live in the outer suburbs of Chicago. I live near a small city called Crystal Lake, and although is not very close to downtown Chicago, I wouldn't consider myself as living in the "boondocks" either. I also want to make it clear that I purchased this radio so I could listen to it on the train. Those of us who have long train commutes would appreciate having such ability to listen to their iPod or satellite radio. And since my commute is up to 1.5 hours each way (up to 3 hours round trip commute) one could see how I would become excited about bringing my Sirius programming with me on the train.When I first put the headphones on and fired up the unit, I was standing in the depot after having just finished mixing my coffee. No signal. Okay, so I walked outside and with a cloudless sky, I was able to get two bars and I was able to listen to the radio. I walked across the tracks and went to one of the open-air shelters (it was a particularly cold day and there are warmers installed overhead in the shelter.) As soon as I entered the shelter, I lost signal. Huh, okay. I decided to test it. I walked out of the shelter and received signal again. I walked around and although uninterrupted, I walked under a tree and the signal was interrupted. I started to become discouraged.So, the train arrived and I boarded, selected a window seat and settled in. I was very disappointed (heartbroken, would be a better term) that I could not get a signal for pretty much the entire train ride. I tried moving the headphone wire closer to the window, I tried leaning my head closer to the window, tried holding the unit closer to the window, but the screen continuously displayed "Acquiring Signal." It was only when we were a couple miles from downtown that I was able to get a signal, but I attribute this to retransmitters that I hear people talking about.I realized the same results on the way home. I tried it again the next day, this time sitting on the upper row of seats but to no avail. Since this purchase was primarily for entertainment while on the long train commute, I have decided to return the radio. I suppose I'll look into XMs option or just get an iPod. I will keep a sharp eye out for future offerings from Sirius and XM. I haven't given up on my quest to bring satellite radio with me where ever I go.I give this product two stars, for the added features and well designed menues and navigation. It's too bad that I couldn't use it for its intended purpose, hence the deduction of three stars.

I am a frequent business and pleasure traveler and I am always looking for things that will improve my quality of life while on the road (driving, waiting in airports, on long flights, etc.). This is it for me! Along with my Kindle I can now relax and feel that I am not just wasting time. Instead of giving this receiver a technical review (which others have already done here and much better than I could) I will explain how I use it and what I like about it:* Home Docking: I have been a Sirius subscriber for over seven years. I replaced an older "Plug and Play" receiver with the Stiletto 2. During those rare times when I am actually at home I listen to Sirius (and now the Best of XM) through my home stereo. I run the antenna through the window and onto the roof. If you follow the directions most people should get at least 2 bars of signal strength. I have used it like this in both St. Louis and now in San Antonio and even get a pretty strong terrestrial signal as well. This is where I record my programs for travel.* Air Travel: Although an iPod (I have the Touch model) is nice for music and video, I like to listen to NPR, comedy and some of the other talk and entertainment stations on Sirius. I simply record the ones that I want and listen to them while on a plane, waiting in line, etc. I have several 8+ hour flights coming up and I can have as many as 100 hours of recorded programs to chose from (I love Terry Gross' interviews on NPR). Plus, I can listen to music, recorded books, blogs, etc. all on this little device.* Car travel: When driving rental cars in cities that you are not familiar with, finding a radio station that you enjoy might be a problem (I should mention that many of the better rental cars have satellite radios already installed). With this radio and can listen to broadcast sat-radio and recorded programs at will. I usually don't bother to set the whole thing up (car mount, antenna, FM transmitter, etc.) if I am on a short trip but some of them require quite a bit of driving and I am always glad that I have my favorite stations with me.* Hotels and Airports: Most hotels and just all airport clubs have Wi-Fi. Here I can catch up on the latest news with NPR, BBC, CNN, what have you. It connects very easily as long as you have the proper log-in code. I have the premium "internet" service from Sirius so the sound quality is great.* Distant Travel: Both my business and my hobbies take me to areas where satellite radio is not available (Alaska, Hawaii, South America, etc.). With my Stiletto 2 I can feel at home while I relax to hours of recorded jazz and classical music (my favorites) and, unlike an iPod, I can hear things that I didn't know about simply by recording whole blocks of programs from my favorite Sirius channels. Since I have to pay for each song from iTunes I only download the things that I know I will like. Not so with Sirius and the Stiletto.I don't pretend to think that this is the best receiver for everyone. I can get broadcast satellite through the included headset (which I don't like) when I am on walks or at the pool and the reception and sound quality are just O-K, but that isn't what I bought it for. For me, someone who has always traveled a lot, this is a must have device.

Good

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