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Thinking of upgrading my unit. Anyone have the XACT Visor unit?
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| Thinking of upgrading my unit. Anyone have the XACT Visor unit?
- Click HERE to go to the original thread with graphics
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| Siri |
I'm just trying to find if anyone has info on the XACT Visor plug and play unit. I currently have the older Kenwood Here 2 Anywhere. The Kenwood I have is a fine unit but a bit bulky for the car. And since it's been discontinued I had to use an XM vehicle mount that was "mickey mouse" rigged to hold the H2A dock. Not exactlly pleasing on the eyes.
So the unit I think fits my needs best is that XACT Visor XTR3CK
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/Conte...d=1126670687120
The price is right and it seems to do the basic things I need.
So really I need to have a few presets (mostly for Stern, a few music jump points, and currently to set the nightly NHL stations into. Then I want the display to be readable in the car, when the sun is out. And the unit being small is key, which this one is.
So hopfully someone on SFN has this unit and can list some pros and cons about it to better help me in my purchase decision.
Questions:
How easy is it to transfer between car and home (each time you drive)?
How easy is the display to read?
How small is the unit itself? -The promo materials make it look about as wide as a credit card but a few inches deep.
On the antenna and audio hookups, do they look like they'd wear out easily, being attached directly to the unit itself?
Where is the best place to mount it, or the best place you have found so far? -i.e. A con would be wires hanging down from the unit if it's mounted on the window, etc
And in all likliness I'd simply use the suction cup mount at first and transport that whole mount and unit together from car to home. Is that a realistic expectation or is it going to be a pain in the ass to move the whole mount itself around? -Hey sorry, law school tuition kills me this time of year. In a few months I'd pick up the home dock. Just not at first.
And would my current home antenna and power connections work?
Thanks a lot all! Much appreciated! |
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| UnderToad |
| I would step up a little in price to the Starmate Replay +/-$80. The 45 minute rewind feature is great, except when you turn off the power, you lose the memory. It has 30 presets + a jump botton to take you back to your most listened to station; a total of 31 presets. And they are comming out with a boom box for it ... anyday now... My only problem with it was that the power cable started to fray, from plugging and unplugging so much from my car to office. Not really a problem; went to Radio Shack and bought a new heavy duty car power cord for 7 or 8 bucks. |
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| razors edge |
| I would also get the Starmate replay. It's got a better display than the visor. |
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| scajjr |
I have the Visor. It's about 4-5 inches square and about 3/4 inch thick. I have it in my company car and transfer it to the home kit I bought for it at night. Display is fine once you get it set at the right angle. I've had mine for 2 months and no problems. Wires can get in the way in the car depending where the power socket is.
For my personal car though I bought a sat ready Pioneer CD deck and the Sirius tuner for Pioneer decks.
Sam |
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| Siri |
Thanks for the info guys.
If I do upgrade it'll be to the visor. As per getting a unit for a boombox, not my style. I actually have an incredible home theater system that I hook the unit up to when at home. And my car's factory system is actually great for me. So I really don't look into those "boom boxes" Sirius and the other companies make.
As per the recording function. I'd only like that if I could record large amounts of music data while listening to the Stern show, then replay that later in the day entirely (i.e. - long after turning the unit off and on, etc). And I did notice the visor unit has 36 presets to the Starmate's 30-31. Also all of the Sirius units I have seen have that "jump button." Most of them are simply a matter of holding down a button (on my current unit it's the Select button).
The display is a bonus for the Starmate. But I figure if I'm buying a unit with such a small display, I can't expect much. The only concern I have is the ability to read it. And from what I've read and scajjr said, it seems the visor unit's display is okay to read.
I'm noticing that with these units, it's not all about price. In fact the lessor priced versions offer the same features for the most part, save some of the options on the S50. And really, aside from tru portability and the recording feature, what does the S50 have that the lower priced models don't have?
From what scajjr said, the visor is dang small. That's what I'm looking for. And from what UnderToad said, the Starmate's power cable began to "fray." To me that is a major concern. And actually I'd warn you to make sure the adaptor you bought is the same voltage/amp output ad the factory shipped cord. I ran into that problem with another electronic product years back and then when I put together a car station for my Kenwood H2A I had that confirmed from Kenwood. If you use a chord that doesn't match the factory standards, you're slowly killing your equipment. It may take a wek, it may take a year. But at some point the unit will burn out. So just a heads up there.
Thanks for the info guys! |
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| shakman |
Quote: Originally posted by Siri
And I did notice the visor unit has 36 presets to the Starmate's 30-31.
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Don't get too excited about the 36 presets. There are only six preset buttons on the unit and it can be kind of a pain to swap to the next set of six. So basically consider it 6 quick access preset buttons along with 30 other not so quick access presets. Also, the remote was designed by a moron.
But it is a small unit that works good if you really don't need the bells and whistles. I'm really not trying to bash the unit because I do like it. But I basically am only listening to 4-5 channels. |
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| Siri |
| That's exactlly like the Kenwood H2A I have now. I like that much better. If I had 36 buttons on a remote control I think it'd get a bit out of hand. Also having different preset groups is nice. One for music, one for talk, one for sports, etc. |
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| JayFromBrooklyn |
This is my first post on the site so I figured this would be a good one to start with. I've had the Xact VISOR for around 5 months and I LOVE it. I have it hooked up in the house to a set of cheap "Radio Shack" speakers in the kitchen...and I can FM transmit to the radio in the living room.
The main unit comes with the car package (cigarette power/antenna/mounting bracket)...you'll have to get the home kit or the power adaptor to use it the house. The base/mount/stand is a just a quick click to set/remove...which makes the switch from the house to the car super easy...as long as you've already got the wires run in the car. I have the wires tucked into the moldings all the way up to the sun-visor...only complaint is that the power cord from the cigarette lighter is just barely long enough to keep the wires properly hidden in my Jeep Cherokee.
There is a small issue with the remote...I guess it was designed for use in the car...when the unit is flipped upside down in the sun-visor clip. So when you're at home...and the unit is in it's normal position...you have point the remote at the ceiling or the walls to bounce it down to the radio.
So overall...I think it's awesome!! 2 of my friends have the "Streamer" and it's pretty cool...but the VISOR just seems alot more simple and easy to use. |
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| Chrisell |
| If your looking to go inexpensive, the Xact Visor is certainly the way to go. I have the s50 in my truck, and plan to get another s50 for my wifes car, currently we have the Visor hooked up in her car, the only reason I'd get an s50 for her car is because the cleaner installation. The Visor is a super little unit that you can take anywhere from car to car to home, and it work's like a charm. I highly recommend it. |
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| merman_93 |
| For the price, the Visor is a good deal. I bought mine at Best Buy for $39.99, and received a $20.00 Best Buy Gift card, ..so the end cost was $19.99. I also bought the "home kit" for $20.00 so that I can listen before I head out to work. I eventually bought a Kenwood reciever for the car with Sirius, so I now use the Visor in the Company Truck. The Visor is easy to move between vehicles, and seems fairly durable. I'm thinking of changing my subscription to the lifetime before it isn't offered anymore. |
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