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My Stiletto Review
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| My Stiletto Review
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
I posted this in another thread but I figured I'll give it its own thread: This is my review for the Stiletto 100
UPDATES You can use the much improved antenna headphones that come with the Stiletto 2. They are comfortable and offer good reception as well. They are now being sold separately. Here is the link:
http://www.tss-radio.com/sirius-sti...nes-p-5711.html
UPDATE It now has a clock. This was fixed with a firmware upgrade. TSS now carries the CCrane FM Transmitter here is the link: http://www.tss-radio.com/ccrane-ste...ter-p-5749.html
Sure,
I have been wanting the Stiletto since it came out so I did a LOT of research about it before I got it. This forum will help out anyone interested:
http://www.siriusbackstage.com/foru...isplay.php?f=48
I got a great deal with TSS. That is how I got mine. The shipping was also FREE via Priority Mail.TSS is HIGHLY reliable, great costumer service and has a fantastic return policy. Can't beat them.
www.tss-radio.com
Pros:
The Stiletto is great for the city. All these repeaters make the signal strong, even inside my apartment I get a good reception. When I walk around with it I put it in my pocket and reception is good. Sometimes I get a very quick drop, but nothing that ruins my experience. If you walk into a store, you won't loose reception until you go far from the entrance or away from the windows. The wifi also works great. I took it to work yesterday and in the basement it picked up a wifi signal and I was able to listen to Howard without a hiss down there. I also have a password protected router at home, I set it up on the Stiletto once and it connects without any problems, everytime. The recording of songs is cool, the radio replay recording feature is also cool. I recorded some content from one of the talks channel while at work, and then listened to it in the Subway on my ride home. Sweet.
These are the Cons but since I researched, I knew about them before I got it and thus these were not surprises. I don't even like to say they are cons rather things that could be improved on, like any other piece of electronic equipment.
The antenna headphones are clunky and geeky and I don't know how much better reception is with them. Most people complain that they are too tight in your ears but I have a small head so they are actually too big for me. I plugged them to see what difference do they make on the signal reception and i didn't see much improvement. Outside of the city I don't know how the Stiletto would perform with those antenna head phones, but I seriously doubt it will be as good as in the city.
There is no clock, battery life could be better, but is nice that Sirius compensated this by having the Stiletto 100 come with two batteries. In any case, when I go to work for very long hours I have to bring the charger which I don't like. Of the 100 hours of storage only 50 can be from Sirius the rest is your own MP3's. And what you record on the Stiletto can't be moved to your PC. This is the RIAA's fault not so much Sirius. This doesn't affect me as much because I never had an ipod but is still a drag. When you turn it off you can't tell 100% if it is off or if it is on "Sleep Mode" another no biggie but a little annoying. On Wifi mode you only get the same channels as on the computer stream and the sound quality although still pretty good, is still not as good as on sat mode.. I just wish they added a news channel to it like CNN. Also, the Stiletto works only on wireless B, so if you come across a router that only sends the signal in wireless G it won't work. The FM transmitter on the dock does suck, is practically useless. But I did get the CCRANE FM transmitter ahead of time because of this, and is marvelous after you tweak it. I made a thread on it in this forum.
If you are going to pick a case, get the leather case by directed, that is what I use. TSS has it. I also have the rugged case by speck but reception gets choppy with it, you'll have to balance security or reception with that case.
All those things, I new about them ahead of time and don't ruin the experience whatsoever for me. I'm loving this Stiletto. And for somebody living in the city is definitely worth it.
If you are unsure on whether or not you have repeaters in your area check out:
http://www.dogstarradio.com/sirius_map.php If you are within the blue circle of an active repeater you should be fine. Another way to check is by looking at the signal indicator of your current receiver. If you get a constant "Terrestrial" signal of over 50% you have a repeater nearby. |
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| tnk |
thanks Fa Fa...........i haven't opened mine yet..................I'm still deciding on whether or not i want to keep it.
I have the Sportster docked in my car (and also have a home dock for that). Do you suggest keeping that ALONG with the Stiletto..........or do you think i should buy the docking stations for the Stiletto and use that as my MAIN one for car and home?
I can't decide :mad: I need to read up on this a little more............... It was a Xmas gift. I didn't expect it! :) |
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| Case a Beer |
Quote: Originally posted by tnk
thanks Fa Fa...........i haven't opened mine yet..................I'm still deciding on whether or not i want to keep it.
I have the Sportster docked in my car (and also have a home dock for that). Do you suggest keeping that ALONG with the Stiletto..........or do you think i should buy the docking stations for the Stiletto and use that as my MAIN one for car and home?
I can't decide :mad: I need to read up on this a little more............... It was a Xmas gift. I didn't expect it! :) |
I'm trying to decide myself. I want a Stiletto, but only want to have one rec.
The Sirius deal is pretty good, with the car kit thrown in.. |
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| marraco99 |
| How long does the battery last with normal use? Does this change when reception is not ideal? It sounds like the car kit is totally necessary. CJ |
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| tnk |
Quote: Originally posted by Case a Beer
I'm trying to decide myself. I want a Stiletto, but only want to have one rec.
The Sirius deal is pretty good, with the car kit thrown in.. |
Yeah!!! My husband paid over $300............he might return this one and i'll reorder thru Sirius/SFN! |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by tnk
thanks Fa Fa...........i haven't opened mine yet..................I'm still deciding on whether or not i want to keep it.
I have the Sportster docked in my car (and also have a home dock for that). Do you suggest keeping that ALONG with the Stiletto..........or do you think i should buy the docking stations for the Stiletto and use that as my MAIN one for car and home?
I can't decide :mad: I need to read up on this a little more............... It was a Xmas gift. I didn't expect it! :) |
Hummm, it depends. Do you want to walk around while listening to Live Sirius? Do you want to listen to Sirius in areas where you can't bring your Sportster? If you do, do you have enough repeaters in your area and do you have open wifi connections in the places you are thinking of bringing the Stiletto? Check the repeater map and your receiver to see if you are near a repeater. If you aren't near a repeater and you are happy with your Sportster, then I wouldn't recommend keeping it. If you are still on the fence, depending where the Stiletto was purchased (check the return policy) you can try it for about a week and if you don't consider it is something for you, return it. :) |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by marraco99
How long does the battery last with normal use? Does this change when reception is not ideal? It sounds like the car kit is totally necessary. CJ |
I think the user's manual is accurate as for battery life. I haven't measured it exactly but with the big battery I get about 4 hours on satellite mode and 8 on internet mode. With the slim battery I get about half of both numbers. On library mode I get a lot of hours with both.
The docks are not necessary but they do help with certain things.
I HIGHLY recommend getting either the car dock or home dock with the Stiletto. Like I said, the FM transmitters in them are useless, but you can use a remote control, schedule recordings while your Stiletto is off and with the home dock you can charge both batteries at the same time. |
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| Case a Beer |
I'm so on the fence it's getting stupid. I want it, since my Sportster is over two years old, but I'm too far from the repeater to get the entire effect.
Or do I wait for new technology and a price drop. |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by Case a Beer
I'm so on the fence it's getting stupid. I want it, since my Sportster is over two years old, but I'm too far from the repeater to get the entire effect.
Or do I wait for new technology and a price drop. |
How about areas with wireless internet, do you have access to those in your daily life? If not then waiting for a price drop would be a reasonable thing.
But also like I said to TNK, you can get it from a place with a good return policy (TSS) and try it for a week or two. If it doesn't meet your needs, send it back and get a refund. |
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| MooseWS6 |
Thanks for links and review. I did not know about the fm transmitt problem until reading this.
I wanted a ipod and since I was thinking of upgrading my radio this makes a perfect fit. I'm a little concerned though about getting it to work in work truck..
I think I'll hold off a little linger and see how everyone elses works out. |
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| marraco99 |
| From what you all know, is the website the best place to buy all this stuff? I am not hearing good things about them. CJ |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by marraco99
From what you all know, is the website the best place to buy all this stuff? I am not hearing good things about them. CJ |
I've read too many horror stories about ordering directly from Sirius. Mainly due to shipping problems. But then again, you can use the SFN promo code and save some money. |
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| marraco99 |
| so, if you have some patience, you can save some money. maybe it will get better after christmas. hope at least. I won't hold my breath. |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by marraco99
so, if you have some patience, you can save some money. maybe it will get better after christmas. hope at least. I won't hold my breath. |
I can tell you this, you will never go wrong ordering anything with TSS. :) |
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| altered77 |
i got a stiletto s100 for Christmas i love it even with the home kit with my starmate replay
i could not get a real good signal in my apartment my stiletto with the wifi i can still hear it anywhere in the building witch i also work in my only question is why if you can pay extra for the internet feed for better quality why cant you get all the channels people with stilettos shoud be able to get all the channels if they pay for the better internet quality |
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| Robin's big nip |
| Does the better internet stream improve the sound quality on the stiletto? |
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| Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha |
Quote: Originally posted by Robins big nip
Does the better internet stream improve the sound quality on the stiletto? |
Unfortunately, it doesn't on wifi mode. So far the Stiletto doesn't have the capability to receive the better quality stream that you pay extra for. On Satellite mode you do get the same good quality sound that you get as on any receiver but on internet mode you don't. |
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| one4thethumb |
I received the Stiletto for Xmas as well, and after putting it through a battery of tests over the last week, I am pleased with its performance. I now have 3 subscriptions, an OEM radio in my car, my X-ACT w/ boom box (which subscription expires on 1/7/07) that was the unit I used while at work, and the Stiletto. I am going to let the X-Act subscription lapse. The unit has been serviceable, but the orange LCD suffers from severe burnout and it takes the better part of 1 hour after you power it up, to be able to read the display.
I purchased the home kit as well as the leather belt/sport carry case. I've used it in WI-FI mode at the gym the last 3 mornings, and I've lost the signal numerous times. I'm tempted to switch to sat mode instead, however, I will need to experiment to determine whether the repeater signal will be strong enough to enter my health club (I have no problem listening in sat mode at home with the earbuds as opposed to the clunky sat headphones).
The home kit is now installed in my office and I have a direct line into my stereo so, I did not have to deal with any issues regarding the FM transmitter. The only issue will be for some of my co-workers who are in line of site with my office, will no longer be able to listen vicariously on the FM band.
So far so good. I use the charger at home and the home kit at the office. My only lament is that I was unable to listen to Artie's new year's eve broadcast from Philly (reviews aside). I set it to record and had the radio in sleep mode to pull off this task, but it did not record. Am I missing something or are 100 and 101 unable to be recorded?
An interesting aside, I was tipped off in the middle of last summer by a guy in my golf league who works for Sirius R&D in metro Detroit about the Fm transmitters and the fact that they would be seriously powered down due to complaints filed with the FCC. |
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| Pussah2 |
| The recording fucnction is the best part and I get amazing reception in manhattan. not good on teh bus (nj transit) |
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| got1toburn |
| Love mine but i hope the next generation has a slot for more Memory. Also, mine freezes all the time. |
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| DaGre8tOne |
Quote: Originally posted by Fa-Fa-Fo-Ha
I posted this in another thread but I figured I'll give it its own thread:
Sure,
I have been wanting the Stiletto since it came out so I did a LOT of research about it before I got it. This forum will help out anyone interested:
http://www.siriusbackstage.com/foru...isplay.php?f=48
I got a great deal with TSS. That is how I got mine. The shipping was also FREE via Priority Mail.TSS is HIGHLY reliable, great costumer service and a fantastic return policy. Can't beat them.
www.tss-radio.com
Pros:
The Stiletto is great for the city. All these repeaters make the signal strong, even inside my apartment I get a good reception. When I walk around with it I put it in my pocket and reception is good. Sometimes I get a very quick drop, but nothing that ruins my experience. If you walk into a store, you won't loose reception until you go far from the entrance or away from the windows. The wifi also works great. I took it to work yesterday and in the basement it picked up a wifi signal and I was able to listen to Howard without a hiss down there. I also have a password protected router at home, I set it up on the Stiletto once and it connects without any problems, everytime. The recording of songs is cool, the radio replay recording feature is also cool. I recorded some content from one of the talks channel while at work, and then listened to it in the Subway on my ride home. Sweet.
These are the Cons but since I researched, I knew about them before I got it and thus these were not surprises. I don't even like to say they are cons rather things that could be improved on, like any other piece of electronic equipment.
The antenna headphones are clunky and geeky and I don't know how much better reception is with them. Most people complain that they are too tight in your ears but I have a small head so they are actually too big for me. I plugged them to see what difference do they make on the signal reception and i didn't see much improvement. Outside of the city I don't know how the Stiletto would perform with those antenna head phones, but I seriously doubt it will be as good as in the city.
There is no clock, battery life could be better, but is nice that Sirius compensated this by having the Stiletto come with two batteries. In any case, when I go to work for very long hours I have to bring the charger which I don't like. Of the 100 hours of storage only 50 can be from Sirius the rest is your own MP3's. And what you record on the Stiletto can't be moved to your PC. This is the RIAA's fault not so much Sirius. This doesn't affect me as much because I never had an ipod but is still a drag. When you turn it off you can't tell 100% if it is off or if it is on "Sleep Mode" another no biggie but a little annoying. On Wifi mode you only get the same channels as on the computer stream and the sound quality although still pretty good, is still not as good as on sat mode.. I just wish they added a news channel to it like CNN. Also, the Stiletto works only on wireless B, so if you come across a router that only sends the signal in wireless G it won't work. The FM transmitter on the dock does suck, is practically useless. But I did get the CCRANE FM transmitter ahead of time because of this, and is marvelous after you tweak it. I made a thread on it in this forum.
If you are going to pick a case, get the leather case by directed, that is what I use. TSS has it for 25 bucks. I also have the rugged case by speck but reception gets choppy with it, you'll have to balance security or reception with that case.
All those things, I new about them ahead of time and don't ruin the experience whatsoever for me. I'm loving this Stiletto. And for somebody living in the city is definetely worth it.
If you are unsure on whether or not you have repeaters in your area check out:
http://www.dogstarradio.com/sirius_map.php If you are within the blue circle of an active repeater you should be fine. Another way to check is by looking at the signal indicator of your current receiver. If you get a constant "Terrestrial" signal of over 50% you have a repeater nearby. |
I hope what you say is true. I really want a Stiletto and I'm scared to buy one and it not working @ work. I'm acutally pretty lucky because I'm very near to a window. None the less I hope to get this Stiletto some time this week. |
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