I got XM because I liked the hardware better at the time. I got the Audiovox Xpress which has a non-obnoxious black/white LCD and 5 lines of text, all for a very reasonable price.
Pros: Signal very good, only cuts out under rural bridges or near mountains. Terrestrial augmentation in Atlanta was very good, I even got reception deep in a parking garage.
Free online streaming of most channels. This is a nice perk for at home. Some channels are not available though.
Cons: Alternative/Rock programming sucks. They play the same songs over and over. I like channels 20, 26, 47, 54. Does anyone listen to 44, 45, 50, 51, 52, 53?? Is it just me or does the music suck on these stations 95% of the time? Their DJ's need to take a lesson from any popular FM alternative rock station such as DC101, WAAF or WBCN.
Sound quality is OK but not great. This is really noticeable on my nice system. I would say it sounds like a 96 kbps mp3. If I want to impress someone with sound quality it has to come from a CD.
Also FYI, something I learned is that if you want cheaper rates, simply call them and tell them you'd like to cancel your subscription. If they ask why say something like "it's too expensive for what I'm getting." Their phone people are trained to try and make a "save", so they will offer you a promotional rate to try and keep your business. I found they will typically offer 6 months at half price. After your subscription goes back to normal price simply wait a month and do it again
Jason