> I've also been looking at both formats and would appreciate
> any suggestions given my eclectic tastes in music.
What I've found is that one service is better in some of these areas while the other is preferable in some others. What you might want to consider is the free online trial of both services, and I would recommend you get the trial subscription when you will have plenty of time to listen and both at the same time. That way, you can compare extensively and simultaneously. If you listen to one and then the other, the last one you pick will almost always sound better simply because you listened to it last.
> I do NOT like smooth jazz but love traditional (i.e. Real)
> Jazz and Big Band.
I would say XM is probably a little bit better here, especially with Sirius Standard Time being absorbed into Swing Street in a little over two weeks. XM has Real Jazz for traditional jazz and Frank's Place for standards. Frank's Place has been all standards everytime I've tuned it in. Sirius has Pure Jazz, which is calls "classic jazz" and Swing Street/Standard Time. Once these two get combined, I have no idea how they'll sound. Also, both services office showtunes, and, if it influences you any, XM has a Latin jazz channel.
> Other music I like is:
> Classic Rock -- not "adult contemporary soft smooth rock"--
> but rock like Strawberry Alarm Clock to Uriah Heep to early
> Led Zep.
I'm not sure you'll find happiness with either service in this category. Sirius, however, offers a deeper classic rock selection than XM. The negative is that you have to flip between two channels. Sirius has an early classic rock and a late classic rock channel while XM's Top Tracks just focuses on the most popular classic rock songs and is a little repetitive. Personally, I prefer XM's Top Tracks, mostly because I don't like flipping between two channels for classic rock. Both also offer a channel that goes deeper. Sirius calls it the Vault while XM has Deep Tracks.
> Old Folk like The Weavers to Peter, Paul & Mary
Not sure about this one. Don't really listen to folk much. However, both services offer folk channels.
> Minimalist Classical like John Adams or Steve Reich
Both channels offer three classical channels. All three are pretty similar. I generally prefer XM simply because XM tends to have a little better sound quality than Sirius.
> Punk like Black Flag or Dead Kennedys
Another one I don't listen to very often. Fungus on XM has some punk and ska while Faction on Sirius has punk, hip-hop and hard rock mixed together.
> Electronic like Tangerine Dream
> Hypnotic Techno and Trance
XM has an electronic channel in The System. Never have listened to it. Don't know what it's like. Sirius offers trance and progressive house in Area 63 and "smooth electronic" in Chill. I do listen to Chill on occasion as it sounds kind of smooth jazzy.
Blu 102.9 in Santa Fe streams at its website, and it's a pure chill station. That might be a good benchmark for the kind of music on Sirius Chill. BTW, just flipped on The System, and it sounds nothing like Chill on Sirius.
> Bluegrass not C/W
Both have Bluegrass channels. Both are pretty similar.
> I also like "alternative" news and views to counter-balance
> news by the oligopoly media outlets.
Not sure what you mean with the word "alternative" being in quotes. However, if you're referring to liberal talk, Air America is offerred on XM. From everything I've heard, the left wing talk on Sirius is rather lacking, though I understand it may be the exclusive home of Ed Schultz, who I prefer to pretty much all Air America hosts. If you mean "alternative" as in the alternative-lifestyle, Sirius has a gay/lesbian channel. However, I couldn't tell you anything about it. Not being gay, it doesn't interest me.
