Customer Reviews
Love the unit! 
2007-02-07
Love the S50! I've had my 3 months now.
Best features:
Looks cool.
Remote is very handy. Wouldn't think so, but the remote gives you so many more buttons right at your fingertips.
Sound quality is excellent.
Nice screen size shows artist, song name, station, sometimes other features, all very clear.
Records as you play, so you can back up a bit if you miss something (if you're listening to talk radio shows)
You can record your favorite shows.
If you leave it in the dock while you're at work or in the house, it will have recorded whatever station you're on so that when you jump in the car, you just back it up a bit, then you can jump right over the commercials they have on talk radio.
Great mount. Very slick mounting system lets you get it where you want it.
Cons:
The unit does seem to glitch out on me. Sometimes the buttons quit working, sometimes it is supposedly transmitting but no sound is coming out of my stereo, sometimes it completely freezes up. Always easy to fix, just shut it off and turn back on, but annoying as heck. I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't for it glitching out.
The little removeable unit seems like it is potentially tempting to steal, so I feel compelled to have to take it out of the car every night or when I park somewhere for a few hours. That's just me, though
Overall:
For the price, I think it is an awesome unit. It's the difference between regular TV and TV with TIVO. For those with a TIVO (or DVR), you know how huge a difference it is!
Neat unit, but with problems. 
2007-01-30
I bought an S50 in May 2006. I worked fine for about a month, then would not pick up the signal at all, then it wouldn't even come on or boot up. I have to say that Sirius was good about sending me a brand new unit (with the agreement that I would send the bad one back within 30 days) within a week of calling. However, the new unit hardly works at all. It turns on fine and does pick up the digital signal, but the sound quality is horrible. Tons of static. I have tried about 10 different station settings (which the Sirus customer service gave me the stations that work best for my area) and only 1 station works slightly. I will get an FM adapter (Sirius is currently, of course, sold out right now) and see if that works. If it doesn't, I will throw the S50 away and get a Sportster, which by the way, I have had in my other vehicle for a year with not one problem at all. My advice to buyers is to avoid the S50, but consider the Sportster if you want digital radio.
great Product 
2007-01-23
This thing is great for what it is: a decent satellite radio receiver and a portable MP3/WMA/Recorded Content player. The gripes you read about from other reviewers are petty; it seems that some people expect it to change the world. Anytime you shrink something and gain portability, you're going to lose some features, but no basic functioinality has been lost here, just soem menu features and a couple buttons. My favorite feature is the ability to play MP3's even while it's docked in the car. Any time I can combine 2 devices into one I'm happy. Now if I could only make phone calls on it........
Sirius S50 over priced junk 2007-01-22
Since November of 2006 I have gone thru. 5 different Sirius Plug & Play Receivers. The first 3 where the Stratus each of them didn't work. Then I had the Starmate 4 which lasted about 2 weeks.
After returning the Starmate 4 to the Electronic Store the Manager talked me into the S50 which he said happend to be the best model in his Store at that time.
Well I purchased the S50 and have had nothing but issues and problems. First off the Reception was awful. Was told to move the Antenna to different locations. I did just that and it didn't help at all.
Even tried different Antenna's to be sure it wasn't actually an Antenna issue or problem. Each different Antenna had the same problems. I couldn't get a good Satellite signal. Out of 100% I was getting about 20%.. Plus the sound quality was and still is Awful......
Phoned Sirius Tech. support and was told to try a Cassette Adapter which would directly send the Sirius Signal into my Cars stereo. The Adapter which was $24.95 didn't work.....
Phoned Sirius again.... Spoke with another Tech. who suggested getting a better type of Antenna. Well this time I got the Home Kit style Antenna that is the type that comes with Boom Boxes Etc..... I now have a 100% Satellite Signal... But the sound Quality is static and more static.
Was given a list of different FM Frequencies (stations) to tune the radio to.... That also hasn't worked....
Anyone looking into this S50 don't buy it.... It's a waste of Money...
Also before getting Sirius compare it with XM in your area....Do the Homework now to avoid any Headaches later....
Good car radio 2007-01-20
Overall a good product. I use it daily on my hour long commute back and forth from work. Very good quality FM transmission to the car radio. The ability to browse channels and see what is on before switching channels is nice compared to the built in sirius stereo in our VW car where you can't easily browse without changing channels.
s50 Works Very Well, but not completely portable 2007-12-25
I bought the s50 when it first came out and 2 years later, I'm still in love with it. I bought it for Howard Stern and I got a good system going. I program it to record the show in 3hr chunks. Then when I get home or on the weekend I hear the shows. It would be great if it could listen to a show while I record one. However, that's really my only complaint.
What a Nightmare! 
2007-06-10
I was really looking forward to my new S50. Unfortunately, Sirius could not activate it. So I went through a series of support calls that ended three hours later with Sirius coaching me through an update of the unit's firmware using my computer and a huge software download from Sirius. No luck. So the tech said to return it. The box it came had stickers on it that said it could not be returned to the seller (Tiger Direct, via Amazon) which Sirius said violates their agreement with Amazon. Sirius does not warrantee the radio for the first 30 days and will not accept returns during that time. But the lady at Tiger Direct allowed us to return it. Seems this is a problem item for them. So I went to Best Buy to get a working version, but they don't carry it. The clerk told me they had problems with that model and don't sell it any longer. I bought the ST4 and had it installed. Its great! The sound is excellent and it has all the features I need for alot less money. You couldn't GIVE me an S50! If I need to carry music with me I will get an Ipod.
Amazing!! 2007-03-14
This is the most perfect creation since online shopping. Seriously, this is an amazing radio with the most spectacular, user friendly options. This single device has skyrocketed my exercising motivation and my daily joy of driving. Not only can you download your own songs but any song you hear on the satellite radio broadcast you can save as well. Shuffle the songs and you have an outstanding array of your favorites. Sleek design looks perfect in the Benz too!
Like DVD / TiVO for you radio 2007-02-17
I am pleased with the unit. It functions well and looks great. The sound, as well as the viraity, is great, and the preformance of the unit is near flawless. You can record and rewind what you are listening to, plus you can load your own stuff. I travel a lot and it it is great to have. I haven't used it as an MP3 player yet, but so far it is a great unit. The only draw back that I see is that there are still national shows that have not signed on yet, but if you like sports, this is for you.
BREAKS DOWN!! BUYERS BEWARE!! 2007-02-13
I purchased the S50 w/ both car and home dock when it was first available which set me back over $400 dollars. Now after only 13 months it has completely quit working and I have been told it is no longer under warranty. Sirius has told me to simply buy a new one. I'm having a hard time with this due to the fact that my previous Sirius radio (a Blaupunkt model) also broke down completely after 13 months.
