Home > Consumer Reviews > Delphi MyFi XM2GO Portable XM Satellite Radio Receiver with Home / Car Kits

A year and a half ago I received the Delphi XM2Go as a Christmas gift You may remember this product from its advertisements with Cal Ripken Jr. carrying it around as he roamed around suburbia. This product has lived up to its expectations with convenience being the most helpful.
XM radio has become an alternative to standard radio. Broadcast stations are limited to their coverage area. Similar to personal radio walkmans with headphones, this XM radio receiver's internal satellite antenna keeps a clear signal for the user. If there is limited satellite coverage due to cloudy or rainy weather, a detachable plug-in antenna can optimize the signal.
A large lighted screen allows the user to change between more than 100 different channels quickly without hearing static fuzz that comes with standard radios. A feature on this XM radio that I liked the most is the ability to view the actual song that a particular channel is playing and the option to choose that or move along to the next channel.
This XM radio can be taken anywhere even in the car without hook-up into the electronic components of the vehicle. Simply by tuning the car radio to a specific frequency, the XM radio will come through your vehicle's speakers clearly and without advertisements.
The convenience of this radio makes it worth the price for someone who drives frequently or simply enjoys listening to the radio. The only downside is the $10 monthly fee to have an XM account. As more users become familiar with satellite radio, eventually, the monthly charge will in turn, probably be less expensive.

I bought a MyFi from one of the electronics sellers on Amazon (very low price) and absolutely love it. It's true--the box comes with everything you could possibly desire for using it at home, in the car or walking around. As I don't have a car, I only use it for home, work and walking around. I love how the built-in FM transmitter allows me to play it at home through the FM radio on my boom box. I also love how the portability makes it possible for me to listen at work. I have found the reception to be excellent wherever I am--on the top floor of a highrise apartment (even one with no south-facing window so I can't point the antenna right at the satellites), traveling on the bus (there are a few dropout spots but not many--and this is without the extra antenna) and in my office. The only dropouts I've noticed while walking have been in places like WiFi hotspots, elevators, and near the front door of my apartment building (which unlocks with an electronic fob). The variety of music and media is great--forget boring commercial radio, this is much more fun! These channels play songs you haven't heard in years and stuff you've never heard before, from the latest music to old rarities. Not to mention the options in news, weather and sports, of course...I also love the recording option. I only wish it were extremely easy to download and save recorded files to someplace else before they got recorded over. My only problems: 1) The manual is a little off; when they explain how to preset it to record at a later time, they don't explain that you have to press the "Menu" button again to get the settings to stay and to ensure the recording takes place. They left that small detail out!; and 2) today when I had it still turned on and plugged it into the battery recharger while it was on (although the charger was not even plugged in), it fritzed. Tech support told me what to do, though--a temporary battery removal and reset solved the problem. Aside from that, this is one terrific gadget that will provide hours of listening pleasure.

Edited to add: Oh dear...this first one I ordered worked great for about a month...then it died. Would only work for a few seconds at a time and then at times it was impossible to turn OFF! Very bizarre. I had to actually remove the battery to make sure it was off because otherwise it would overheat like crazy when I was under the impression I had turned it off (I hadn't--it had just stopped working and because I pressed the button I thought it was off, but it wasn't). I don't know what was wrong with it, but the seller did take it back and replace it with a new one. I've had the replacement about a month and a half and it works fine, and I still love it for all the reasons I loved the original before it died on me! I don't know why some people have problems with reception, but I guess they do; I never have, though. And I love the variety of programming on XM Radio and the quality of sound I get through either the device itself or the FM transmitter on my boom box. Maybe it doesn't work so well with car sound systems, but for me walking around or in my home or office, it works fine.

This weekend I purchased a MyFi portable XM satellite radio, and it is pure joy.

Apple's Steve Jobs said people want to own music. That statement presumes that we want control of our music, and that we don't have that control without it. This assumption is wrong now that satellite radio is a viable option.

XM gives me the perfect combination of control and serendipty. I have heard several songs that I probably last heard when my mother was driving me to grade school in the 70s, and that really brings a smile to my face. (Plus, I can find out from the display the title and artist--and record those things in memory with the click of a button.) At the same time, I don't want to hear these songs that often, and I don't want to pay $1 a song just to have it pop into my life once in a while.

I don't want to think about or plan good music; I just want to hear it. CDs, downloads and FM radio are imperfect solutions; XM is a whole lot closer. There are dozens of channels, and if I don't like what I'm hearing, I just change the channel. I can indulge my interests in jazz, 80s music, 70s music, what's popular now, electronica, jazz, classical. Maybe I'll check out some folk music or 40s big band classics; I can tell you I'd never commit to sitting down at my computer and trying to figure out which songs to buy. With XM, the only commitment is $10 a month. That's a day's fritter money in NYC, but only 10 downloads from iTunes.

I've had almost no problems with reception in Manhattan. The manual says you get the best reception when it's upright, and that's true inside; outside, I carry it in my coat pocket and it works however it's oriented. At night I record 5 hours of music on the device; the next day, if I'm somewhere I can't get reception (like the subway), I just switch to the memory. No, I can't change channels there--but I can skip to the next song with a click of a button. When I'm home, it connects easily to my stereo, and you can control all of the functions with the included remote.

Yes, the device is a spendy first generation; it could stand some improvements--it's a little chunky, some buttons are a little finicky, the thumb wheel could be more comfortable, you can't selectively erase songs from the 5 hour memory. The sound quality is not quite as good as CD--though it's a big improvement over FM in clarity and freedom from interference. Like most other music devices, the included headphones are crap. (I recommend the Sennheiser PX100 for a good combo of sound, affordability, looks, portability.) My biggest annoyance has been that the remote doesn't play well with universal remotes due to the truly stupid use of "toggle bits" (search the RemoteCentral.com forums for "MyFi" for more on that).

But these are small potatoes compared to the opportunity to experience the joy of music again--to delight in the familiar and experience the new, in whatever combination and whatever genre I want. I had forgotten how much I enjoy music; XM has rekindled that. If it sounds like I'm in love, that's intentional. It's certainly not a replacement for an iPod (which I don't own); if you're jonesing for a particular song in your collection, this won't help you. If you want to rediscover your music *collection*, get an iPod. If you want to rediscover *music*, get this.

I purchased the MyFi receiver awhile ago and happily used it for about 3-4 months. I thought it would be nice to have a reciever I could use at work, at home, or even "on the go." As an XM receiver it works just fine. I used it both my vehicles with the supplied mounts without any real significant issues.

However, I just don't like the layout of the controls and buttons. They would work fine as walk-man type device. But trying to change controls in the car is rather annoying. I had to keep reaching for the remote control just to change the channel. The wheel is on the side, making it hard to grasp with one hand while it's in the cradle. And the buttons are so small it's hard to see or press them while driving.

Now this would all be fine if I could actually use it as a walk-man. But I should have really known better. This is a satellite receiver... they don't like being moved! Forget about walking or jogging with this unit. It will constantly loose reception, even with the extra antenna.

Not to mention the battery only lasts 6 hours. So if you want to use it as a portable device, you really need to record the music before you walk around with it. Yes, you can record music with this radio. While a "cool" feature, I simply found no real use for it. I think being able to pause live content as with other satellite radio's is far more useful.

Pro:
- Fairly small for a portable satellite reciever
- Clear and legible LCD screen
- Complete kit includes everything you'll ever need
- If you shop around, it's fairly cheap considering what you get

Cons:
- Useless as a portable receiver. And seeing as how this is what it's designed for... not a good thing.
- Bulky for a "portable" device
- Buttons too small for car use
- Side jog wheel is annoying to use in any circumstances except as a walk-man, which doesn't work very well either.
- Cannot pause live content
- Cheap tape adapter, had to replace it immediately

Basically, I would recommend purchasing a cheaper XM satellite receiver that has the same quality and without the extra useless feature, at a fraction of the price. This is assuming you are OK with the quality satellite radio gets in general. (See below).

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The last thing I would like to comment on, which is the reason I sold the MyFi, is audio quality. I'm not going to use this as a "con" for the MyFi (which has normal audio quality for a portable satellite receiver), but as a "con" for ALL satellite receiver. Sorry, but for a high-tech satellite radio, the quality is simply unacceptable!

There is simply no way I can pay a monthly fee for "satellite" radio that is LOWER than CD quality. Sure, it's better than FM. But so is a CD and an Mp3 Player (depending on bit rate of course). I tried using the tape adapter and going directly into the Aux inputs, both are just unacceptable. You may think it sounds great in a factory car stereo, but I suggest you go buy a good quality Mp3/CD player and connect it to your stereo (obviously don't use an FM trasmitter). Just listen to the difference.

And if you have an descent aftermarket or high-end factory stereo system, you will easily see how bad the quality is. And some channels are actually LOWER quality than others. If you care about sound quality, don't buy satellite radio until they can at LEAST give us "CD quality." Go buy an Mp3 Player with at least 97db SNR (Signal to Noise Radio) and only use Mp3's at 128kpbs or higher (preferably 192kpbs).

I was a total novice to sat radio when I bought the MyFi largely on a whim. Therefore, this review is mainly for the unitiated. First, I didn't realize that you're supposed to install the car antenna on the top of your car. No way was I going to try that myself or pay someone else to do it on my leased vehicle. Instead, I put in on my dash and it seems to work pretty well despite what XM says. Second, there is very little information on how to actually hear your music. I found it confusing the first time I tried to hook up to listen thru my car speakers and the speakers at home. Once I called customer service and had them explain, it was fairly simple. Sound quality for me has been good walking around (I live in a good size city), BUT my one problem with portability is the accessories. I hate earbuds, the antenna is a little awkward and the case is pretty useless--it covers all the buttons and has no clip, just a snap to go over a belt loop (especially unhelpful if you're a woman or want to wear it during a workout). I know the warehouse stores like Sam's Club have a special pack that comes with sturdier headphones with a built in antenna. You might want to check that out. Having said all that, the unit is nicely designed and I instantly fell in love with the programming. Radio doesn't suck anymore. Totally worth it.