ok so ive had my scion Xb for about two weeks now yes im loving it, but in the car i traded in i had an aftermarket Xm radio. I know that the Xb head unit is xm ready and has a hook up in the back to plug something in. im not sure what that is i saw it in a previous post. what im asking is do i have to hook up just my tuner box and antena from my aftermarket xm or will i have to hook up the whole unit? or can i do either way cause i would like to keep the aftermarket head unit because i love the features it has on it. any response is appreciated
thank you
Tripp

 

You have to buy the XM unit from Scion, it's about $330 or so.. If I were yoy I'd just go with an aftermarket deck and get the XM tuner that way, it'll be about the same money and you'll have better sound. The stock deck really limits the sound that you can get from the factory speakers. I just upgraded to Alpine with the stock speakers and it's a world of difference.

 

ok so i would need to just buy a completly different deck meaning i couldnt just hook up the whole aftermakret unit to the stock unit?

 

Why would I have to buy the Scion XM unit? Circuit City sells XM modules for XM-ready head units for $49.99. Am I to understand that these will not work with the Scion radio? I am considering buying an XM unit but there is no way in hell will I buy the $330 part from Scion. If it turns out that you need to buy the Scion XM unit then that was a bad move on their part.

 

you need to buy the scion xm kit to get an oem look, if you get the $49 setup you are going to have any extra peice to install somewhere that you control your xm from.. personally i would rather get the oem look if that is what you are going for..

 

This is something that I too completely don't understand. Why does my Scion stock single-disc radio say XM ready if it isn't? If I have to buy a completely different Scion radio to actually get XM radio, then isn't it false advertising? Hmmm.... help me understand!

 

It IS XM ready, however, the only way to get it to do XM, is to buy the Scion XM unit (receiver box, just like the $49 units at Circuit City, only those are not an option with the factory deck), which is insanely priced well over $300. The $49 units at Circuit City will not work with the factory HU. About the closest thing you could do is buy the AUX harness with RCA inputs on it, and THEN spend the money on the XM Commander (not just the $49 box, I'm talking the $160 unit) so you will be able to display XM channels as well as receive the signal. Basically the only way to play XM and control XM through the HU is to buy the Scion kit. So, you're pretty much better off avoiding that, and buying an aftermarket XM ready deck and using the XM kit from CC or Best Buy. You'll have better sound and better functionality, plus integrated XM, for about the same price.

 

Ok, thanks for that response! Now I have another question. So, if I buy the Delphi XM MyFi personal satellite radio unit with plug and play capabilities into car and home unit, will my stock Scion single-disc radio accept this?

 

Only if you use the FM modulator, which in my opinion, isn't worth spending the money on XM for FM quality sound (speaking from personal experience). But yes, it will work.

 

So, let me get this straight...

The stock radio that says XM ready is NOT XM ready? I thought the head unit was the controller, as evidenced by the branding and the little satellite button. This is starting to sound a little fishy to me.

booo to Scion for this. It is almost as bad as charging $500 for the little LED in the dashboard and calling it an alarm.

 

It is XM ready. You are not understanding the terminology. You headunit is a controller, not a reciever of XM radio. Most Pioneer Radios are "XM ready" these days. XM ready means that it is CAPABLE of playing XM after purchasing the appropriate equipment to do this. It does not mean that it will do this out of the box. Take my radio for instance- the Pioneer AVIC-N1, it advertises on the box that it has a rear view camera controls. It does not come with the rear view camera though, that is another 250-300 bucks from Pioneer. My AVIC N1 is also "XM ready" but I have to purchase the PIONEER XM reciever box to hook it into the system.

Does this make more sense to you now?

 

Ok, I was thinking about putting in the XM Sat radio as well. I just have the regular radio that came with it. I too am confused about how to hook it up or get what I need. Please xplain in like second grade terms. :D Thanks!

 

I use wireless modulation in my Box every day. There's too much road noise to worry about "FM Quality" anyway, afaiac. I use a SkyFi, which I can use on the boombox at work and at home, while using the car docking unit in the Box, Pilot or Miata.

 

yeah im sorry to say but the only way to do it is at your scion dealership. The stock HU has pioneer printed on the front of it, but thats as far as it goes. It is a toyota stereo and you need a xm or sirius reciever that connects to a toyota HU, and you cant get that at bestbuy.

I agree with pniz. Keep in mind, I'm not a audio nut, but i have no problem with the rm modulator. I can then listen to it at work and home. It seems silly to pay $13 a month only to have it in your car.

 

ok hmmm so would it be easiest to just buy the dealer xm radio instead of gong out and buying a whole different head unit?

 

It would be cheaper to purchase an aftermarket head unit and the XM tuner to go with that specific head unit. You will get XM and better sound quality than the stock headunit.

 

I got the following from Circuit City's website. The $49 product they sell IS compatible with the Scion XB as long as you buy the appropriate digital adapter. All said and done it should cost under $100. I guess the Digital Adapter thingy is just a fancy wiring harness since they are brand specific.

The superlong URL is specifically for the Scion XB 2004.

From Circuit City Website :

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ...&c=1&oid=93341

and

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/...oductDetail.do


From what I am able to gather, the Terk XMDirect receiver AND the Terk XMDirect digital adapter are required to get XM on the Scions...no need to buy from Scoin or to get a new head unit.

OMAC


*EDIT Sorry for the long window, I tried to make it smaller but it did not work...

 

YES see i have that stuff the XM commander came with the tuner box and antena so i suppose i can hook it up with that little digital adapter thing which i would gladly pay to get it installed instead of doing all that other i thank you all for your response

 

This still will not work unless you have an aftermarket Pioneer in-dash XM ready unit. The factory HU requires the factory tunerbox, which is the only way to be able to control XM through the factory HU. Scion made sure that you would have to buy the tuner and receiver from them. There are no extra plugs that will fit the "universal" digital adapter on the back of the factory HU, only plugs that fit the Factory Bazooka harness, and the factory XM harness. FM modulation is pretty much the only way to go. You're going to spend atleast $100 on getting XM. However, replacing the stock HU with an aftermarket one gives you the ability to digitally connect XM to your HU as well as have all around better sound, because frankly, the stock HU sucks in terms of sound quality. If you are on a budget and don't mind FM modulation (only as good as the signal of the station modulating), then by all means do so. If you'd like versatility and better digital sound, go fully aftermarket.

 

Well if that is the case the Head Unit that is factory standard is not XM-ready. The term XM-Ready implies that the HU will accept any XM device. It does not say Scion XM-ready... it just says XM-ready. Calling the HU XM-ready and then forcing consumers to buy the proprietary XM parts from Scion is pretty crappy. /RUDE to Scion for doing this to consumers.