Designed for use in the car, through your home stereo, and even in Audiovox's compatible boombox, the SIR-PNP3 Sirius plug-and-play tuner receives more than 120 streaming satellite radio stations, including stations with commercial-free music, talk, sports, and children's programming. Listeners will need an Audiovox home or car kit to use the tuner, but once equipped, they can transfer the tuner between the house and the car stereo as often as they like, negating the need to buy second and third receivers. The tuner is remarkably easy to use, with a large 2.5-by-1.38-inch amber backlit LCD screen that displays the artist info, song title, category, and time, along with a 0-9 number pad and a wireless remote that allow for direct channel access. Users can manually adjust the contrast and dimming level for better viewing, or they can set the display to Auto Dimmer so that it instinctively adjusts to the ambient light level. The receiver also includes a built-in FM transmitter that broadcasts satellite tunes through any FM radio--a bonus for people whose car stereos don't come with auxiliary inputs. Otherwise, most users will choose to connect the tuner (via one of the Audiovox kits) to a stereo's RCA jacks or 3.5 mm auxiliary input for better audio performance.
The SIR-PNP3 is equipped with a number of convenient user options. Most listeners will appreciate the 30 presets in three separate banks (A, B, and C), along with the preset scan function, which browses among the preset channels rather than perusing the entire station catalog. In addition, the receiver includes a preset list mode that displays the preset channels either one at a time or six at a time, with listings by channel name, artist, or song title. To save time, listeners can also directly access Sirius channels by their three-digit channel numbers rather than paging through the channel directory. Additional features include a Look Ahead function, which checks the current playlist of other channels without leaving your current station; an S-seek function that searches the Sirius signal for songs or artists that match your pre-determined favorites; and several time-based options, including an alarm clock, a sleep mode, and a program alert that automatically activates the radio and turns it to a specific program at a preset time.
The tuner measures 4.5 by 3 by 1.5 inches (W x H x D) and carries a one-year warranty on parts and labor. Listeners will need to purchase a compatible car kit, home kit, or boombox along with a subscription to Sirius to enjoy satellite radio programming through the tuner.
