TSS-Radio

So you’re thinking of buying a Stiletto or have already bought one. What accessories or tips do you need to get the most out of your Stiletto?

With this guide I will show you a few products and tips to help you get the most out of your investment.

First I will address the folks who have not yet purchased a Stiletto, so if you already have one please feel free to skip this section. Ok, you’re most likely looking at Stiletto’s because the are new, portable, and incredibly enjoyable, but being as there are technically three Stilettos it can be confusing as to which one is right for you.

First off we’ll look at the Stiletto 10. This unit was developed as a base model portable live Sirius radio. It has an internal memory of 10 hours and is not expandable with a memory card. The Stiletto 10 (SL10) does not support WiFi. It has been discontinued.

The Stiletto 100: Physically identical to the Stiletto 10, but offers more features including Up to 100 hours of storage (2 GB),Schedule up to 6 hour blocks of recording from SIRIUS’ Commercial Free Content,and SIRIUS Replay™—Pause, rewind and replay 44 minutes of live radio. It does have WiFi built in, with the WiFi feature, you will be able to listen SIRIUS inside any building were there is an accessible WiFi connection.

The Stiletto 2: Brand new and sleek looking the SL2 is a fan favorite. It brings all the features of the SL100 plus the ability to use a Micro-SD memory card and use both B and G WiFi. This unit is slightly small and different color, and has an internal battery rather than an external battery like the SL10/Sl100. The SL2 uses the same internal interface menus as the SL10/Sl100. It however does not use the same docks and cradles as the SL10/Sl100. If you are upgrading from the Stiletto 10/100 to the Stiletto 2 you can use the power and antenna cables from the previous car/home kit and just use the Stiletto 2 car dock or Stiletto 2 home dock.

Ok, so you have your Stiletto, now here are a few suggestions to help you protect, customize,and enhance you new toy.

Stiletto Cases:There are many cases out there for your Stiletto, Leather cases,  ruggedized cases, and Neoprene cases to name a few. Choosing one is a personal choice, based on intended use. If you’re a runner, a stiletto armband case is perfect. If you’re a professional, a sleek stiletto leather case touches your Stiletto off nicely, and for you construction workers, a stiletto ruggedized case will protect it from any accidental drops or bumps.

Stiletto Headphones: The Stiletto does come with a set of Antenna Headphones, but if you get the SL10/Sl100 you may want to upgrade to the Stiletto 2 Antenna Headphones, which are made by Altec Lansing, padded and comfortable. Also Stiletto come with standard SIRIUS earbud headphones which DO NOT have an antenna built inside. With Stiletto you can use a variety of aftermarket earbuds to get the best quality sound from you Stiletto. Headphones like the V-Moda Bass Freq headphones feature a powerful bass design that replicates the deep bass, warm mids and crisp highs of the world’s finest clubs and concert venues. Premium V-Moda Vibe Headphones have been acclaimed for superior sound and quality. We have a variety of headphone that can be found HERE

Stiletto Memory Cards: Now if you have a Stiletto 2 this is a feature exclusive to you, adding a MicroSD card like the PNY 2GB MicroSD Flash Memory Card, the PNY 1GB MicroSD Flash Memory Card, and the SanDisk 4GB MicroSD Flash Memory Card.

 Stiletto Screen Protectors: You just made a SIRIUS investment( no pun intended) and you want to keep it nice and clean and free of scratches, I suggest the Sirius Stiletto 2 Screen Shield for Stiletto 2 and Sirius Stiletto 100/10 Screen Shield for Stiletto 10/100 these are applied like standard car window tint and are designed to protect you stiletto screen from any unwanted scratches and nicks.

TIPS and TRICKS for Stilettos:
Tips for both SL100/Sl2:

• Use a Screen shield, please, you will thank me after the first time you accidentally put your Stiletto in the same pocket as your car keys, I’ve done it
• Fully Shutdown the Stiletto before you remove the battery.
• Shut down often, especially at night if not in use.
• Update often, use the USB cable and connect it up to your computer or alternatively connect it to WiFi.
• When 80% of internal memory is used, the Stiletto may start to glitch. The easiest fix is to clean out your recordings.
• After you purchase a Stiletto, UPDATE IT!. It will put the newest version on you Stiletto and fix a few bugs that may have been present when you unit was purchased.
• Use My Sirius Studio software

If you have a Stiletto 2 this is specific for you:

• Format your MicroSD card

This is pretty much everything I can think about Stiletto that will help you the consumer be satisfied and give you a long lasting, quality product.

If you have any addition or comment feel free to email me at:

Josh@tss-radio.com

Just wanted everyone to see some new products that we just got in!

New Products Include:

• Polk Audio Designs miDock Portfolio

A small, sleek speaker dock that uses high-resolution micro-speakers and the ability to connect another device via 3.5mm Aux-In. Great for small offices or personal use.

• Pioneer SIRIUS Connect Interface Package CD-SB10

This package is to be used with compatible Pioneer headunits to get in-dash Sirius Satellite Radio.

• Lexus GS Shark Fin Antenna Adapter

To be used with compatible Lexus GS to use the factory installed antenna(If applicable).

• Lexus IS/LS Shark Fin Antenna Adapter

To be used with compatible Lexus IS/LS to use the factory installed antenna(If applicable).

• SIRIUS Connect Vehicle Kit SCVDOC1

To be used with appropriate Sirius translator! This dock will allow the user to control a Dock and Play radio from the compatible headunit. It must be used in a two-part system, this being a tuner and the second half being the translator for the headunit. SEE HERE

All the new Sirius radios have the same weaker FM transmitter, there I’ll just say it. Now that we got that out of the way we can begin to solve this dilemma.

It does not matter why or really who turned down the transmitting signal in most FM Transmitters sold today( Sirius radios included). What really matters is what can we, together, can solve it.

Almost any car has the ability to solve the weak FM problem. There are typically three solutions, listed in order from good to best:

• The Tape Cassette Adapter
  This device is simple. Remember when walkman CD players first came out? And you rushed out and bought one, but couldn’t listen to it in the car. And then someone handed you a cassette with a audio cable coming out of it. That was a Tape Cassette Adapter. It allows you to play any audio device that has a headphone jack( IPOD, CD Walkman, Sirius, etc) through your car stereo’s tape deck. If you do have a Tape deck this is the most painless way to directly connect your Sirius Radio.

• The FM Direct Adapter
  Some people feel this is lesser quality sound than the Cassette adapter, which I half agree, but I ranked this higher because it does not have that pesky audio cable running from you tape deck to the back of you Sirius radio dock. It gets installed into the car’s antenna and then has a cable to run to the FM OUT of the Sirius dock. This gives you a more hardwired look and still provides you with adequate FM reception. It is a great solution for a semi-permanent application like Company cars, leased cars, and Semi-Rigs.

  

• Aux-Input Device
  This is the BEST way to connect to radio. These devices plug into the CD Changer port on most car stereos and gives a set of RCA line inputs.The RCA inputs can be connected to any audio device via appropriate patch cable. Some car stereos are not enabled however, so be sure to refer to our website for compatibility charts.

For in-home FM transmitting see this product: Whole House FM Transmitter

If you have any questions of concerns about the products described above feel free to visit our website or call us here and we will be more than glad to give you a more detailed list of products that may be available for you car.

SCVDOC1 Sirius Connect Vehicle Dock

If you’re a Sirius nut like me, this new toy is a got-to-have item!

This dock is different from all others. It allows you to use your Dock and Play radios and Stilettos, through your compatible head unit. You can now control your unsightly Sirius receiver from your head unit and leave the receiver in the glove box. It uses the Sirius Dock and Play Universal connector giving you the flexibility to use any of the newer Sirius Radio Receivers.

Comes with the

• SCVDOC1 dock
• 3 interchangeable adapters for all the Dock and Play radios
• Sirius Connect interface cable
• magnectic mount satellite antenna
• dash mount with adhesive base

Please before you decide to purchase this item, make sure the car stereo is Sirius Ready and has the appropriate translator for you radio.
If you are not sure please feel free to refer to our website for further reference.

In the portable SIRIUS satellite radio world there are only two serious contenders..no pun intended.

SIRIUS Stiletto 100
This radio is was revolutionary for its time. Combining the ability to listen to live satellite radio via the built in satellite antenna and battery and the ability to connect to Wi-Fi wireless internet. When the Stiletto came out it was long sought after by Sirius fans and prized by the individuals who owned them. The few downsides to the glorious Stiletto 100 are its limited 100 hour internal memory and painful antenna headphones(both remedied by the Stiletto 2).

SIRIUS Stiletto 2
The Stiletto 2 is a vision into portable Sirius radio’s future. It combines all the Stiletto 100 strengths and none of its weaknesses. A MicroSD card slot for expanded MP3 storage and a set of comfortable and stylish Altec Lansing antenna headphones adds to its already awesome arsenal. Only after holding the Stiletto 2 can you really appreciate its eminence and glory.

Both are a wise choice if your thinking about upgrading, but if you want to be on the forefront of Sirius’s technology the Stiletto 2 is the way to go!

Things are heating up in the world or Sirius Satellite Radio receivers. There is now a possibility of 2 new portable units being available by the end of 2006. You may already be aware of the Live Portable model sl100tk1 that has been announced and now there is talk of another unit being made by Hummax, which is the company that produced the S50. Only time will tell if either of these units comes to the market, but in the mean time, you can email us at sales@tss-radio.com and we will email you any new info about these units as it becomes available.

While we are on the subject of portable SIRIUS, we have begun carrying headphones by V-Moda as replacements for the stock SIRIUS S50 Headphones. I figured it would be a good idea to give them a listen to see how they compare to the original S50 stock “ear bud” style headphone.

I am not a big fan of traditional ear bud style headphone because they never fit in my ears correctly and fall out while I am walking. When we received the V-Moda headphones, I was immediately drawn to the Bass Freq model due to the rubber in ear style of the ear buds. They have a small silicon ear bud that fits directly in to your ear that I found fit much snugger and more comfortably than the original S50 or for that matter any other ear bud I had ever tried.

I did a head to head with my original S50 headphones listening to some of the songs I had recorded off of SIRIUS. The first thing I noticed was a substantial difference in the stereo imaging of the V-modas and the S50 stock headphones. The Stock S50 headphones sound mono to me. It is very hard to place were an instrument is coming from in the stereo feild. The V-Moda Bass Freq have a nice wide open stereo image that add a more natural dimension to the music.

I found that the Bass Freq headphones had a much cleaner, more natural sound. The S50 Stock headphones sound compressed and have an almost FM radio exaggerated sound where as the bass freq headphones have a much cleaner crisper open sound. The S50 stock headphones sound more superficially loud, but the bass freq really has a much more pleasant clean sound. The big question is “how was the bass?” Considering that V-moda named these “Bass Freq”. Compared to the original S50 headphones that sounded mushy and undefined in the mids and lows, the V-Moda has a nicely defined sound where all frequencies can be heard loud and clear. The bass is tight and natural in the Bass Freqs. I do have to say that these may not satisfy any one who is looking for the kind of head shaking bass that a large, over the ear headphones can supply but they are worlds better sounding the original S50 phones IMHO.

I hope everyone out there had a terrific 4th! The illegal fireworks here in Chicago were like nothing I have ever seen. It sounded like a war was going on…Anyway, I posted a banner on the front page of TSS-Radio.com the other day about the new Sirius Live Portable after seeing Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius flash one at the at the Convergence 2.0 Conference. This has already caused some confusion, and I just wanted to clear it up. We put up this banner to encourage people to email us so that we could keep them informed of new information as it becomes available, not so that people could “pre order” this unit that may or may not be available this year. Unfortunately our website shows any item that is not currently available as some thing that can be pre ordered. This is not the case, although we will order enough of the Live Portable when it does come out so that anyone who has sent us email will be able to get one.

Now, what you really want to know is what do we actually know about this Live Portable unit? Well we know that it may be out AROUND August and that the projects name has been changed from Belagio to Stiletto. Also, we know that the working model number is SL100TK1. That is just about all we got for now, but if you email us, we will let you know more when we do. On another note, if anything on TSS-Radio.com says it is on backorder, say like the Outdoor Home Antenna, you can email us at sales@tss-radio.com and we will email you as soon as we receive more!

I apologize that we have not had a post in some time. We have been so busy with getting these SIRIUS S50s in and out. We’ve shipped out about 460 of them and still have about 160 that have to come in and go out. Unfortunately none of the S50 Home Kits have seen stores yet and we sure hope they do.

As for the title of the Blog. December 16, 2005. Howard Stern fans will know exactly what that date is. Howard Sterns historic last day on FM radio. I started this business because of Stern in the first place. That is why I will be flying to NYC the night of the 15th. December 16 also happens to be my birthday. I have talked to Mariann from Brooklyn and am excited to see her as well as High Pitch Eric and Jeff the Drunk, a few of the wackpackers I stay in touch with. I will be with the many thousands of Stern fans at his final day in FM radio history. My birthday combined with Stern’s last day and excuse to visit my Mom in CT. I will not have time to take off for the Holidays and this will be a subsitition for that time. Surely, it will be a great trip and a great thing to be a part of, their is no doubt that if I didn’t do this I would regret it.