Q: Years ago, I purchased a Grace Digital Solo Wi-Fi radio receiver to stream SiriusXM radio to our home stereo system. Now, according to Grace Digital, because of changing technology, models of that radio manufactured between 2007 and 2017 will stop being functional soon.
To work around the problem, Sirius offers a very affordable Home Kit. Unfortunately, it relies on a satellite antenna rather than a wireless internet connection, and the antenna will not work easily for me. Grace Digital sells its Grace Link, but I'm not thrilled about relying on them again, even though they are offering a discount to affected customers, which brings my cost down to $117. All other options appear to be higher quality receivers with Wi-Fi connectivity, which are both more expensive and more than I need. Do you know of any other solutions?
A: There are many ways to listen to SiriusXM. Here are a few ways that not only are inexpensive, but likely to be future-proof, as well. In fact, you already might own some of them and just need to unlock their capabilities.
You can add the SiriusXM app to your smartphone and stream it to your stereo via Bluetooth. If your stereo does not have built-in Bluetooth, you can add it with a $25 Bluetooth receiver. There is no extra cost to use the app, and it works in your car, too. If you want to stream SiriusXM when your phone is not connected to Wi-Fi (like in the car), just make sure you have an unlimited data plan. If you do not want to tie up your phone for this purpose, you can use one of your retired smartphones connected to your Wi-Fi network. Or buy a $49 Amazon 7 Fire tablet or an inexpensive Android tablet.
You can use Amazon Alexa Echo devices to play SiriusXM through your stereo. All you need is a $39 Echo Dot and a miniplug-to-RCA connection cable. Place the Dot near your stereo and connect it to your network with the Alexa app. Next, use the cable to connect the Dot's 3.5mm stereo audio output to your sound system. Go to the Amazon Alexa app and enable the SiriusXM skill, then log into your SiriusXM account from there. You select channels by name — for example, by saying "Alexa, play Elvis Radio on SiriusXM" — or number: "Alexa, play channel 8 on SiriusXM." Want a display, too? Get an $89 Echo Show instead of a Dot.
The Roku, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV Smart TV systems all offer SiriusXM apps. Add the app to your TV and log in to your SiriusXM account. If your TV is connected to your stereo, you are ready to go. Of course, you can't watch TV while listening to the radio app, but it is unlikely both activities will be occurring simultaneously in the same room.
Personally, I'd opt for the Echo Show. You get voice activation, a wired connection to your stereo and additional functionality from the Show's other features. You also can use it to access other music services like Tidal, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.
