SiriusXM - Current Status of 'Xtra Channels'?

  • 9 January 2022
  • 4 replies
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I chatted in to support two days ago after I added some channels as favorites in the SiriusXM app and I was unable to get those channels to show in the Sonos app. So I removed my SiriusXM account from Sonos and then logged back in to SiriusXM in the Sonos app. I still could not see the channels I had favorited. It wasn’t until support inquired about what channels I was looking for that I realized perhaps the Xtra channels weren’t gonna be available on Sonos. However, support told me that everyone of the Xtra channels I had favorited were showing as available. So I restarted my router and everything but by the time everything was back up I didn’t have time to log back into the chat support. And despite the reboot of my system I still have none of the channels I recently favorited including one channel that has a number so isn’t an Xtra channel at all (SoundCloud Radio on channel 508).

I just found a support article saying Xtra channels are NOT supported via Sonos. 

So can someone tell me was the chat support correct that Xtra channels are available or is the support article correct that Xtra channels are not supported?  If Xtra channels are supported, what’s the trick to get my Sonos controller to let me play them?

 


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Just adding my anecdotal 2 cents. I have 15 Sonos devices of various age and I enable Alexa. None of the SiriusXM Xtra channels show up in Sonos app however, I am able to start the channels by asking Alexa. It took experimenting on what to ask for. For instance, I generally listen to Classic Rewind, classic Vinyl, etc but I like the Classic Rock Mix Xtra channel for broader range and not talking head. I say, “Alexa, play classic rock mix extra channel on SiriusXM” and bam! She says, playing classic rock mix on SiriusXM.
if I just ask to play classic rock mix, she plays classic vinyl. I have also been able to skip tracks, “Alexa, skip”.

YMMV. HTH

Obviously, Sonos radio has the tightest integration with Sonos.  But picking the right service for you goes far beyond price and integration with Sonos.  You need to consider content, audio quality, service area, and unfortunately these days, possibly political/social impact.  Not sure that any one can give you good recommendations beyond what works for them personally.  There is a ton of options though.  Link below has all the supported services.

 

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3459?language=en_US

 

 

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Thanks @Airgetlam.  That’s the gist I was getting from some of the dated discussions I could find but considering what I was told by support I really wasn’t sure what to think.  I pretty much thought that the Xtra channels would be all or nothing also based on the support article’s blanket statement but I’m more than happy to provide a glimpse into my current musical appetite.  :slight_smile:

Fly Party - 90s/2000s Hip-Hop/R&B Party Music

Fly Party - 90s/2000s Hip-Hop/R&B Top 100

Heat 2K Hits - 2000s R&B and Hip-Hop Hits

90s/2Ks Pop Hip-Hop and R&B - Pop Hip-Hop/ R&B from 90s to 2000s

HipHop Nation Top Hits - Hip Hop New & Recent Hits

Fly Deep Cuts - Deeper ‘90s/2Ks Hip-Hop/R&B

2010s HipHop - Hip-Hop from the 2010s

 

To be honest I’m willing to drop SiriusXM like a bad habit as soon as they try and jack my subscription price up 3x again (at least before I tell them I’m done and I end up getting a better price  than what I’d been paying up to then).  So if anyone has suggestions on other services that integrate tightly with the Sonos system (S2 I guess) I’d appreciate opinions that could help me narrow down the large list of music services presented.  

Thanks for the info and guidance anyone might be able to provide!

 

Sonos themselves have zero control over what streams are provided to the buy any streaming service, including SiriusXM. SiriusXM stands up a server with content, and tells Sonos which server location they’re legally allowed to point to. Then SiriusXM sets which content can be reached by that particular server.

My guess is that either the CS rep you spoke to didn’t understand, but to my knowledge, they certainly were incorrect. SiriusXM has always reserved specific channels for their own clients or web acces, and not allowed third party speakers to reach ‘all’ of the content.

However, I am currently not a SiriusXM subscriber, nor have you shared which content in particular beyond the label of Xtra. Perhaps if you were to be more specific, another SiriusXM subscriber would be able to confirm whether or not that content is available via Sonos?