0ur opinion:

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Clarion CLBB Calypso Boombox

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From the home to the car to the family picnic, Clarion's Calypso plug 'n' play Sirius satellite radio receiver defines true portability. The receiver plays Sirius's 65 all-digital satellite radio music channels--including such genres as authentic country, bluegrass, Latin, reggae, and jazz--along with 55 sports, news, and entertainment streams like ESPN, Radio Disney, and E! Entertainment Radio. At the same time, the receiver is small enough to transport handily from the living room (where it can be paired with a Clarion home kit) to the car (via Clarion's car kit). Both kits (at least one of the two is required to use the Calypso) include docking cradles, power adapters, patch cables, and satellite radio antennas. Listeners can even enjoy the satellite streams at the park or beach with the Calypso boombox, which features a docking slot designed expressly for the Calypso receiver.

Navigating Sirius's digital streams is a breeze thanks to the Calypso's 30 station presets and intuitive rotary control knob. The Calypso also lets listeners scan by category, artist, and song title, depending on their mood or tastes. And should listeners want to hear a favorite song, they can activate the S-Seek function, which prompts users when a pre-selected title is playing on any of the stations. S-Seek stores up to 20 favorites at a time.

Cosmetically, the Calypso touts an attractive piano-like finish and a techno-blue dot matrix display. The illuminated display is not only easy to read (with a 128 x 48 resolution), but scrolls artist, song, and channel information across the screen while you listen. lt also offers two selectable font sizes for increased visibility, along with auto dimming and adjustable contrast controls.

Adding to the convenience is a built-in FM transmitter with 10 selectable channels. The transmitter makes car connection easy, as all you have to do to enjoy the satellite channels is find an unused FM frequency on your existing car stereo. The Calypso then broadcasts the Sirius stations over the FM dial and through your speakers. lf you'd prefer to connect the Calypso directly to a stereo system, simply use the RCA audio outputs on the back of the docking cradles.

0ther features include a built-in clock, an adjustable audio output level, and an infrared remote control. The Calypso measures 4.33 by 2.87 by 1.10 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a one-year warranty.

Note: You must subscribe to Sirius satellite radio to receive the satellite radio signal.

What's in the Box
Calypso satellite radio receiver, wireless remote control, AAA batteries, user's manual.


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Buyer's feedback: - *
I'm now in my 4th year with Sirius. As far as the radio and the daily service, it is absolutely awesome. You will not want to return to regular radio again after a couple days of Sirius. The hardware and product they give you daily is phenomenal.

That being said, dealing with the company itself, specifically over the phone, is an absolute nightmare. The utter incompetence of most of the customer service people is staggering. I'd say the average I.Q. is around 25. Harsh, but it is what it is.

Three of my four years with Sirius, I have been lucky enough where I've had family/friends want to pay for my yearly subscription as a Birthday/Christmas present. The first time a family member called Sirius, paid for the year with his credit card, and we thought it was set. His credit card was double charged, and at the beginning of January when my plan renews, I was also charged. We both called Sirius and the issue was not resolved for more than a week.

The second issue was a similar issue. A family member called Sirius, provided a credit card, and paid for the year. Once again, a few days into January $150+ was withdrawn from my checking account (renewal price). Not happy again, we had to haggle over the phone for a few days to get it rectified.

This brings me to this year. A friend and a family member wanted to pay for my subscription. They both contacted Sirius and asked if there were Gift Cards or Certificates that could be used towards the subscription. Obviously b/c of past issues. Both were told by Sirius operators that the easiest way was to purchase Egift Certificates, which are sent directly to the recipients email with a code to redeem them. That was what they did.

On December 30th I went to redeem them. Problem is they are only good towards Sirius hardware and cannot be used for subscriptions. I called Sirius to take issue. I was disconnected by the first two associates, the third was yawning into the phone, and finally the fourth try I got someone who could help. The associate told me I could use the Egift credits and buy Gift Cards from the Sirius shop and have them sent to me. I stated that my account was set to renew in a few days and this would be a problem. He assured me it wouldn't be, and transferred me to customer care.

At customer care, I spoke with an associate who assured me my account would be frozen, it would go into invoice billing, and I simply had to just wait for the Gift Cards to arrive in the mail. I had a bad feeling but decided to go that route. A week later the Gift Cards arrived.

Before I called Sirius back to redeem them, I checked my checking account. Sure enough once again Sirius charged me already for the yearly renewal. Problem this time, I had just paid a bunch of bills out of my checking and it overdrafted my account. I was furious and called Sirius once again. They admitted fault initially, but then began to change their stance and stated that I never had the Sirius account frozen. Luckily I document everyone I speak to. Sirius even refused initially to refund the overdraft fees from the bank. I finally spoke with a supervisor who agreed to refund the fees and subscription price. To rub extra salt in the wounds, it will take 7-10 days, my checking account is now frozen, and I have no way to use it right now. To top it all off, I still never got an apology from Sirius. So to put it simply, don't ask for your subscription to be paid for as a gift, and avoid dealing with Sirius directly. It is nothing but a hassle that probably will cost you days of problems. This might actually be my last year with them because of this. Good luck if you have to deal with them.

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Buyer's feedback: - Defect No Doubt
I had the Calypos for a year and a half with absolutely no problems. I took it from car to boombox every day. It would be on for 12+ hours a day. Then nothing! The unit would only display the logo, no channels, no music. I'm trying to get it fixed, but who knows. I love Sirius, not sure I'd buy another Clarion product through.

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Buyer's feedback: - *
I bought from an authorized dealer, and had it professioanlly installed. Everythng worked well for almost a year, then the unit became unreliable. After a few minutes, apparently after the thing gets warm, the display reads "Acquiriung Signal". After first I blamed Sirius, but after a few days I realized it must be the Calypso itself. Sometimes it might start working again if I turn it off for a while, but for the most part the unit is gone.

I am very disappointed. Modern electronics usually last much longer, especially when no moving parts are involved. Since I have seen others complaining about this same issue, I would have to recommend you avoid the Calypso. Shame on Clarion.

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Buyer's feedback: - Excellent satellite receiver!
I have to say I'm surprised by the negative reviews.... I have had my Clarion Calypso fo 14 months, and have not had one problem with it. Mine is on for an average of 12 hours a day too. I have been fairly rough with it as well. I start off by listening to it at home in the morning, then I take it into the car, drive to work while it is plugged into my car unit, and then I take it into my office, and plug it into my other home mount there. All in all, I have dropped it probably a dozen times,
but still no problems with it! I got another one for my brother for Christmas last year, and he has his for nearly a year now, and he has had no problems either, and he is a heavy listener of Sirius as well.

This system of buying a couple of different mounts (1 or 2 home mounts for your house and office, and 1 car mount for your vehicle) allows you to buy only one actual radio, thereby avoiding the costs of additional radios AND additional subscriptions. The Calypso has been a perfect fit for me.

One other good thing about this radio... the FM broadcasting of the unit is excellent, and has a very good range, letting me listen to Sirius on any stereo or radio throughout my decent sized home.

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Buyer's feedback: - *
I think the the Clarion Calypso is a nicely designed unit with a great menu system and wonderful features for a plug-and-play satellite receiver. I just wish I could listen to mine more. Like another reviewer here my unit suffers from a defect and getting it repaired is a frustrating affair. When my receiver gets warm it will throw up the "Acquiring signal" warning on the display. Sometimes after several minutes the unit will come back and play fine. Other times it will be out for the day. It is not an antenna problem or a signal problem. There is a defect within the unit itself. During the summer months it is pretty much dead all the time.

They should refer to this as a Sirius disposable radio.