The ranks of satellite radio subscribers have grown dramatically in recent months, and it's hardly a wonder why. Once subscribers soak up the programming quality and variety satellite radio has to offer, they regard it as indispensable, and never want to be stuck with only conventional radio again.

But what's the best way to get satellite radio? For SIRIUS subscribers especially, several equipment choices exist, many of which are plug-and-play. Which one should you choose?

The Clarion plug-and-play SIRIUS tuner comes with a handy remote.

To get my head around this little dilemma, I decided to give Clarion's plug-and-play SIRIUS receiver a month-long spin. Why plug-and-play? Mostly for the versatility. I like the concept of being able to transfer the tuner from car to home with ease (and with only one subscription). After all, satellite radio is so good, I need to be able to listen to it everywhere.

The car kit features everything you'll need to play the tuner in the car. And you can transfer the tuner to your home stereo with the home kit.

The Clarion tuner is compact and rectangular. It comes with a remote control, and, like all plug-and-play satellite radio tuners, must be used with special kits for the car and home (which are sold separately). The docking cradle included with the car kit features a built-in wireless FM modulator, so you can use it with any FM car stereo. The kit also comes with RCA patch cables, in case your receiver has auxiliary inputs. A power adapter, antenna, and mounting bracket round out the package.

The home kit includes a table-top stand, indoor/outdoor antenna, RCA patch cables, and a power adapter.

The tuner's sleek black chassis appealed to me immediately. It's smooth and subtle, and guaranteed not to stand out like a sore thumb in the car. The face is also refreshingly uncluttered; there are only 17 buttons (a power button, four function buttons, ten numeric buttons for presets and direct channel entry, and two category buttons), a rotary dial, and the LCD. Clarion clearly seems to understand that simple, most often, looks best.

Armed with the tuner and both the home and the car kits, I was ready for my test.