First impressions of Airplay

[rbrugman]

Hello Everyone,
I received my Airplay today, and I must say...I am impressed. For being about one square inch, it is an impressive transmitter. Overall quality is excellent, even from three cars back, although it does seem to emit a high frequency noise which can be heard if the song gets quiet or when it is switching songs, but it doesn't seem to subtract from overall quality. I read that some people were worried about accidently hitting the buttons. The buttons themselves require a decent push to change the station, so unless you accidently press it really hard, it shouldn't be a problem.

The screen on the Airplay stays on for a while and then shuts itself down, while still broadcasting. It is very easy to read in low light conditions. Setup is a breeze. You snap it on the top, pick your station, tune your radio and you are golden. Takes about 45 seconds, unlike the iTrip.

The hold swtich is perfectly accessable, since the Airplay itself only goes so far as to cover the "o" on the word hold printed next to the switch. Overall qualty looks to be very impressive. I've only had the chance to test it on my clock radio and in my truck, and also in a parking lot, where I was able to walk quite a distance before it started cutting out.

The package also comes with a one-month subscription to Audible.com, which includes two free titles.

I think that should be sufficient until the official review. If you have any questions, feel free to post them.

Robert

[Joshdude]

What area are you in? I live in LA, and while my iTrip is great when I can find a station, there is often some bleedthrough while I travel. My one beef with the iTrip was that I had to stop a song or playlist to re-tune. Very annoying. This looks to solve that problem. I ordered one last night, so I'll post what I think when I get it.

[rbrugman]

I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan, so I have a wide selection of stations I can choose from. Tuning is very easy. All the controls are on board the airplay, so your playlist will never need to be interupted. Just press the + or - button and retune your radio...that simple.

Like I said before, my only gripe was the noise it was emiting. I don't know if my ears are just extra sensative, or if it was just my airplay unit, or something else; but it doesn't make the airplay worth any less.

Robert

[Joshdude]

Yes, the separate buttons and screen were what attracted me to it. The noise thing isn't huge; my iTrip does that as well. It's just a byproduct of FM transmitting. The only other thing that I'm worried about is the shape. The iTrip was a very convenient, low-slung shape. THis thing kind of sticks up. I'd have to be more careful with it.

[Adam Helberg]

What exactly is Airplay and what does it do?

[sundevil]

Got my Airplay a couple of days ago and it works beautifully. When you get the right station it is very clear. Simple to use. Unfortunately, the display on mine was messed up when I received it but Xtrememac.com customer service has been very responsive and sending me out a replacement.

[AndyH]

Originally posted by Adam Helberg
What exactly is Airplay and what does it do?

Read this:
http://www.ipodlounge.com/ipodnews_c...d=6066_0_7_0_C

[Adam Helberg]

I see. It's a fancy itrip.

[AVService]

More like it has more features for the same price.

[c0mplex]

i should pick this up today. i just read the review and it seems to be great.

[sundevil]

Needed to use my cupholders yesterday so I put my ipod with the airplay in a compartment under the dash and closed the door. The sound was perfectly clear.

[caprimulgus]

anyone done a direct airplay vs itrip comparison yet? interested to see how the transmission quality of the airplay compares. cause the buttons for tuning would be really handy!!! i'll try and flog my itrip off to someone else, and buy one of these myself.

[AVService]

If I could find one local I would get it today.
The Apple store here has itrip's for $20.00 but I would prefer to have the buttons even for the extra price.

[Joshdude]

Yeah, I'm going to do a head to head comparison against my iTrip when the Airplay gets here. As far as I'm concerned, the only advatage to the iTrip is it's size. It may be wider, but it's shorter. It has a much more convenient shape. We'll see if the sound quality is better.

[BulkHedd]

Joshdude,

I would be very interested in hearing your comparison against the iTrip when you get the AirPlay.