Which Car Solution Would You Recommend?

[BigMac41]

I want to connect my ipod to my stereo. I have an older van with the factory stereo still installed (no aux input). Im on a low budget so upgrading to a new stereo is pretty much out of the question. Im wondering though what is the best route i can go. FM Modulator, FM Transmitter, or a cassette adapter? What would you recommend for me?

[BigMac41]

please help.

ttt

[Galley]

None of the above. Trust me, you won't be satisfied with any of those methods. You should be able to find a used head unit with an Aux In for $40 or so. Heck, I've got a nice Blaupukt Honolulu that I'm no longer using.

[BigMac41]

and a cheap head unit like that will still sound better than what i mentioned above?

[sahovaman]

well, the cassette adapter would be the cheapest because you don't need to get one specifically for ipod... and well, the radio transmitter that i have (Monster ICarPlay+) is pretty good IF you can find a station that has a lot of static versus a decent signal, it took me about 10 minutes of going through all of the stations from 87 to 107 and 91.5 works for me up here in columbiaville. The advantage to the FM transmitter is that it is portable and will work in any vehicle that has a cigerette lighter outlet that works, and with the cassette player, obviously only in vehicles that have a cassette player, I cant really say anything about the wireless ones that plug into your ipod since ive never used one or heard one in use but if your on a low budget, then i would suggest a cassette tape converter.

[Pete_L_P]

A cassette adapter is a great budget way to go. I used one for years with a very high end stereo in a very high end car and was totally happy with it. I've got an aux-in on my current car, but that cassette adapter was really, really good for that prior situation.

Check out all of the satisfied customer reviews for this sony adapter (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005T39Y/sr=8-1/qid=1156271561/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3691937-1267358?ie=UTF8) at Amazon: 120 customer reviews and an excellent 4 star average customer rating (as high a rating as the iPod itself :) ). At that $6 price, you can't go wrong. Amazon's rating system gives a very good sense of whether or not the product has worked reliably for a large number of people and situations. Definitely give that $6 sony adapter a try. It's not only far cheaper than the best transmitters or modulators, but it's very likely to sound consistently better, as well.

I use the Kensington Digital transmitter for rental cars. I think it's the best transmitter, but at 10 times the price it still doesn't beat a sony cassette adapter in sound quality or reliability. (Of course many cars no longer have cassette players.)

BTW, any problems that people have with a cassette adapter are usually resolvable if you know what to look for: See my post on this subject here (http://forums.ilounge.com/showpost.php?p=961182&postcount=34).


Pete

[ipodave]

I decided to use a cassette adapter because the Best Buy salesperson said the adapter would both sound better and not be susceptible to static like some FM Transmitters. BTW, if you're also looking for a charger, I recommend the one from Monster. It's pricier than other models but less obtrusive IMO and seems to work pretty fast.