Best FM Transmitter? Reviews Requested

[chriswn]

Well my cassette deck is broken & now I have to splurge for one of these. There seems to be quite a few out there. It seems that initial models are quite poor, but latest models have been getting good reviews, but I'm surprised there's no comprehensive review of them on this site.

Of those reviewed on Amazon, these have gotten the best reviews:

Aerielle Audiobug (250 & 350)
Griffin iTrip
Macally Auto & Home FM Transmitter & Charger

[fuzznfangs]

What works best depends heavily on what kind of car you have, and how crowded the frequencies are where you live. The best FM transmittor I tried (and believe me, I've tried a LOT of them!) was the iTrip. But even that was unacceptable for me. If I were you, I'd get a direct connection like icelink, alpine, etc. FM transmittors are just not very good overall.

[taus]

I've yet to hear a complaint about the new kensington digital transmitter... look for the thread about it in this section for some input.

[K1W1]

Originally posted by chriswn
but I'm surprised there's no comprehensive review of them on this site.


Have you looked?
There are reviews of 12 different FM transmitters on this page of the site (http://www.ipodlounge.com/index.php/reviews/).

[jimbabb]

Until, somebody makes a transmitter hackable beyond FCC power regulations, these gadgets will always be weak. I think it would be really cool if every iPod could be a roving pirate radio station.

My $50 Belkin thing, works fairly well in my Accord or next to my kitchen boom box. I bought my transmitter at Circuit City, where they have a no-questions return policy. (The car stereo dept denied that anything like the ICE-link connector exists.)

[nimrodguy]

the belkin tunecast ii is pretty decent. it takes 2 AAA batteries, but it turns itself on and off. i've seen them at walmart for around $30, and walmart will allow you to return pretty much anything.

[wkearney99]

Originally posted by taus
I've yet to hear a complaint about the new kensington digital transmitter... look for the thread about it in this section for some input.

Then here's your first complaint. I found it's audio level to be too low. The radio had to be cranked WAY up to pickup the iPod's signal. That and the switches on it for changing channels were cheesy. They seemed likely to wear out.

[taus]

wkearney: Are you talking about the original Kensington, where you had to select between 8 channels, or the new digital one? I tried the original kensington, and found the same problem you stated, that the switches were weakly constructed, but the digital one seems well made to me. I'm also a little surprised about your comment on audio levels. I've been using the same volume levels that I do when I listen to normal FM radio stations and haven't had to adjust for my ipod transmitter. Also, it seems surprising that volume could be low when this is a dock connecting unit and not from the headphone jack like others.

But...to each his/her own...I'm happy with mine....hope you get there with your car ipod hook-up.

[Jet_Pilot]

I have a Monster Digital iCarPlay and it's great. Plus it recharges your iPod :)


Only problem is that you can only use it in a car as it draws it's power from the cigarette lighter.

On the other hand, it acts as a line-in, you can choose any FM frequency and it looks cool.

[taus]

I've also tried the new digital monster transmitter and it seemed to work just as well as my digital kensington. I actually liked how it looked better as the black wires don't stand out as much in my car as white. But, the dock connector was too wide to fit into my marware convertible case, so it wasn't an option for me (as I never take my ipod out of the case)

[rjknyy]

Right now I am using the Roadtrip! 87.9 and have been very happy with it. There is a thread on it below

[wkearney99]

Mine was the non-digital one with selects for the 88 or 107 range and 4 channels each. I found it was just too weak of a signal. Not from an FM transmission standpoint but from the audio-level itself. The signal came through reasonably well but the sound level itself was just too quiet.

That and the LEDs on the end of it are REALLY TOO BRIGHT for nighttime driving conditions. The white case and cabling didn't help either.

[taus]

Yeah, I figured that you had the non-digital one. I definitely agree with you about the switches and the leds. But the digital one.... I can't complain about anything except the digital display being a little hard to read. However, the sound is exceptional compared to any other fm transmitters I've tried (5-6 others).

Try this if you have the time..or are as nuts as me:

If you don't know people with the other, similar products, places like Bestbuy/Circuit City are great for doing a little trial and error. Go there, buy the products that you want to try, then return everything except the one that works best for you. It may be deemed uneithical by some people, but I don't think I'm scamming anybody and they accept returns almost without question as long as you have the reciept. Buying online is usually cheaper, but doing this allows you to make your own personal informed decision and doesnt force you to rely on people on internet forums (like me...)

[wkearney99]

Heh, I'll be returning this non-digital one shortly. I'll try to make note of the volume level it provided and compare is against whatever I get as the replacement.

I'm leaning toward just replacing the head unit in the car with one that will speak to an actual ipod-integrated controller instead of FM. If I can find a cheap replacement head unit for a VW Cabrio that works with a controller then I won't bother with FM.

I'll still need one for other cars and rentals.

[40gigger]

i have the i-trip and i found it worked 'okay'.

then i bought the podfreq and it tunes into ANY station and works quite well, BUT i have a faint high pitch sound in the background which is a little annoying. i THINK it has to do with the car engine running, noise supressor?

i'm gonna look into a newer HU, fm transmitters just don't cut it.

[GavinD]

www.ipodcarkits.com has a lot of reviews on them :)

[rruffin]

Pod Freq by Sonnet works quite well - much better than iTrip. It uses the a line out signal instead of the headphone jack, built in digital tuner and recharges via either firewire or USB. The best feature it the telescoping antenna, as it most likely contributes to the clear sound. The unit is large and includes a plastic case into which you slip your naked iPod. (Taking the iPod out of its 'skin is somewhat of a hassle, though.)

I have an Alpine system in my car, but use the Pod Freq when driving a rental car for work. Have found the Pod Freq to produce decent quality sound.