I don't usually write reviews, but I was so pleased with this product that I had to do it. I have owned several FM transmitters (Griffin, Belkin) and always found them to be very annoying with having to change channels constantly. With this one I drove all the way across New York State and never changed the channel once. There was very little hissing and interference. Moreover, the holder is very handy and adjusts to many different sized ipods. I have a Touch, I didn't try it on other kinds. Great product! (Even has a remote, which I will probably lose, but it's still nifty)
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Let me begin by saying that FM transmitter should only be bought if you don't have a AUX port or don't want to fiddle around with cassette adapters.
Now with that little bit out of the way, I can say that from my initial tests this mounting Kit and FM Transmitter work beautifully. I have an iPod Classic and the kit comes with adjustable sides, allowing it to fit all iPods. The sound quality is good, and the kit charges the iPod. All-in-all it is definitely worth the money I have only three minor complaints about the kit. (The transmitter is covered below)
1. The Kit shakes a small amount when you drive due to the vibration of the engine (I drive a 2001 CR-V). I drove for around 30 minutes on variety of roads (highway like, rougher roads) and it didn't fall out, nor did the iPod move out of the container, but it is something of note
2. I have an incase leather protector around my iPod, which unfortunately cannot be mounted with the iPod. Not a big deal, as I have a place to put the case while I'm driving, but could be a problem for some who love their cases
3. Depending on the placement of your cigarette lighter the screen can be harder to see. I can still see mine clearly from where I am, but there is no extension cord to move it to a better part of the car. Also, I have the gearshift near my steering wheel. If your gearshift is on the floor, problems could arise when you are putting the car into park. Like most mounting kits, you must prepare a playlist ahead of time. The remote (yes it works) is nice to skip tracks, but unless you are stopped, it is unsafe to change a playlist while you are driving.
All of these complaints I repeat are minor in the end.
Now how is the sound? I live in Northbrook, IL which is 20 minutes out of downtown Chicago; however I get all of the local suburban radio stations as well as the city stations. Despite all of the radio stations I am still able to find frequencies that work for this. Many people don't know how to use FM transmitters which can explain why some get poor reviews. You need not only a clear station, but have at least the station before and after (preferably two if it exists) also open so there is as little competition as possible.
The sound quality is good, you can listen to your music and hear everything fine. If you are someone who stresses top-notch sound, then go buy an AUX kit for your car, b/c that'll give you the best. But if you are just looking for an alternative besides the terrible radio, this kit will get the job done. One thing as of note is that it is difficult while driving to change the frequency on the radio should you encounter static. Another is that your iPod will not automatically pause once the car is turned off. Many complain about the latter, but I don't see this as a big deal, because you should be taking your iPod with you out of your car you can just turn it off then. (Leaving your iPod in a kit is just asking for your windows to be smashed in)
There certainly are some flashier kits and FM Transmitters that will autoscan and some have presets you can use in case you ever have to switch. But for a price tag slightly under 30 bucks, you won't find a better deal.
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I was pretty skeptical about purchasing this product at first. I examined many of the IPOD car kits and many of them had terrible reviews. This was the one that had the least complaints, was one of the cheapest...so therefore, I purchased it. I am completely satisfied with this product. It works wonderfully. The music from my IPOD sounds just as if I was playing a CD in my car. You just have to find a radio station that picks up well enough, which for me only took 2 tries. I think its an excellent product and would definitely recommend it to anyone searching for an IPOD car kit...take it from someone that did tons of research, read many reviews, and is price conscientious.
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We live in the Phoenix, AZ area and first tried the Kensington Digital FM Transmiter KMW33185. The Kensington had poor reception and would frequently have static and background noise.
Therefore, we decided to try this one from Bargaincell. The reception on this one is far better than the Kensington. The best thing about it is that it comes in with very little static or intereference. However, that is now a sweet memory since it broke after only 45 days of use (conveniently after the 30 day return period). I guess I should've seen this coming since it is made from a hollow sounding cheap plastic and it was less expensive than some of the other devices out there. So I guess you get what you pay for but I did expect it to last more than 45 days. The place it broke was where you plug it into your lighter/dc adapter. We had to take it out each time it was used because it gets so hot inside the car here that the digital fm station readout would've faded/burned. Maybe if one left it in it the dc plug without removing it each time it would last longer...who knows. One other negative is that it is hard to shift without bumping/knocking into it so you really have to put it into drive first then plug it in (this is true for 3 different vehicles we tried).
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I was a little skeptical about the first review on this product, which seemed a bit over the top, but after receiving this product and trying it out, I'm going to have to agree: this is THE BEST FM TRANSMITTER FOR IPODS I HAVE EVER OWNED.
I owned one made by Griffin for my iPod nano and it was decent, but there was only one channel (87.9) that worked where I live (15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis) and there was quite a bit of static sometimes. When I received an iPod Touch for my birthday I went to Best Buy and paid $55 for another Griffin product and it was AWFUL. There wasn't a single station that didn't have a lot of static and it just seemed very poorly made.
I then found this online for half the price, and the sound quality is excellent. It honestly sounds as good as a CD on several channels in throughout the city. The packaging concerned me at first, as there are several misprints which made we wonder if as little care went into the product as went into the packaging, but after several days of using this I couldn't be more pleased. My one concern is that the plastic that the holder is made of seems a little cheap and I'm concerned that it might break if I change it from one car to the other too often. At this price, though, you can buy two of them for the price of one terrible Griffin product!
One other minor complaint: the photo here shows that it is black, but the one I received was white. I would have sent it back and requested a black one to go with my Touch, but I really don't care and I've been so pleased with it that it seemed like a pretty minor thing.
BARGAINCELL: If you want to send me the right color, I'd be happy to edit my review to reflect that you did!
