FM Transmitter for iPod

[Soxy]

In the next two weeks I'll be doing a lot of driving and I'd like to be able to play my iPod on my trips. Does anyone have any recommendations for good transmitters? I'll mostly be driving through rural-ish areas (OH, IN, WI, MN and a little bit of SD). The cheaper the better, obviously, but I really am just looking for some suggestions.

 

Thanks in advance!

[NorthSideSox72]

They are all terrible. Interference galore. I've tried a few.

 

Ultimately, its better to buy a new car stereo that has an AUX input. Then, you can plug your iPod directly into it. If you want to charge it too, you can buy chargers for iPods that have an AUX out, so you can have the best of both worlds.

 

[Texsox]

^^^^^^

It seems the old fashioned cassette adapters actually worked better.

[Kyyle23]

I have a griffin Itrip that is now 4 years old, and only in the last 3 months has it given me any problems. My buddy has the itrip that is a dock that you plug into your lighter and he loves it.

 

They arent that cheap, they range from 40-100 bucks, but you can find them on ebay too.

[smalls2598]

I have a griffin Itrip that is now 4 years old, and only in the last 3 months has it given me any problems. My buddy has the itrip that is a dock that you plug into your lighter and he loves it.

 

They arent that cheap, they range from 40-100 bucks, but you can find them on ebay too.

I used the Griffin iTrip in my prior car, and it worked well for me, too. You can get it used on Amazon for under $40.

 

[Soxy]

I have heard those work better in more rural areas than urban areas, is that true?

[bmags]

Soxy-

 

I went to Best Buy about four months ago, but maybe this is still the case. I was able to find an FM transmitter and ipod charger for 19.99 that was LOADS better than my previous fm transmitter/no charger (which was 60). It said it was regularly 90. It works great. Sometimes you just have to touch the ipod and it removes all the static.

 

But, I used to use a tape converter which was great sound quality.

 

I'll look when I have a chance in my car to see what brand it was. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. It's white and a big structure that surrounds the ipod. I'll update later.

[SnB]

i bought one of the more higher end ones about a year ago, belkin i think (was around 80 bucks). It works pretty well, but still way worse quality than if you were plugging it directly into it.

[NorthSideSox72]

I have heard those work better in more rural areas than urban areas, is that true?

True. When we had a couple of these, if we were road tripping through Wisconsin or something, it worked OK (still not nearly as good as plugging in). Get into a city, and it was near worthless.

 

Then again, I'm kind of a snob on sound quality. When I ripped all my CD's into iTunes, instead of taking the default settings, I maxed out the sample rate and quality. Bigger files, take up more room, but it sounds noticeably better.

 

[Kid Gleason]

They are all terrible. Interference galore. I've tried a few.

 

Ultimately, its better to buy a new car stereo that has an AUX input. Then, you can plug your iPod directly into it. If you want to charge it too, you can buy chargers for iPods that have an AUX out, so you can have the best of both worlds.

 

I use a Monster, have for a few years now. I paid $15 for it from eBay, and it has a charger on it. Ultimately that was A LOT cheaper than buying a car stereo with an aux input. Some cars have preamps that only work with their speakers, so you need to buy new speakers also when you replace the head unit. Or so I have been told.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Kid Gleason

[HuskyCaucasian]

^^^^^^

It seems the old fashioned cassette adapters actually worked better.

Indeed. FM transmitters vary on how well they work from car to car. I like mine (forget the brand. I'll get back on that), but it's nothing compared to a cassette adapter or direct plugin via 1/8" cable.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I have heard those work better in more rural areas than urban areas, is that true?

Between Aurora and Iowa City, my adaptor is nearly flawless. A LITTLE static, but not bad. In Schaumburg... I just have to live with some static.

[santo=dorf]

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90129973

That one is on sale for $4.99 but the reviews aren't too positive

[Whitewashed in '05]

FM Transmitters are junk. You get a lot of static and if you're driving long distances, which you will be, you will have to change the stations over and over. Finding a clear one to use is the annoying and time consuming part. I have the DLO Transpod which is a few years old and it works good compared to others I tried. The iTrip really sucks. I eventually got a new radio with the Aux.

 

I know Alpine stereos have a special plug that charges and plays the ipod if you're looking to go that route.

 

 

[kapkomet]

I bought one for the trip from Texas to Indiana/Chicago - ended up returning it because the Sirius radio has an input jack (WOOHOO, and that works great), but by in large, it did pretty well. It was $60 at Best Buy.

 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1201913280655

 

 

[Chisoxfn]

^^^^^^

It seems the old fashioned cassette adapters actually worked better.

Yep, thats what I have and it works freaking awesome. I'm lucky I'm one of the few people whose relatively new car (05) actually has a tape deck.

[bmags]

I loved it when mine worked, then one day, it spit out my cassette and never allowed another one back in. I got back at it by not changing my oil for a few more months.

[Jake]

I live in a rural area, but my itrip I believe its called works great. Not as a good as a cd, but acceptable. Sometime there is interference around some stoplights, thats about all I've noticed.

[dasox24]

^^^^^^

It seems the old fashioned cassette adapters actually worked better.

I wish I still had a cassette player in my car for this exact reason. I love how my old ass '92 Ford Taurus I drove until last year got better sound for my iPod than my newer 2002 Taurus. It's all right, though. When I buy a new car in a couple years, I'll make sure it has a direct input.

[Rex Kickass]

In the next two weeks I'll be doing a lot of driving and I'd like to be able to play my iPod on my trips. Does anyone have any recommendations for good transmitters? I'll mostly be driving through rural-ish areas (OH, IN, WI, MN and a little bit of SD). The cheaper the better, obviously, but I really am just looking for some suggestions.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Here's a next best thing suggestion. Is the CD in your car MP3 compatible? If it is, then make MP3 CDs. Granted they won't be quite as handy as your iPod, but you can put a lot of music on a single CD, almost as much as the smaller shuffle I think.

[DrunkBomber]

They are all terrible. Interference galore. I've tried a few.

 

Ultimately, its better to buy a new car stereo that has an AUX input. Then, you can plug your iPod directly into it. If you want to charge it too, you can buy chargers for iPods that have an AUX out, so you can have the best of both worlds.

Thats what I did for my Stiletto2. I couldnt handle it anymore.

[Soxy]

Here's a next best thing suggestion. Is the CD in your car MP3 compatible? If it is, then make MP3 CDs. Granted they won't be quite as handy as your iPod, but you can put a lot of music on a single CD, almost as much as the smaller shuffle I think.

That's usually what I do, but my computer is old and takes forever. So, I was thinking of a change.

 

I ended up getting the iTrip. THe only time I had problems with it was between Michigan City, IN and my parents in the SW burbs and around Cleveland. So, I was pretty happy with it.